by JJ King
They moved lazily over mine as his hands splayed over the small of my back, moving in slow circles that hitched my breath and raised the heat in the room degree by degree. Or maybe it was just us, I conceded, taking a playful bite of his lower lip.
“This,” he whispered, his voice gritty with growing emotion. He lifted a hand to the back of my neck, tangling his fingers in my hair to angle my mouth just so. Softly, he brushed his lips over mine, the barest whisper, like butterfly kisses. I sighed into his mouth and accepted his breath back into mine. We fell into sync, his heart beating in time with mine, his breath shared with me, and for one perfect moment I felt as if I knew his soul.
A throat clearing to my left, and the familiarity of it pulled me out of the moment. I closed my eyes, savoring our last moment alone, and turned to look at Lucian.
Chase rested his lips against my temple, keeping his arms wrapped around me, and spoke to his friend. “Hey,” he said simply, then waited to hear what Lucian had to say.
Lucian’s gaze travelled between me and Chase, not missing a detail. I saw muscle work in his jaw before he spoke and had to tamp down the butterflies that fluttered to life in my stomach at the glimpse of jealousy I saw in his eyes.
Chase saw it too and tightened his grip around my shoulders.
“It’s Dimitri, man,” Lucian said, fixing his dark eyes on Chase. “He’s not doing great.” He shook his head and nodded towards the bruises that were already starting to heal on Chase’s face. “He’s torn up about it.”
“He should be torn up about it,” Chase bit back, letting go of me to face Lucian. “He went full psycho on me. Sucker punched like we haven’t been best friends forever.” He clenched his teeth and glanced away.
“Shit, Chase.” Lucian sighed, then glanced quickly at me then away. “He just lost it for a minute. We should talk, three of us.” He didn’t look at me this time.
Dread replaced the butterflies in the pit of my stomach, weighing me down so that I felt like I’d never move again. I understood what was happening, I knew that they needed to come to terms on their own without me there to muddy the waters. I took a step back, distancing myself even though it cost me to do so. Two sets of eyes turned to look at me.
“You guys need to go to him,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip to stop my eyes from filling with tears. There were enough emotions, they didn’t need me tearing up. I pasted on a semi-believable smile and nodded. “Go.” I tilted my chin towards the stairs and widened my eyes, showing them that I was serious. “I’ll be fine, promise.”
When Chase frowned and reached for my hand, I shook my head. “I’ll see you later.”
He stared for a moment, confusion darkening his eyes as his hand curled and fell to his side. Then he nodded and offered me a crooked smile that made my heart skip. “Later.”
They walked away, glancing back only once before they disappeared through the doorway that led up the stairs and as I lost sight of them, I felt my heart break.
Chapter 8
I nearly jumped off my desk chair onto the floor at the sound of my phone signaling a text message.
My phone lay on the bed, half covered by unkempt covers, tossed back after a long night of sleeping fitfully. I lunged for it, disregarding all self-respect, and pressed my fingers over the numbers of my password, then sagged onto the bed in disappointment.
It was from Rose. A little note to check in on me, probably at the prompting of Dr. Bennett. I read it quickly, then blinked in surprise, and read it again.
Hey, Lexi. How are classes? Hope you’re feeling more comfortable at Omega Wolf Academy than you were the first week of school. If your social calendar isn’t too busy next month, perhaps you could fit Liam and I in for a date when we come visit. Let me know and we’ll plan a girl’s night. Rose XOXO
“Huh,” I mumbled, more than a little surprised that Rose and Liam would be making a trip just to visit me. I wondered if they weren’t bringing along someone else, one of the other girls from the mountain to see campus. The thought lifted my spirits considerably and brought a smile to my lips.
Of the girls I considered my family, seven of us were around the right age to attend university, not that anyone older couldn’t. Rose had taken us under her wing, metaphorically, but it often struck me that she was just as much adrift in this new world as any of us. Of course, being the mate of a potential Alpha, she wasn’t really in the position to be able to leave all of her responsibilities to attend school. So, she’d made it her personal quest to help each and every one of us prepare for something more, something that gave us hope. For me, that was attending university. I hadn’t had any preconceptions about which one I’d wanted to attend. I’d asked only to not be sent to one of the more prestigious academies, since I had the feeling that I’d feel even more unnatural than I usually did in that kind of rarefied social setting.
Hey! Nice to hear from you. Of course, I’d love to see you and Liam next month. I shall add you to my social calendar. Are you, by any chance, bringing one of the other girls?
I hit send then, in a much better mood, went back to my desk to finish the assignment I’d been working on. Rose rarely answered text messages right away, so I wasn’t prepared to wait and stared at the screen as I’d been doing much too often since leaving the party Friday night.
I shook off the doubts plaguing my mind and scanned the last paragraph I’d written on ethical philosophy. It sounded pretty good, I thought, as I fixed a little typo and flipped to the next page of my textbook.
Another ding, then another, surprised me again. I tapped the screen and read.
Alyssa has been asking about some courses and we're trying to talk her into starting in the fall. Do you mind?
Did I mind? I chewed thoughtfully on my lip and considered. Of all my sisters, Alyssa was the quietest, the most studious. It made sense that she would want to attend the University. It was just kind of surprising that she’d want to attend in person. She’d always been so withdrawn and shy, even around us. I wasn’t sure if my being here would help or hinder her chances of making it.
I typed out a careful reply, conscientious that my response might tip Rose’s opinion one way or the other. Not that she’d make the decision for Alyssa. She’d actually been pretty forceful about putting ownership of our decisions in our hands. In her words, we spent our entire lives with no control, so it was time to take the bull by the horns and choose our paths.
I just hadn’t expected Alyssa to choose my path.
Alyssa has always been really shy. Do you think she’s ready?
Three dots appeared on my screen. I waited for the response this time and got it almost immediately.
She thinks she is. But, if she isn’t, there’s no shame in waiting a year, right?
I shook my head and murmured, “no there isn’t,” before realizing no one could see me. My fingers flew over the screen as I typed out my response.
Of course. But I’m sure she’ll be fine. Did she ask about me?
This time the dots appeared and disappeared and never came back. I sighed and laid the phone down on my desk, knowing Rose could’ve been called away for any reason. I might not get back to the conversation for some time. There was no point waiting and staring at the screen.
Speaking of staring at the screen.
I clicked out of our conversation and froze with my forefinger hovering over the screen as I realized where that second ding had come from. I had a text from Chase.
I read it. Then I read it again. Then I stood up and began pacing the room, still holding my phone in my hand as I read it over and over.
Hey, Lexi. Just wanted to see if you’re alright. Things are… weird right now, but okay. We’ll see you soon. Just give us time.
I chewed my lip, not stopping even when I tasted blood, and stared at the words he’d written.
We’ll? Us?
He wasn’t just talking about himself. They were together, all three of them or, at least, two of them. Things were weird
, he’d said, but how weird? Had they all talked? Had they sat down and discussed the fact that they were all super attracted to me and that I reciprocated those feelings? He’d said they were okay, too, but what did that mean?
I threw myself onto the bed with a dramatic groan and thrust my hands into my hair, pulling at the roots with a sharp tug. “Men!” I huffed out a breath and looked up at the poster of a kitten hanging from a tree that Rose had given me as a joke present before I’d left Ireland. “Am I right?”
The kitten told me to hang in there.
“Useless feline,” I muttered then read the text again. This would drive me crazy if I let it, I decided, so I clicked the screen off and pushed the phone into my jeans pocket. I needed a distraction, something to occupy my time and energy. Dr. Bennett had told me to join a club. Maybe I could do that.
I jumped up and rushed to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth and hair, slick on some lip gloss and straightened my super casual outfit. I frowned at my jeans and navy-blue tank top then decided it was better to show my actual personality when trying to find new friends. I was normal or, at least, trying to be.
The Arts building was almost directly in the center of campus and surrounded by open courtyards where profs sometimes brought their classes to open their minds. I smiled at a few familiar faces and tried my best to ignore the few whispers I heard about “that girl” and “the fight at the party.”
Being the subject of campus gossip made my eye twitch. I didn’t enjoy it one bit, which was ironic, because I’d purposely dyed my white blond hair bright pink before coming here. If it wasn’t to stand out and draw a bit of attention, then I wasn’t sure why I’d done it. It was pretty, though, so I was going to keep it, even if it made me stand out like a red cape in a bullpen.
Unlike the universities in the shows I’d watched or books I’d read, everything at Omega Wolf Academy stayed open during the weekends. It wasn’t as if we could go home each night, since wolf academies ran like boarding schools, so clubs and buildings stayed active full time.
My one English class was held on the fourth floor where, I knew, a lot of other English classes were taught, so I headed up the stairs, figuring the society might have a meeting room there. A headquarters? I wasn’t sure what to call it. A hang out?
The halls were mostly empty, except for the random student wandering determinedly, set on their destination and looking completely at home. I wandered the halls, searching the walls for any sign of where the society could be located.
I heard laughter just before I was about to turn around and slink back to my dorm room in defeat. I followed the sound to the end of the corridor and around a corner and found an open door with a sign that read “OWESS.”
It stood for Omega Wolf English Student Society, I knew, I’d seen a sign in the cafeteria announcing a book sale or something during my first week of school.
Suddenly, just steps away from my people, my feet refused to move. I wanted to back away and run but they refused to move in that direction, too, so I just stood there and hoped the people inside wouldn’t smell my fear.
They hadn’t seen me yet; I could leave if I wanted and try another day. Like Rose had said about Alyssa, there was no shame in waiting to do something. I made up my mind to try again another day and ordered my feet to carry me home.
“Hey,” a guy said from directly behind me. “You going in?” He moved to the door and nodded his head towards the room. “We don’t bite.” He grinned. “Well, insomuch as humans don’t bite. I can’t promise what any of us will do as our wolves.” He stuck out a hand bedecked with several gold banded rings. “I’m Cam. Short for Cameron. And you are?”
He said it casually and took my hand, pulling me into the small space, which was filled on every wall with couches and bookshelves, even a mini fridge. I followed because I had no choice and managed to say my name without stuttering. “I’m Lexi.”
“Is that short for Alexis?” Cam asked with a huge grin and wide eyes that I noticed were enhanced with black eyeliner. “I adore that name,” he gushed and tugged me towards a free spot on one of the couches.
When we were seated, Cam gestured to the five people sitting on the other couch or cross-legged on the floor, all of whom were looking at me expectantly, making my stomach flutter like mad. “So, this is Daniel, Rachelle, Kiko, Greg, and Dina. Guys, this is Lexi.”
A chorus of “Hey Lexi,” greeted me. I couldn’t help but smile and relax fractionally as the conversation they’d been having picked back up as if I hadn’t interrupted.
“It was like porn for Victorian ladies,” Kiko said with a laugh. “Christina Rossetti was badass.”
Cam leaned in and whispered dramatically, “They’re talking about Goblin Market.”
I winged my eyebrows up and nodded, as if I understood what that meant. Kiko reached into the backpack beside her and pulled out a tome of a book, then flipped to a page marked with a gum wrapper. She began reading, gracefully reciting the lines of the poem and adding significant insinuation and eyebrow wags as she went. I listened raptly with ever widening eyes.
With clasping arms and cautioning lips,
With tingling cheeks and finger tips.
'Lie close,' Laura said,
Pricking up her golden head:
'We must not look at goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits:
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?'
'Come buy,' call the goblins
Hobbling down the glen.
'Oh,' cried Lizzie, 'Laura, Laura,
You should not peep at goblin men.'
I pressed a hand against my mouth to hold back the laughter that bubbled up as Kiko shimmied her shoulders and kept reading until she stopped and rose to her knees, then continued in a dramatic tone.
She dropped a tear more rare than pearl,
Then sucked their fruit globes fair or red:
Sweeter than honey from the rock,
Stronger than man-rejoicing wine,
Clearer than water flowed that juice;
She never tasted such before,
How should it cloy with length of use?
She sucked and sucked and sucked the more
Fruits which that unknown orchard bore;
She sucked until her lips were sore;
I couldn’t hold it back. Embarrassed giggles burst through my fingers no matter how hard I tried to hold them back. Eyes brimming with laughter glanced up at me in appreciation for my reaction.
From there, the conversation moved to favorite authors, favorite movies, and favorite TV shows. I found myself championing Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the best show of all time against Dina’s choice of Six feet under and Rachelle’s defiant choice of Battlestar Galactica while Cam refused to hear of any choice other than Schitt’s Creek. By the time someone pulled out a bottle of vodka from the mini-fridge freezer and tore open a bag of plastic cups, I felt like one of them, completely at ease and filled with a simple joy that was hard to explain.
We moved from the tiny society room to the cafeteria at one point, desperate for food to help mitigate the copious amounts of vodka and, later, tequila, in our systems. I spent hours getting to know them, laughing, and eating, then going without thought back to Cam’s dorm room to continue the impromptu party that had begun with a poetry recitation.
As the sun sank low in the western sky, I hugged a sparkly throw pillow to my chest from my spot on Cam’s bed while Greg, Daniel, and Kiko sang a horrendous version of The Devil Went down to Georgia on a karaoke machine Cam had pulled from his closet.
I was happy. Completely and totally happy and more than a little drunk, which was why I had to glance down and blink away the unexpected tears that surfaced at the mere thought that the only way this day could be more perfect was if I had Chase, Lucian, and Dimitri by my side.
Chapter 9
The next five days were absolute torture.
I caught glimpses of my th
ree guys, because that’s how I now thought of them, around campus all week long, but never actually spoke to any of them or got within touching distance. With each day that passed without a simple run-in or text, my suspicions began to grow that they were avoiding me.
I’d typed and edited then erased a text to Chase so many times I’d lost count. Each time, I’d stare at the words I’d written, frown, then question my perspective. I wasn’t good at this; I didn’t know how to handle a romantic entanglement. My only experience with the situation came from books and TV shows, and it wasn’t as if most of those ever dealt with love squares, because you couldn’t call this a love triangle. There were four of us in this. Four people, four corners equals a square.
My dreams were filled with them, with their scents, with their eyes, with the touch of their hands on my skin. I woke every night, sometimes on a moan, sometimes in tears, but not a single night passed without them running through my mind.
I’d almost broken down and confessed everything during my session with Dr. Bennett. I desperately wanted answers, to figure out why there was this strange connection between the four of us and why it was affecting me so deeply that I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t think straight anymore without them. But, every time I opened my mouth to tell him, something slammed it shut. They were mine, and the intimacy of our situation felt like a precious secret that would evaporate if I didn’t hold it close.
He’d been so proud of me when I’d told him of the friends I’d made in the English Society. They were great, each of them in their own way. It was fun finding people who were so much like me yet so different, people who didn’t know my background and just thought of me as the cool new girl with pink hair who loved Buffy a little bit too much.
They’d helped me through the week. I honestly didn’t know how I would’ve gotten through it without them, or without Emily, who’d asked me out for coffee after class on Tuesday, then had stuck around for hours discussing anything and everything besides boys with me because she could tell that I didn’t want to talk about the opposite sex right now.