Chapter 12

12

I cocked my head to the side, not entirely sure what I was seeing on the television. “What the hell?”

Katy, Rhodes, and Remy burst out laughing. Larkin shushed us.

“No, seriously,” I said, sitting up and staring at the screen. I pointed at the TV. “What is that thing?”

“It’s a werewolf,” Larkin huffed, reaching for the popcorn.

My jaw dropped and I made a face. “Are you kidding me? It looks like an overgrown dog.”

Rhodes was still cracking up. He looked up from his spot on the floor, leaning against Larkin’s legs. “Face it, baby girl, you’re the only one who can watch this shit with a straight face.”

Larkin grumbled under her breath and fixed him with a glare. “It’s a love story, Rhodes. I guess you wouldn’t understand that.”

Rhodes raised his brows. “Love, I get. Pick a position and we can make love happen.”

Remy snorted while Larkin blushed as she quickly looked away.

I was still transfixed on the screen. “Is that seriously what they think we are?”

“I don’t think there was much thinking involved in the world of sparkly vampires and overgrown doggies,” Katy snarked.

I had followed the first movie okay. Vampire, girl who falls down a lot, creepy bloodsucker watching her sleep, psycho vampires and a trip to the hospital where the glittery one professed his love. Fine. Whatever.

But we were not even halfway into the sequel, and the scrawny kid from the first movie with the bad wig was now a large, not at all anatomically correct, wolf.

Katy and Rhodes were content to make fun of the movies. Remy was in an armchair near the fireplace reading. Larkin seemed completely invested, complete with wistful sighs.

I pushed up from my spot on the couch between Larkin and Katy. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Larkin, but I can’t watch this anymore.”

Larkin’s face fell. “We can watch something else.”

Katy’s jaw dropped. “Don’t you want to know who she picks?”

“I really don’t,” I said helplessly. I gestured to Remy. “He has the right idea.”

Remy glanced up. “You’re welcome to pick a book out of the study—”

“—Library,” Rhodes corrected quickly. He gave me a serious look. “Please don’t tell me you’re another bookworm. I thought you were cool, Skywalker.”

I shrugged. “Sorry. Total bookworm.”

Rhodes groaned, dropping his head back onto Larkin’s lap and nearly upending the popcorn bowl.

Remy stood up, setting his book on the side table beside the chair. “Ignore Rhodes. He wouldn’t know entertainment if I slapped him in the head.”

Rhodes smirked. “I know entertainment, but it’s a different kind of movie.”

Katy shoved him with her foot. “Don’t be gross.”

Rhodes turned and blinked innocently at her. “I was talking about Star Wars .” He arched a brow. “What were you thinking of?”

“Behave, you two,” Remy replied lightly, walking by and kicking the beta’s foot. He nodded at me, motioning to the study where we had our first conversation. I followed him into the room, this time filled with less terror and more curiosity as I let myself really look at the rows of books.

“So, you like reading?” he asked, standing back and watching as I looked through the shelves.

“I really do,” I admitted. I hesitated for a beat. “In my last pack, there wasn’t much to do except read. It was an escape, I guess.” It seemed more than a little embarrassing to tell him reading was how I learned about almost everything about the world.

“I get that,” he agreed, not bringing up my old pack, for which I was grateful. “Growing up in Blackwater, I was always surrounded by people. Books became a way for me to escape, too.”

I turned, surprised. “But you’re going to be the Alpha one day, right?”

He frowned, brows raising. “And that means I can’t like reading?” He huffed dramatically, shoving his hands into his pockets. “If that’s a rule, I guess I’m going to have to tell my pack I’m not interested in being Alpha.”

“Maybe Sierra can be Alpha,” I teased back before I could stop myself.

Remy rolled his eyes with a laugh. “That’s a great plan. Katy can be her beta.”

I couldn’t help the giggle that came out of me, the sound foreign and not unpleasant. “I think I would pay to see that.”

He smirked, sitting on the arm of the couch by the window. “Right? You think she’s bad with Rhodes... She would kill Sierra.”

I picked a book off the shelf. “Katy told me that Sierra... That she wants to leave Blackwater.”

“Is that all she told you?” Remy folded his arms over his wide chest. My eyes dropped to his arms and the way the sleeves of his white shirt stretched around the large muscles.

I blinked, shaking my head. “She mentioned Sierra pulled some crap with you last year.”

He growled softly under his breath. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” I said suddenly.

He waved it off with a sigh. “It’s fine. I knew Katy would tell you. She hates Sierra.”

I swallowed, pressing my lips together. “No, I mean I’m sorry Sierra did that to you. It was wrong. No one should touch another person without their consent.”

He stared at me, a muscle in his jaw jumping. I could see the questions he wanted to ask, but he was too good a guy to push me.

“Your collection is amazing,” I said, changing the subject back to books as fast as I could. I held up the one that caught my attention.

“Feel free to borrow it. It’s one of my favorites,” he said, not missing a beat.

I let out a shaky breath and nodded, hugging the book to my chest. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He flashed me a wide smile that made my chest tighten.

It had been ages since I felt anything but terrified of guys my own age. Hell, of males period. It felt nice to be able to talk to a guy and not be worried about when the attack or the insults would come.

The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous didn’t hurt either.

“Do you have everything you need for classes tomorrow?” he asked suddenly after a moment of silence.

I nodded and leaned back against the bookshelf. “Yeah. Katy and Larkin took me to get my schedule. Looks like I’m with most of you guys for classes.” I smiled then. “Katy told me that you’re also taking the English Lit elective?”

He nodded with a grin. “You’ll like it. We just started The Great Gatsby .”

“I love that book!” I blushed, realizing I sounded like a nerd.

“So you’ve already read it?”

“Yeah. A few summers ago. For fun.”

He seemed impressed. “Then I know who to ask for help with the term paper for it.”

“Sure,” I replied, loving the feeling that someone might need my help for something.

“Did Katy or Larkin tell you that the pack run is the weekend after next?”

Shit .

My stomach clenched. Just for fun I reached out, trying to see what my wolf thought about the idea of a run.

I was met with complete silence.

“What’s wrong?” Remy asked, not missing a damn thing.

I clutched the book tighter, ducking my head. I wished I had left my hair down instead of braiding it so I could hide behind it now.

“Skye?” he pressed, standing up.

I cleared my throat and sighed. “You’re gonna figure it out eventually anyway,” I murmured absently.

“Figure out what?”

“I have a problem with shifting,” I admitted, the humiliation pooling low in my gut.

He looked confused. “A problem? What kind of problem?”

“The kind where I can’t do it,” I replied tersely. “My wolf is really freaking temperamental. The only time I can really shift is when I’m really mad or...”

“Or?” he prompted, dark eyes fixed on me.

“Or really scared,” I finished quietly, looking at the floor. Dust motes danced through the slats of sunlight from the window and French doors.

“Skye, look at me,” he ordered gently.

My eyes flickered up to his, expecting to see pity or annoyance. Instead they were understanding.

The kindness made my breath hitch.

“The biggest reason this school exists is to help us get in sync with our wolves so we can be stronger members of our pack. You’re not the first person to need help with that.”

I scuffed the toe of my sneaker into the hardwood floor. “It’s stupid, though.”

I’m stupid.

“It’s not stupid, and neither are you,” he corrected, saying exactly what I needed to hear.

“Okay, but I still can’t shift and go with you guys unless you’re planning to scare the hell out of me or really piss me off,” I said with a huff.

“I’d kind of like to avoid doing either,” Remy suggested wryly. “I think you need to see Elias.”

“Elias?”

“Elias Samuels. He’s from a pack in Maine originally, but he lives at the school now. He’s one of the oldest shifters alive,” Remy explained. “He’s the guy to go to if your wolf is giving you issues. He spent his life studying shifters and packs across the globe.”

“Elias Samuels,” I repeated, unsure.

Remy shrugged. “What have you got to lose?”

I was still nodding when the door opened and Rhodes and Katy tumbled through. They glared at each other before looking at Remy and starting to speak.

“I think we should—”

“Can we—”

Remy held up a hand and they went silent. I tried not to smile.

“Katy?” he prompted, looking at his sister who turned to Rhodes and stuck out her tongue before speaking.

“We were thinking we should do a bonfire cookout tonight. The pack can come and we can all hang out. It’ll give Skye a chance to get to know the others.”

Rhodes grumbled under his breath, sounding something like it was his idea.

Katy glared at him. “It wasn’t your idea. You said the five of us. I said the whole pack.”

Rhodes snorted. “You’re just hoping the Brooks Ridge pack crashes so you can see Maren.”

Remy shrugged his broad shoulders and looked at me. “What do you think, Skye?”

I wasn’t used to offering my opinion. Usually my opinion was the last thing on anyone’s mind, but I could see Remy extending the olive branch. He knew I was nervous and was letting me have a say.

“Yeah,” I finally agreed. “It sounds kinda fun.”

“All right,” Remy said with a grin. “Cookout it is. But we need to make a grocery store run into town. We don’t have enough for everyone here.”

“Let’s all go,” Katy said quickly. “Skye hasn’t been into town yet.”

“Town?” I echoed, uneasy. As in around other people? I had never been around people other than shifters, and while I knew what a grocery store was, I was never allowed inside of one.

“It’s not that exciting,” Rhodes drawled. “It’s a few boutiques, the grocery store, a hardware store, and a diner. We go a couple times a month to get supplies for the cabin.”

“How do we get there?”

“I have a truck out back,” Remy explained.

R emy’s truck turned out to be a massive SUV that easily fit the five of us. Rhodes had turned off the TV and plucked Larkin off the couch, carrying her out to the SUV and setting her down in the backseat. He slid in beside her and Katy got in on her other side, leaving me to the front seat with Remy driving.

Like with Amanda, I was fascinated watching the views while we drove. This time, the night wasn’t pressing in around. The sun shone high and clear in a cloudless blue sky as far as I could see. The outside world blurred around us as Remy sped down the road.

It took almost thirty minutes to pull into the small, sleepy town. Rhodes was right—there was a strip of small shops and the other places Rhodes had mentioned. There wasn’t even a stoplight in the town.

Remy parked in the front and we all got out of the car. Katy and Rhodes led the way in, bickering about what we were going to eat. Larkin followed, still trying—and failing—to play peacemaker.

I hesitated at the entrance, the doors sliding open to wait for me.

Remy came up beside me. “You good?”

“I’ve never...” God, why was I so embarrassed about this? “I’ve never actually been inside a grocery store.”

His eyebrows flew up, his jaw dropping before he could hide his surprise. “What?”

I scuffed the toe of my sneaker against the cement. “Omegas didn’t go shopping for groceries. We were given whatever was left over from the pack. Besides, we didn’t have our own money, so no need to shop.”

His jaw clenched, a muscle thrumming to life like it had its own heartbeat. He looked away from me, and I got the distinct impression he was yet again trying to reign in his reaction.

“I know,” I said, forcing a chuckle. “It’s ridiculous, right?” Shaking out my shoulders, I started to walk inside when I felt his hand catch mine.

“It’s not ridiculous,” he said softly when I turned to look at him. “You have every right to feel however you want to feel, Skye.”

I nodded, taking a big breath. I smiled at him. “I feel hungry. So, show me what’s so good about this grocery store thing?”

Chuckling, Remy nodded and walked inside with me.

We caught up to the others, who were rolling a large cart, already filled with different kinds of meats and bread. There were several large bags of chips, and Katy and Rhodes seemed to be arguing over condiments.

Larkin sighed loudly. “Just get ketchup and barbecue sauce, guys.”

“Skye!” Rhodes turned to me,

I jumped, busy looking at the vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables in huge bins.

“Ketchup or barbecue sauce?” Rhodes looked at me expectantly.

I shrugged. “Larkin said get both.”

“But what’s your preference?” he pressed, holding a container of each in his hands. He acted like they were on a scale as he balanced them.

“I guess... ketchup?” I’d tried ketchup with my french fries at the diner and liked it. I’d never had barbecue.

Rhodes smirked triumphantly at Katy and tossed a container into the basket. “Told you.”

With a growl, Katy grabbed the other container and dropped it into the basket, too. “We’re getting both.” She pivoted on her heel and started walking down the aisle. “We need drinks!”

Twenty minutes later, we had a car loaded full of food and drinks, and a bunch of other random things Katy grabbed like shampoo and nail polish.

Remy hadn’t complained once, just smiling at his friends as they ran around the store grabbing stuff. He paid for it all when we checked out, and my eyes went wide at the price of the final bill.

The ride back took another thirty minutes but was strangely quiet as only Katy and Larkin talked much, occasionally dragging Remy and I into it. I glanced back and saw Rhodes was asleep, his head on Larkin’s shoulder.

By the time we parked back at the Blackwater cabin, several of our pack mates had gotten the word that there would be a bonfire. A few broke off to help unload the car while three others kept piling sticks and logs high into the center of the small field behind the cabin.

Rhodes, now fully awake, bounded out of the car, pulling Larkin with him. He then opened my door and tugged me out.

Glancing around at his pack mates, he raised his arms and yelled, “Let’s party!”