Misfit Pack (The Misfit Series)

by Stephanie Foxe

  “The Trials have five parts. You have to pass at least three to become an alpha. The only part I could confirm is some kind of test of control.” Genevieve walked back to the table and grabbed the book. She had stuck a leaf in between the pages to mark her place. She flipped to it and pulled the leaf out, tucking it behind her ear. “The Trials are designed to weed out the weak and the unworthy,” she began reading. “It will test the potential alpha in every area in which they must excel in order to lead a pack.” She lowered the book and looked up at Amber, who was grimacing.

  “I guess I need to work on control some more,” she said after a long pause. “My wallet is on the counter. Order something in for dinner, I’ll eat anything with beef or chicken.” Amber turned and walked back toward the woods, her shoulders tight.

  “Do you think she can do it?” Tommy whispered.

  Genevieve shut the book, but didn’t respond. She didn’t want to admit out loud that she didn’t.

  She had to talk to Steven. Amber needed more information if she was going to have any hope of passing the Trials. Tomorrow morning before everyone woke up, she was going to go back to Steven’s dorm, and she wasn’t leaving until he agreed to talk to her.

  Chapter 22

  AMBER

  Amber couldn’t sleep. Every time the old house creaked she thought the demon had returned to torment her for a second night. She’d given up on lying in bed about an hour ago and had been slumped in the armchair in front of the old-fashioned fireplace since then.

  Her fingers idly tapped the bat resting against her knee. Challenge accepted. Amber wanted to slap herself. She should have just pretended to be intimidated, but of course, she had gone and taunted a demon instead.

  A door creaked open in the hall, causing her heartbeat to kick into overdrive before Genevieve’s scent drifted past her. She frowned. Genevieve had been disappearing a lot lately. The paranoid part of her brain wondered if she was meeting with Donovan and spying on the pack. Immediately, she felt guilty for even thinking it, but Genevieve was clearly trying to sneak out unnoticed.

  She pulled her legs up into the chair to stay hidden from view and just listened. It didn’t appear that Genevieve had noticed her. Her footsteps were almost too light to hear; she was still trying to sneak around. Amber wondered if her senses were stronger than Genevieve’s, or if she was just too focused on listening for movement down the hall to realize that Amber was in the living room.

  The front door opened and shut with barely a sound. Amber uncurled from the armchair and crept to the window. The lights on Genevieve’s car lit up the driveway. She had parked as far away from the house as possible; Amber could barely hear her car start standing at the window. It wouldn’t have woken her if she’d been sleeping.

  She ran to the front door and yanked it open, then walked down the driveway as Genevieve’s car backed out of its spot. She couldn’t see her past the glare of the headlights, but the car stopped abruptly.

  The car door opened as Amber approached, and Genevieve climbed out, her face tight with irritation. “You’re up early.”

  “Where are you going? You don’t work until nine,” she asked.

  Genevieve rolled her eyes, but her knuckles were white she was gripping the car door so hard. “You’re acting like I’m sneaking out of the house. I’m not sixteen, and you’re not my mother. I don’t have to fill you in every time I go somewhere.”

  “Until we know Donovan isn’t going to do something else to try to hurt the pack, I do actually need to know,” she said, resting her elbow on top of the door. “I’m not going to judge you if it’s a booty call or something.”

  Genevieve shoved her arm off with a scowl. “You can just deal with not knowing.”

  “Why are you so intent on hiding this?” she snapped, the little patience she had left evaporating. She was tired, irritable, and worried all the time. The last thing she needed was a reason to doubt her own pack. “Or are you meeting with Donovan?”

  Genevieve’s face twisted in anger. She was close to shifting, Amber could feel it as sure as she could feel it in herself.

  “You act like you aren’t hiding things too!” Genevieve shouted back, balling her hands into fists as claws began pushing out of her fingertips. “You won’t explain how you got Thallan to agree to be your sponsor and you haven’t bothered to tell us that you can feel our emotions. So don’t yell at me about hiding things! I have a right to a private life!” Genevieve’s chest heaved with too fast breaths as she seemed to struggle for control.

  Amber ground her teeth together. She had done everything she could to block out their emotions, but it had been impossible to do it completely. She hadn’t mentioned it because she’d been afraid Tommy would freak out, and she hadn’t anticipated how much it would upset Genevieve. “My bargain with Thallan isn’t important right now. And I was going to tell you about the emotions thing when I figured it out!”

  “You’re a hypocrite!” Genevieve bared her teeth as a growl erupted from her throat. “And I would never betray this pack. Everything I’m doing is to help you.”

  Amidst the rage that hit her like a wall, there was also hurt. Embarrassment. Guilt. The emotions amplified what Amber was feeling. She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her claws into her palms to keep from shifting then and there.

  She wanted to run away. It had been ridiculous to think she could be their alpha. She had no idea what she was doing, and she had no idea what she was supposed to be to them. Their friend? Mother? Captain?

  “I’m not…good at this,” she whispered. “I’m terrified the two of you will get hurt because I can’t be everywhere. I can’t take care of you. That witch attacked Tommy in broad daylight, in public. Donovan’s men are stalking us.” She forced her eyes open and looked at Genevieve. “I want to trust you, but before two weeks ago, we were strangers.”

  “We still are,” Genevieve said, crossing her arms.

  She dragged her hand down her face and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and Tommy about the emotions thing. I was worried it would freak him out especially.”

  Genevieve lifted her chin, but couldn’t meet Amber’s eyes. “Maybe I should have just told you what I was doing. I wanted to, but I was worried…” she huffed in frustration, rubbing her fingers over her eyes. “I know someone that can help us, help you, with the Trials, but he won’t talk to me.”

  “Why not?” Amber asked, knitting her brows together.

  “I kind of…dumped him a while back,” Genevieve said, scuffing her shoe against the asphalt. “And then a few days ago kicked open his door and…” she sighed deeply, then continued, “and yelled at him a little.”

  “Okay, that’s…uh…” Amber floundered before squaring her shoulders. “Well, maybe he’ll talk to me. Would you mind if I came with you this time?”

  “You’re really asking?” Genevieve said, finally looking at Amber.

  “Yes. If you want me to butt out, I will.” She wouldn’t like it, but she would deal with it to keep from driving her away.

  Genevieve nodded as if that made the decision for her. “Sure, might as well try. He’s getting his PhD in Magical Cultures and werewolves are his main focus.”

  “If you’re still up for it, let’s go convince him to help,” she said confidently.

  Genevieve hesitated and Amber could feel a confusing tangle of emotions warring in her, but she nodded, and a small smile crept across her face. “Let’s do it.”

  Steven opened the door—and immediately tried to slam it shut when he saw Genevieve. Amber caught it with the flat of her hand and pushed it open. Steven’s feet slid back on the concrete dorm-room floor.

  “That’s not very polite,” Amber said, stepping into the room and forcing Steven to scramble backward.

  Genevieve followed, trying to suppress a smile. Amber could be scary as hell when she wanted to be. She probably shouldn’t enjoy it so much, but it was fun to watch her intimidate Steven.

  “Who the hel
l are you?” Steven demanded, tucking his trembling hands under his arms.

  “Amber,” she said, sticking out her hand. Steven stared at it like it might bite him. She left it extended until he gave in and tentatively shook her hand. “I hear you’re getting your PhD in Magical Cultural Studies.” She put her hands on her hips and looked him up and down like she might try to beat the answers out of him.

  Steven looked at Genevieve worriedly, but nodded. “Yeah, why do you care?”

  Amber’s eyes flashed red. Genevieve had to restrain the urge to submit. The impulse pissed her off a little; she wasn’t a wild animal. She wasn’t going to grovel at Amber’s feet.

  “I need information, and apparently you can get it for us,” Amber said, looking over at her.

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you the other day.” She crossed her arms. Amber had gotten them in the room, but it was awkward doing this in front of her. “We need your help. We were bitten, unwillingly, on the last full moon.”

  Steven’s eyes went wide. “You’re…both of you…oh my god…” he trailed off, staring at her like she might shift at any moment. He shook himself out of it and hurried over to his desk, grabbing his student ID and a couple of books. “I’ll help you, on the condition that I get to ask you some questions for my thesis. I’ll make sure you’re anonymous, but this is exactly the topic I’m researching, and the opportunity to speak to a newly bitten werewolf is…it’s…I can’t pass it up,” he finished, breathless. His eyes darted back and forth between her and Amber.

  Amber looked over at her. “I don’t mind answering your questions if you help us, but I can’t speak for Genevieve.”

  She nodded. “I’ll answer your questions too, but I doubt Tommy will want to.”

  “There’s another?” Steven asked, his excitement ratcheting up another notch.

  “Yes, there are three people in my pack, myself included,” Amber responded.

  “What exactly do you need information on? Werewolf laws? Customs?” Steven asked, hurrying back to his desk to grab a notepad and a pen. He awkwardly laid the books over his arm and the notepad on that, pen poised over the paper to take notes.

  “I need to know about the Alpha Trials,” Amber said. “I have two weeks left to prepare for them.”

  Steven’s mouth opened, then shut, then opened again before he figured out how to talk. “Two weeks? Why isn’t your sponsor helping you?”

  “The sponsor is an elf,” Genevieve said uncomfortably. “It’s a loophole in the laws, but hardly anyone takes advantage of it because there’s no one to teach you when you do.”

  “Wow. Okay,” he said, rubbing the hand with the pen over his face. “We have to go to the library. I can get you all the appropriate information there, but it won’t be complete. The Trials are shrouded in secrecy, and it’s nearly impossible to get an alpha to talk to you about them.” He stared at Amber, gnawing on the end of his pen. “Will you answer questions about that after the Trials? If you survive them, of course.”

  Amber’s jaw tightened briefly. “Sure, as long as you make the information readily available to other werewolves in my situation.”

  Steven nodded hastily. “Definitely, I can totally do that.”

  “Let’s go then, no time to waste,” Genevieve said, grabbing Steven by the elbow and dragging him to the door.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me right away,” Steven said as they hurried out of the dorm. “I would have helped if I had known it was about this.”

  Genevieve looked at the ground, her irritation making the wolf restless. “I tried.”

  Steven opened his mouth to argue, but Amber clamped her hand on his shoulder. “Give her a break, Steven,” Amber said lightly, though the warning was clear in her voice. Genevieve frowned, she hated that Amber knew she was struggling for control.

  Genevieve picked up the pace. Steven had to jog to keep up.

  Chapter 23

  AMBER

  Amber walked down the narrow aisle between stacks, scanning the rows of books for the first name on her list. Genevieve and Steven were reading the first pile of books and debating everything they found.

  It had surprised her how intelligent Genevieve was. Now that she thought about it, her assumption about the other woman was based entirely on her pink hair. It was dumb to assume based on something so superficial, but that was human nature.

  GLENN, E., written in swirling gold ink on the spine of a book, caught her eye. She stopped and double checked the name of the book, then grabbed it off the shelf.

  Smoke rushed out of the gap and hit her in the face. Stumbling back with a strangled yelp, she hit the bookshelf behind her, rattling the entire thing.

  The demon formed above her, cackling loudly. Smoke drifted up from his bright red grin.

  “What is wrong with you?” she hissed, glancing down the aisle to make sure no one had heard.

  The demon drifted closer, stinking up the air around her face. “You should have seen your face.” His hot breath tickled the skin of her neck. “That was priceless.”

  She pushed up to her feet and pinned the demon with a glare. “You are a menace.”

  His grin only grew wider. “Isn’t that the purpose of a demon?”

  With a huff, she turned and continued down the aisle. There were still three more books to find. The demon followed. “Are you stalking me now?” she asked.

  “It’s proving very entertaining so far. I see no reason to stop,” he said, swooping through the air ahead of her. Every few feet he stuck his head in the books like he was sniffing them or peeking at the pages.

  Amber bit the inside of her cheek, torn between trying to get answers and ignoring him. “Is this a normal demon thing? Harassing the people that have your mark?” she asked finally, giving in to the curiosity.

  The demon shifted into a tiny red creature with a pointy tail. He was still slightly transparent, like he was made of smoke, and the edges of his form flickered. He flew over and landed on Amber’s shoulder. She jerked away and tried to swipe him off, but her hand passed straight through him.

  “I don’t think there is a normal demon thing,” he said, leaning back and settling against her hair. “What a way to stereotype.”

  Amber turned down the next aisle and spotted the second book immediately. She grabbed it and added it to the stack in the crook of her arm. She would have to ask Thallan about this next time she saw him. If the demon had haunted him like this too, she could absolutely understand why he had isolated himself in that mansion and gotten so grumpy.

  “I don’t suppose you know anything about the Alpha Trials?” she asked, deciding the demon might as well help if he was going to hang around bothering her.

  He bounced off her shoulder and hovered in front of her, little red wings flapping excitedly. “Alpha Trials? Not a thing! I’ve had a few werewolves indebted to me before, but never an alpha. They’re usually smart enough to avoid such things. Or at least too prideful to ask for help.”

  “Figures.” She sighed and checked the name on her list again. The book should be here between Roberts and Roland, but it wasn’t. Shrugging, she turned and headed back toward the others. The book must have been checked out already.

  “Is that why you took Thallan’s debt? Because you have to go through the Trials?”

  “Go away, I have to talk to my pack.” She tried to shoo him away, but the demon ignored her.

  “I’m not going anywhere, this is fascinating. Best time I’ve had in years,” he said, flying ahead of her.

  With a sigh, she exited the stacks and headed back to the table. The demon zipped around Genevieve’s head leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Neither she nor Steven were reacting, so they really couldn’t see him. Amber ground her teeth together and steeled herself to ignore her stalker.

  “I could only find two of the books,” she said, setting them down between her study partners and handing Gen the slip of paper.

  “That’s fine for now,” Steven said
absently, gnawing on the end of his pen. “We can’t read them all today anyhow.”

  “This one is very nerdy,” the demon said, crossing his arms and hovering in front of Steven. He turned to Amber, thick framed glasses that matched Steven’s sitting on his red face.

  Amber had to press her lips together to hold in the sudden urge to laugh. He looked almost…cute. “Which one should I start with?”

  Steven looked up, blinking owlishly, and pointed at the top book. “That one discuses werewolf culture fairly extensively. You need to know all of that regardless of the Trials.”

  “Alright.” She grabbed it and sat down next to Genevieve. After nursing school, she hadn’t wanted to even look at a book, much less read one for fun. This was giving her flashbacks to late night study sessions. She preferred hands on learning to reading until her eyes got blurry.

  “An alpha must never show weakness to their pack,” the demon read, settling by her hand. He looked up, adjusting his glasses. “I think you’ve already failed there.”

  Amber sighed. She couldn’t even give the demon the retort on the tip of her tongue without looking crazy. It was going to be a long day.

  Chapter 24

  CERI

  “That was not my fault!” Ceri yelled at her aunt.

  The woman stood in front of her, face splotchy with rage, arms crossed. “I hired you as a courtesy to you mother, but you have been nothing but trouble! Coming in late, picking fights with customers. With the freaking Blackwood Coven.”

  “She dumped that potion on herself.” She curled her hand into a fist. There were dozens of spells she could cast with a simple chant and the flick of her wrist to shut her aunt up, but none of them could fix this. She should have cursed Selena while she could.

  “Enough!” her aunt screeched. “You’re fired! Just get out!”

  She twisted the fingers of her left hand and took a step toward her aunt. “As you have sown, so may you reap.” The spell could be both a blessing, or a curse, but they both knew how it would end up. Karma was always fair.