by Quell T Fox
School is the number one priority to him. I thank him for the respect I have towards school. Callan instilled so much knowledge into me. I spent the most time with him when I first moved here. We connected right away, even before I connected with Lenny.
I was a sponge, wanting to learn anything and everything. Being hidden away in a house for twelve years will do that to you. Callan had an answer for everything I asked, and I could never get enough of him. He opened up so many new doors for me. He is the reason I found my love for plants and nature, my love for cooking. Callan exposed me to the world, without having to go anywhere.
I follow Castor towards the stairs and we go all the way up to the fourth floor. I wonder where it is he’s leading me, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough; the school is only so big. He’s a calculated person and he doesn’t seem like one who would waste his time. He knows exactly what he’s doing, so I play along.
I don’t know how this mate thing normally works. In fact, I know nothing about being a shifter at all. No matter the rules around mates, I will not allow any of them to treat me like nothing and then expect me to come when they call.
They need to earn my trust and respect first.
The bell rings as we reach the top and Castor turns down a hallway. I follow him there, keeping distance between us. It’s a dead end. There is nothing here but windows. It’s the lower portion of one of the towers. Kids hang out here before class begins, sitting around and chatting. If this is where he wants to talk, I’m fine with it. It’s private enough.
But when he walks towards a door, one I didn’t even realize was there because it blends in so well, I hesitate, wondering what it is he’s doing.
He places his hand on the handle as I say, “We can’t go in there.”
“And why not?” he asks, looking over his shoulder.
“I don’t know, because.”
“That’s not a good enough reason for me.” He pulls the door open. I freeze, waiting for an alarm to go off but nothing happens. The halls are as silent as they were moments ago. He presses his back to the door, holding it open and gesturing for me to get inside. I huff out a breath, but I go in anyway.
The room is colder than the rest of the school and it’s dark too. There are more stairs we walk up and I know exactly where this leads to.
“I didn’t think there was a way to get up here,” I say, walking slowly up the squeaky stairs. The bend slightly under my feet and I try not to think about falling and plummeting to my death.
“You mean to tell me this is your fourth year here and you haven’t been up here before? I’ve been here only two months and I’ve explored every inch of this school.”
“I’ve never had a reason to.” I shrug it off.
“Safety is a reason. Knowing your surroundings, is a reason.” I pause on the stairs and watch Castor as he walks by me and disappears around the curve of the staircase.
I pull myself together, wondering what exactly it is he’s been through, but I keep going. After what feels like the millionth step, I finally make it to the top. I find Castor standing against the far wall, hands in his pockets and his back to me. He’s staring out one of the larger windows. I take a few steps closer and the sight takes my breath away.
Being this high up, you can see for miles.
The town I live in is old. There aren’t any large buildings. No skyscrapers, nothing like that. The biggest thing you’ll find around here are the old houses—other than this school, of course. I look in the general direction of my house, but I can’t quite make it out. I think I see where it would be, but it’s too far off to tell.
“This is amazing,” I breathe out. “You’ve been up here before?” He nods his head, moving aside and making more space for me. I drop my backpack by the stairs and step closer to him.
I’ve never willingly been this close to Castor before. All the times I was next to him, it was forced. Every day at lunch when he planted himself beside me. Our date wasn’t even my choice, it was a demand from him.
The heat radiating off him isn’t left unnoticed. I ask a question I’ve been wondering for a long time now but haven’t had the courage to ask.
“What is your animal?” The words come out soft, but I know he hears me.
“You do realize that is a very rude question, don’t you?” he says after a long period of silence. I laugh quietly, knowing full well it was I who said that to him originally.
“I think we’re past that, don’t you? We are mates after all, aren’t we?” I turn my head in his direction.
“Are we?” he asks, still staring out the window. Castor’s features look as if they were etched out of marble. Smooth lines but stone cold. He turns his head just slightly, his dark eyes meeting mine. He blinks slowly, sliding his tongue along his bottom lip.
“Tell me, Leona. What does being someone’s mate mean to you?” A smirk crosses his lips. His dark eyes bore into mine, the depths of his are an endless, dark abyss I could easily get lost in. My heart thunders in my chest at the intensity of his look. He looks away, focusing his attention back out the window. He’s cocky, so cocky… why do I like it?
“Tell me, Castor,” I say firmly, moving myself directly in front of him. “Can you speak for yourself, or do you borrow everyone else’s ideas?”
Before I know what’s happening, I’m pinned against the cold window, Castor’s warm body pressing into me, his hands cupped around my face. My heart begins to race and I’m finding it hard to breathe. His scent is overwhelming, so masculine and pure.
“Trust me, beautiful girl, I have plenty of my own ideas,” he whispers, his lips so close to mine I feel the heat of his breath.
“Like what?” I ask, my voice raspy, barely a whisper.
“Like fighting off those wolves for you. Like bringing you up here. Like you sitting on my face, coming so many times you’re shaking and numb.” One hand travels down my neck, his fingers wrapping around slightly before continuing downwards. “Like shoving my cock in your tight, little pussy.” His hand slides around my waist, burning my skin as he goes. The other grabs my chin, tilting my head back, forcing me to stare into his eyes. “Because yes, Leona, we are mates, and what that means to me is something you’re not ready for yet.”
He steps back and disappears down the stairs. I’m left a shaking, sweating mess.
I spend the rest of second period and part of third in the tower, dwelling on what Castor said to me. Maybe he is right. Maybe that’s the problem. I don’t know anything about being someone’s mate. But I’m trying to learn. It’s why I asked Thorne that question the other night, clearly while Castor was spying on us. And that means…
Damn, that means he heard us having sex too.
Maybe I should be annoyed by the thought, but it’s exciting to me. Did he enjoy it? Was he disgusted? Was he... jealous? What would have happened if he made his presence known?
I text both Thorne and Callan (again) letting them know I’m fine, but I need some space to process. My life has gone from a leisurely stroll to a 10k race in a matter of days and I haven’t exactly taken time to think about any of it.
But here, something about this place, sitting in this wide open, circular room, I feel safe. I feel calm. Peaceful, almost.
I sit on the floor, in the same spot Castor left me, just reflecting on life. Trying to figure things out. What is my next step? What do I do now?
I don’t want to keep hiding, but I also won’t sacrifice myself. I’m not that stupid. There has to be something that can be done to make everyone happy. But what? And how do I figure out what it is?
I don’t want to put anyone else at risk, myself included. I trust my family to keep me safe, but I worry doing nothing is only putting them in danger. The guys, I’m sure they can handle anything that comes their way, but what about Milo and Briella? The thought of something happening to them makes me want to vomit.
I need to come up with a plan, and I think I know exactly who I need to talk to. I gather my
things and head for the door. I’ll be late for my next class but it’s fine, better than missing it all together.
As I step out the door, I see the hall is free of students. As it should be since the bell rang a while ago. When I round the corner, I’m startled by a sharp voice.
“What’re you doing here?” Eli asks, leaning up against the wall.
What is he doing here?
“Oh, uh, just heading to class.”
“You don’t have any classes up here,” he takes a step towards me. I look over at him, noting he looks different. Something about him is off, he doesn’t seem like himself.
Eli is usually so well put together but now his clothes are wrinkled, he has bags under his eyes, his hair is greasy and unkempt. This is not the Eli I’ve known for five years. This is someone different, someone unrecognizable. Aside from that, there is something more I can’t figure out. Something deeper than his messy exterior.
“I j-just,” I start, stumbling on my words.
“You weren’t up here with one of those guys, were you?” He takes another step closer, towering over me. I have a flashback of the night at the beach and my fingers begin to tremble.
“What?” I ask, taken aback by his question.
“You don’t belong with them, Leona.” His voice cracks, he sounds scared, and it’s starting to freak me out. He narrows his eyes slightly before they dart behind me. I turn around to see what’s caught his attention, but I don’t have time to see what it is before something hits me in the back of the head.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Thorne
I know something is wrong when ten minutes have gone by and Leona doesn’t respond to my text. I knew at five but gave her a few extra minutes because maybe she was in the bathroom. I shouldn’t have waited. Neither Castor nor Hunter have seen her. They both answered the group chat immediately, sending my blood pressure through the roof. Something is wrong. She said she was going to her third period class when she texted me last, but she never made it.
I stand from my desk and start towards the door, not able to sit still any longer.
“Mr. Chase, class hasn’t ended,” Mr. Haddler says. “Please take your seat.”
I ignore him and exit the classroom, my walk turning into a run as the door swings shut behind me. I don’t care if I get in trouble; this is more important.
I’ve known where Callan’s class was since day one, the moment I found out he was related to my mate. Over these past few weeks, he has made sure I know his schedule completely, in case anything were to happen and I needed to get in touch with him. This is something we haven’t told Leona, but only because she doesn’t need to know. We are doing it to keep her safe.
That’s why when I burst into his classroom without a word, he doesn’t ask questions. He carefully caps his red dry-erase marker and places it on the lip of the board. He turns towards the class and says, “Excuse me.” He walks right past me and out the door into the hallway. I follow and close it behind me.
“Have you heard from Leona recently? It’s been at least fifteen minutes and I haven’t heard a thing. She isn’t in her class either. I feel like something is wrong.”
His green eyes settle on mine. “Feel or think? They are two different things. Is it your panic causing this, or is it something else?”
I think about it for a second. “I feel it. Definitely a feeling.”
He nods once.
“I’m going to make a few phone calls, go check the tower she was at. Get your friends to help. She is your mate, you should be able to somewhat sense where she is, if you really focus. And if you have, uh, started the mate process, then there is an even higher chance you will find her.” He clears his throat nervously and walks back into the class to grab his belongings.
I take off up the stairs, heading to the top floor and pull out my phone. I send a text to the group chat again.
Me: Meet me at the tower. Now.
They don’t argue like I expect them to. And they don’t take long to show up either, meeting me at the top of the tower.
“Something is wrong. Can’t you feel it?” I ask as their footsteps reach the landing. My skin is crawling with the need to tear something apart. In reality, they didn’t take long to get here, but each second felt like an eternity.
“I don’t feel a thing besides annoyance for being pulled out of class. She’s probably in the bathroom,” Hunter says, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the stone wall.
“Are you ever going to stop being a fucking dick?” I growl.
Hunter shrugs. “Probably not.”
“I agree with Thorne,” Cas says, shocking me and making Hunter look as if he’s been slapped. I know Caster and Leona had a little chat earlier, but I didn’t get a chance to ask how it went. I am highly annoyed he left her here though, because if he hadn’t, this wouldn’t be happening. “I should have stayed with her, I fucked up.”
“Are you giving into this shit now? What? You suddenly believe her?” Hunter asks, disgusted.
Cas gives him a look but doesn’t say anything, though he doesn’t have to. I can sense it from him. He is our alpha after all, and he should be. I can be too soft, I know that. On the other end, Hunter is too harsh. Cas may be stubborn as hell, intimidating as fuck, and cold as shit, but he’s made for the job.
“Don’t you want to have a mate?” I ask Hunter, turning towards him. “Don’t you want to be complete? Have our chance to be at the top? Because that’s what she gives us, you know that right?”
“So that’s why you’re sticking your cock in her? So we can be on top. Guess what? The top is taken, the only thing available is second in line, and I am not okay with that.”
“We don’t settle for less, Hunter. We settle for the best. Julian doesn’t deserve that spot. It’s ours. The sooner we get our shit together, the sooner we can prove it. His spot is not permanent. And I suggest if you care about it at all, about being in your rightful spot—which is leading our pack—then pull your head out of your ass.” Castor takes a few steps closer to Hunter, getting right in his face. His voice turns to that low, rumble it reaches when he’s angry. “Remember, brother, I went through the same things you did.” Hunter looks away, breaking the eye contact, but Cas reaches out his hand grasping his chin and pulling his gaze back. “Being scared is not an excuse to give up. We are not always right.” He drops his hand and turns to me. “Now, what is your plan?”
Castor does not get angry often. He reels it in and holds onto it, knowing better than to unleash it.
But when he does…
Let’s just say you don’t want to be in his line of target.
“I already talked to Callan. He’s calling the rest of her family. I came here to get a feeling from her, maybe a smell, but I’m not getting anything. I feel something up here and a little bit downstairs, but that’s all. I’m not getting anything else, not in this form.”
My sense of smell is a hundred times better in my animal form. I’d easily be able to find her. Castor moves closer to me, deep in thought like he’s trying to help. All while Hunter stays in his spot, scowling like a spoiled brat.
“We can’t have a bear roaming around the school, Thorne,” Castor says, but the twitch in his eye tells me he’d consider it.
“Fuck, I know! That’s not what I’m saying.”
“If we had completed the bond like we’d planned, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Hunter adds like the horny, insensitive prick that he is.
I let out a growl and stomp towards Hunter, pointing a finger at him I begin to shout. “You are not going to use her just for that, asshole. You think she’s so easy? That she’s just going to let you in her pants because she’s supposed to? Not going to happen! Not from someone like her.”
Cas slips between us, giving me the look, silently telling me to calm down. I back away as Castor turns around to face my smug as fuck friend. “Hunter, go to her locker and find something that smells like her. Maybe Thorne can prac
tice using his senses in human form. Then I want you to do what you do best.” He turns around, moving towards the stairs.
“And that is?”
He smiles over his shoulder.
“Hunt.”
Hunter
It’s been a while since I’ve had to do any hunting. The last time I did this was about a year ago, and it wasn’t pack official; just someone at school that pissed us off and needed a little roughing up so it wouldn’t happen again. We’re never asked to do official business. And we never will with Julian at the top. That little prick needs to be knocked off his high horse, and soon.
Switching schools was rough. We lost our social standing. We worried coming to this school would be a problem, but we quickly learned that for whatever idiotic reason, no one in this school cares about social ladders. It was easy to fit in and do our thing. Too easy. We didn’t have to worry about stepping on anyone to get to the top, because there is no top. Everyone is on even ground. It’s one of the most interesting—and ridiculous— things I’ve ever seen. I’m not even sure how it’s possible.
I’ve done a lot of watching since being here; it’s what I do best, as Cas put it. Hunting, it’s my thing. Even when I’m not in owl form, it’s what I’m doing. Watching, listening, learning. It’s my part to play in this trio.
I’m not sure what Cas expects me to find. Without knowing how long she has been gone or where she may be, I’ll never find her. I haven’t an inkling of feeling towards her, outside of the annoying feeling I get in my chest every time she is near. But that’s the most of it and it very well isn’t going to help me find her. I’m an eighteen-year-old, for fuck’s sake. Hot girls do that to me—make my chest ache and my cock hard. It’s nature. Not a fucking mate bond.