Becoming Alpha

by Aileen Erin

  “Sure.” I shrugged. “And look, it’s not like he wasn’t already my enemy. The only thing that changed is that everyone knows it. That could save my butt.”

  “I’m not sure if you’re suicidal or a genius,” Meredith said.

  I grinned. “Go with genius. It’s way more accurate.” I held my fist out to Adrian and he bumped it.

  “You’re way more badass than me,” he said.

  “Thanks. I guess I’m gonna change and whatnot. Dinner in a bit?” They nodded.

  I went up the stairs to my room. It wasn’t until I got to my room that I let out the breath I’d been holding. Maybe going off on Mr. Hoel wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, but unless I figured out time travel, there was no changing it. And even if there was, I didn’t think I wanted to.

  One girl against three ass-Hoels. Those odds weren’t so bad, were they?

  Chapter Thirty

  I woke up on Saturday totally ready for the weekend. The sirens had gone off all night again, and I couldn’t be the only one a little on edge. My only hope was that I’d have a day blissfully free of people gawking at me or blowing my mind with crazy werewolf history or the “physics” behind magic.

  A little R and R would go a long way to soothe my mental state.

  I listened for people moving about the dorm, but the sweet sound of silence greeted me. The clock said it was eleven. Thank God for sleeping in. The only thing I needed to know was what to do with my day.

  I peeked into Meredith’s room, but she wasn’t there. I hoped she hadn’t gone somewhere too fun without me. What did people do on the weekend here anyway?

  I threw on some clothes and grabbed a pair of cotton jersey gloves before heading down to the cafeteria. Adrian and Chris sat at the pristine replacement of our usual table. A few guys in all black were scattered around the room, but other than that it was nearly empty, my lucky day.

  Chris reclined with his feet on the table. “How’s it going?”

  “Okay.” I ate a bite of my omelet. At least the food was good. It would seriously suck if I had to eat the typical nasty school food by the truckload. “What are you guys up to?”

  “Just hanging out,” Adrian said. “Thinking about catching a movie.”

  I waited for a “want to come” but got an uncomfortable silence instead. Adrian squirmed as I stared him down. Why were they being distant all of a sudden?

  Chris grabbed my hand. “We’d take you if we could. But we can’t.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure you guys want time to do guy stuff or something. I’m sure Meredith is around somewhere.”

  The guys shared a look.

  “You guys are totally acting weird. What’s going on?”

  “Don’t be upset,” Adrian said. “Meredith and Shannon went shopping.”

  That totally blew. I’d been dying to get off campus. The fence had been majorly creeping in on me the past few days. Maybe I’d just take my car and go for a drive. Grab some pizza and read a book.

  Chris cleared his throat. “Look. You can’t leave.”

  “What!” Now I was pissed.

  Adrian raised an eyebrow. “You can’t leave campus.”

  That irked me. Why was I just now hearing about this? “So what, I’m a prisoner?” These boys were driving me nuts. “I really wish everyone would stop beating around the bush and just tell me what the hell I need to know.”

  A scuffle came from under the table. Chris groaned as Adrian’s foot made contact.

  “You’re not in control yet,” Adrian said. “Until you get a handle on your wolf, you can’t leave campus.”

  That was bullshit. “I’d never hurt anyone.”

  “Think about the past few days,” Chris said. “You’ve been all over the place. We don’t know what could happen, and if you were honest with yourself, you’d know it’s true.”

  His words stung more than they should have. Even if they were a little right. I had a bit of an adjustment problem. It should be completely understandable, but I shouldn’t be punished for it.

  I pushed back from the table. “Got it. Thank you for telling me.” They called to me, but I didn’t stop. I had to find Mr. Dawson.

  As I got closer to his cabin, I heard people yelling. I moved up the porch steps as quietly as I could. I leaned my ear close to the door.

  “—completely out of control,” Mr. Dawson said. “If he’s—”

  “We need proof,” Sebastian said, his German accent thick with frustration. “Real proof! We cannot go to the rest of the Seven with your word.”

  “We’re being attacked every night. The guys can’t keep this up indefinitely. We have to find out what Rupert’s planned before he destroys us,” Michael said, his voice a low growl. “I’ll read him—”

  “Not going to happen. If we don’t have proof, bringing him in will rip us apart. We’re already divided, nearly evenly.” Donovan’s Irish lilt came through the door. “We cannot afford to be wrong. If ya—”

  I took a step closer to the door. The board squeaked.

  “Wait. We have a visitor.” The door swung open to reveal Mr. Dawson’s angry glare. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  Yes. I want you to continue talking so I can finish eavesdropping. But I couldn’t say that. “Uuuh… I want to go to the movies with Chris and Adrian.”

  “You’ve got superb timing, my dear. Talk to her, Michael.” Sebastian clapped Mr. Dawson on the back as he walked out the door with Donovan. “I think you need to calm down a bit before we continue this.”

  Well that didn’t go as planned. “I’ll be with the guys. I won’t hurt anyone.”

  Mr. Dawson stepped into his tiny kitchen. “Would you like a cup of tea?” he asked, but he didn’t wait for my answer. His movements were jerky as he opened a cupboard and filled a dented metal kettle.

  I took a seat in his breakfast nook. I didn’t think of Mr. Dawson as a tea type. More like coffee or beer. He slammed the kettle onto the stove and switched the gas on.

  No wonder the damned thing was dented.

  He set a mug and tea bag in front of me. When the kettle whistled, he joined me at the table and poured the water.

  I cleared my throat. “So I was right about Mr. Hoel? He’s planning something big, right?”

  “You’re more trouble than I thought.” I opened my mouth to ask another question but he shook his head. “You’ve got more than enough on your plate with everything else going on. I’m handling this.” He took a sip of his tea. “Or trying to,” he said under his breath.

  I crossed my arms. “I can handle it.”

  “I’m sure you could, pup.”

  I’d have to figure out more about Mr. Hoel when Meredith got back from her shopping exposition. Which brought me back to why I was there to see Mr. Dawson in the first place. “Why can’t I leave campus?”

  “Because you won’t be ready to be around humans until you’ve embraced your wolf.”

  “I’d never—”

  He held up a hand. “Don’t make promises that you might not be able to keep. It’s going to be a hard transition—”

  “It is hard. Nothing ‘going to be’ about it.”

  His mouth curved into a smile. “It is hard. I know you don’t want to hear it, but this will—”

  “Take time,” I finished for him. I was exhausted from how many times I’d heard that lately. “I could just take my car and hit the road.”

  He lifted an eyebrow.

  Right. Probably a bad idea. Especially now that I’d brought it up. “How long till I can do normal stuff?”

  “That’s entirely up to you. It could be tomorrow. It could be a year from now. I’d love to give you a firm date, but I can’t.”

  Fan-freaking-tastic. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind? I’m only asking for a couple of hours off campus. And I’d be with Adrian and Chris. They wouldn’t let—”

  “No.”

  “This is totally unfair.” I rolled my eyes at my own cli
ché. I should be ashamed of myself. I sounded like a petulant teen.

  His smile deepened, showing his teeth. “Every werewolf has gone through the same restrictions. That’s why they come to this school.”

  That made me feel mildly better. “How long does it usually take? Give me a ballpark here.”

  He shrugged. “You’re at one with your wolf when you’re at one with your wolf.”

  Great. That wasn’t vague at all. “A girl could get mighty bored on campus 24-7. I can’t be held responsible for what I might do.”

  He chuckled. “There’s plenty of studying for you to catch up on.”

  I gave him an even stare. I finally had friends to go out and do stuff with, and I wasn’t about to waste my time twiddling my thumbs around campus.

  “Here’s the deal. You do some learning and try to adjust to the wolf today, and if you’ve improved at all, we’ll see what we can do about tomorrow.”

  “A surprise?”

  He nodded.

  “An off-campus surprise?”

  “Not sure. We’ll have to see.” Mr. Dawson went to the small wooden bookcase and pulled a thin hardback from the middle shelf. “Read this. I’ll be back in a bit and we’ll talk about whatever you have questions about. Okay?”

  I glanced down at the cover. A Werewolf’s Bible stared back at me. “I’ve got one of these.”

  “Oh, so you’ve read it?” He said it in a higher pitch than his normal voice. The guy knew perfectly well I hadn’t read it.

  “No, but—”

  “Read.” He strode to the door. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  I was stubborn only for a little bit. I sipped my tea slowly. Mr. Dawson was insane for drinking hot tea when it was a million degrees outside.

  I braced myself for the visions that would come. When the first wave of them was over, I began to read. I hadn’t finished the first chapter before the door slammed open.

  “What are you doing here?” Dastien stomped over to me, his eyes a bright shade of amber. He was pissed and looking like a crazy-man.

  “Reading.” What was his problem? I lifted my mug and took a sip while he stared.

  He gave a desperate laugh and sank into the seat across from me. “I haven’t felt this out of control in years.” He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. “No. I don’t think I was ever this inept.”

  I should’ve felt bad for him, but I didn’t. It reassured me. If everyone thought Dastien was this awesome guy and he’d lost control, then me making an ass out of myself all the time maybe wasn’t such a big deal.

  “Glad I’m not the only one feeling crazy.” I tugged on my ponytail. “Why’d you storm in here like that?”

  He sat back. “It’s too embarrassing to admit.”

  “That’s a stupid thing to say. Now you have to tell me.”

  “I thought…” He scrunched his eyes closed. “I thought you and Michael…”

  My mouth dropped open. “He’s like the principal!” A smile spread across my face. The guy was jealous and I loved it.

  “Yeah well, he’s Alpha. He could handle you. If anyone here could take you from me…” Dastien let out a desperate sounding laugh. “I don’t know what my deal is. I just keep thinking that you’re going to change your mind about me. About us.”

  “You’re saying that like it makes sense. Have you seen yourself?” I grinned when he started laughing. I picked up my book. “Everything has been out of my control lately. And now I found out I can’t leave campus.” I sighed dramatically. “I’m tired of not understanding. Ignorance isn’t bliss. It’s completely frustrating. I’m going to read this thing, and then I won’t feel so freaking lost all the time. So no distracting me.”

  Before I could read one sentence, Dastien yanked the book from my hands. “You don’t need this.”

  I narrowed my gaze at him. “Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you get to boss me around. I’m trying to learn some control. I can’t be stuck at this school forever. I’ll go crazy.”

  “Don’t be so stubborn. When you feel lost or don’t get something, just come to me. I’ll always be there to help.”

  That was sweet. “I can’t always lean on you. I have to figure this out for myself.”

  He nodded slowly. “I admire that, but sometimes it’s smarter to ask for help when you need it.” He walked around the nook and pulled me up. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  My heart sped at the thought of being alone with him. It hadn’t been just us since the party.

  I separated our hands to pull off my gloves and tuck them in my pocket. It was Dastien, and I never got much of anything from him. And if I got something from him today, I didn’t think I’d mind it. Extra intel on the boy would be more than welcome. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  He held out his hand. As soon as we touched, an electric spark stung my fingertips. I pulled away, shaking my hand. “What was that?”

  Dastien looked at his hand as if it were a stranger. “I don’t know.”

  “I’d say static electricity, but that doesn’t quite cover it.” I’d felt it in my soul.

  “No. That was something else. Something more.” He reached out again.

  I hesitated this time.

  “Let’s just see if it happens again,” he said.

  I closed my eyes as I put my hand in his. It was different the second time. Something clicked into place and I could almost sense a line of energy connecting us. I gasped as it tightened around my heart.

  When I dared to open my eyes, he was staring again at our linked hands. “What was that?” I said.

  “I don’t know for sure.”

  My heart raced. “Guess.”

  “Your heart’s racing. Let’s drop it for now. It can wait.” He finally looked up at me. A slow grin spread across his face. “Trust me. It can wait.”

  “Okaaaay.” Weirdo. But I had enough to worry about without this thing, whatever it was. “Are we still going on the walk?”

  “I wouldn’t let you out of my sight if I could manage it.”

  I tugged on his hand. “Not cool. That’s more than a little stalker-ish, dude.”

  He laughed. “Okay. So that didn’t come out right.” He thought for a second. “How about I’d like to spend as much time with you as you’ll let me.”

  I nodded. “Better. Just this side of Stalkerville.”

  He gazed down at me. “I thought girls liked that kind of thing.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of nice.” I grinned.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  We walked in silence. I didn’t know where he was leading me, and I didn’t care. The ground crunched beneath my shoes. The smell of trees, grass, dirt and clean air was intoxicating. It wasn’t the same air as LA. You had to breathe through the layer of smog there. Some days it was so thick, you couldn’t even see the mountains. Totally gross. But in Texas, the fresh air made me long to spend time outside even in spite of the heat.

  We reached a sharp drop. I glimpsed the rocky bed below us. “The creek?”

  “Yep. We’ll get heavy rains in the winter and spring and it’ll fill up for a while, but by summer it’s always dry,” he said. “Want to go back or climb down?”

  Caves pocked the wall on the other side of the creek bed. One of them looked large enough for someone to live in. Shadows filled its depths. But the thing that made me pause was the ladder that hung between it and the cave below. It was weather-beaten and missing a few rungs, which made it look ancient. “What’s in those caves?”

  Dastien looked where I pointed. “Some Native American drawings. It was a popular place for spirit quests.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yep.”

  Cool. I shaded the sun to try to get a better look, but it didn’t do any good. “Can we go look?”

  The side of Dastien’s mouth lifted. “Sure. There’s a small path down here. Be careful. It’s steep.”

  I watched Dastien take the first couple of steps. His lithe movements
mesmerized me. His muscles tensed and released under his tight grey T-shirt, and his jeans made his butt look so cute. I titled my head as I stared.

  He chose that moment to look back at me.

  “You coming?” A grin spread across his face. “What are you looking at?”

  “Just enjoying the view.” No guy ever caught my attention the way Dastien did. I studied his face, with its strong angles. His amber eyes seemed to be laughing at me, and his grin sure said I was amusing.

  It took some effort to reign in my hormones.

  I turned my gaze to the ground and started down the path. He wasn’t kidding. It was steep. Dastien made it look easy as he climbed down, but dirt and rocks skidded out from under my shoes, dropping the forty feet or so to the bottom. I kept one hand against the cliff wall as we walked.

  I gasped as I slipped, pebbles scattering.

  Dastien grabbed my waist. “Careful.”

  “You didn’t tell me I might die on this trail.”

  He didn’t laugh like I expected. “I would never let you fall.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I was kidding.”

  “But I’m not.”

  The moment was too intense for words. He kept eye contact a second longer than was comfortable, and then turned back to the trail.

  By the time we reached the bottom, I’d worked up a good sweat. I scanned up and down the creek. “It’s so quiet.” With the creek walls and trees cutting off even the normal outdoor noise, it felt like we were the only people for miles.

  Dastien sat down on a large rock. “Yeah.”

  “It’s peaceful here. I’m peaceful.” I sat down next to him and took a deep breath. It was the most settled I’d felt in days. Years. I’d always been frazzled from the torrent of visions. Sure, I’d gotten used to them, managed them, but it was never easy. “Something’s changed.”

  Dastien stared at me. He knew what was going on and the jerk wasn’t sharing.

  “What?” I said.

  He shrugged.

  “Why do I feel so calm?”

  “I’m an alpha. One of the perks of being a strong alpha means that you can hold a pack.” He laughed at the confusion on my face. “I’ve used it on you a couple of times. Made you feel calm. Settled down your wolf to stop the shift.”