5

Arguments.

Henley

Parker arrives early to pick me up from school on Monday morning. When he walks into my kitchen that morning, my heart flutters. What will it be like when we're older and don't have to be apart? Will I always feel this way about him?

Parker hands me the paper coffee cup and kisses me on the cheek. I know he would do more than just kiss me on the cheek if my father weren't watching us.

Dad pours himself some black coffee into his to-go cup. "I'm working a forty eight hour shift." He gives me a pointed look, then looks at Parker. "You're a good kid, but you're mates with my daughter. I don't want the two of you in the house alone. When you're hanging out, do it at your house, okay?"

Parker nods. "Of course, Mr. Stone."

"I have a guard patrol. Can I at least be here alone with Will or Blaine?" I ask.

Dad looks at me, narrowing his eyes.

"I can't do my homework at Parker's house. It's too noisy."

Parker snorts. "You mean because Lucy won't leave you alone."

"She's sweet," I protest.

Dad walks closer to me. "You can be here with the other two, just not in your bedroom."

I nod. "Got it."

"I'll see you later." He looks at Parker, giving him a look. Parker hides his grin, though I'm pretty sure my dad notices. He walks out the door that leads to the garage.

Parker turns to me, raising an eyebrow. "Your dad is kinda scary."

"Your dad is an alpha—it doesn't get scarier than that," I protest. "Never mind the fact that he hated me at first."

"He did not hate you."

I don't bother responding—we both know he's wrong.

Parker steps closer to me, giving me a proper kiss. When he does, I feel something twist in my gut. It takes me a moment to place the emotion—it's guilt.

I pull back and look at Parker. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He turns away from me. "We should get going."

Okay, he's definitely hiding something.

I don't mention it as we head to his Jeep. He opens the passenger side door for me and gives me another sweet kiss before I get in.

Parker has a lot on him. He's the future alpha, which is a lot in itself. But he's also trying to find that other supernatural that's on pack land and he feels responsible for my protection. I should go easy on him. He's only eighteen—that's young to have all of this on him.

"When is your birthday?" I ask Parker after he gets in.

Parker turns to me, a smirk on his face. "You don't know my birthday?"

"It's never come up." I shrug. "Do you know my birthday?"

His grin widens. "Of course I do—it's July twenty seventh."

I frown. "How did you know?"

"I make it a point to know everything about you." He grabs my hand with his free one. "My birthday is April seventeenth."

"Shouldn't you have already graduated?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes, but I started school a year late. Since Will and Blaine are my betas, he wanted me to be in class with them."

"They're your betas? How does that work?" I angle my body to him.

"Being an alpha is a blood thing. So my dad was always going to produce the next alpha, just like one of our sons will one day be alpha," Parker explains.

My cheeks warm at the mention of us someday having children.

Parker clears his throat. "But anybody can be a beta. It's based on strength. But it also has a little to do with chemistry. I obviously have to be able to get along with my betas. Thankfully, I get along great with Will and Blaine."

I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "So our firstborn son will be alpha?"

He shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. It's not always the firstborn that is alpha. And all my younger brothers have the potential, but I'm the strongest."

"That would be strange—to have a younger brother be alpha."

"It happens often. Alpha Benson—he is everybody's alpha—is the youngest of three sons." When he sees the confused look on my face, he further explains. "He's… kind of like a king. He's the guy who makes sure all the alphas stay in check. Occasionally, an alpha will have to be dealt with."

"Ah, okay." I clear my throat. "So, uh, how is the search for that other supernatural going?"

Parker tenses as he keeps his eyes straight ahead at the road. "We're still trying to find him."

Once again, I'm hit with that feeling in my gut that feels an awful lot like guilt.

Is Parker hiding something from me?

I take a sip of my coffee as I study his features, but he gives nothing away. He just dutifully keeps his eyes on the road.

"When do you want another driving lesson?" Parker asks.

"What does it matter? I can't get my license. No doctor would ever sign off for me—not unless I go six months without having a seizure." And since I just had a seizure a couple of weeks ago, the chances of me getting my license are pretty much nil.

Parker squeezes my hand. "You should still learn. It's an important life skill."

"Maybe," I say, noncommittally. "Perhaps I can have more lessons after you catch that other supernatural."

Parker pulls his Jeep into the parking spot beside Will's black sports car. Will gets out of his car a moment before we do, so the three of us walk in together. Parker holds my hand, which people have finally gotten used to seeing—after our hallway kiss, this is nothing.

"Will, can you take Henley home after school today?" Parker asks as he walks me to my first period class.

Will nods. "Of course. I need to help Henley learn to block out thoughts anyway."

"Thanks."

I frown, not liking that Parker isn't even driving me home today. The few minutes we get together in the car while we're driving seems like all the alone time we get these days.

Parker kisses me on the cheek. "I'll see you after class."

"Bye." I sigh, watching him walk away.

Will huffs and gently grabs my wrist and tugs me inside. "You can drool over your soulmate later."

I stick my tongue out at him, which causes him to roll his eyes.

"Do you think Parker is hiding something from me?" I ask.

Will's eyes widen. "Uh, why would you think that?"

"I could feel that he was guilty about something. At least, I think it was him. He explained that I'll be able to feel his emotions through our mate bond." I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "But that's beside the point. I want to know—is Parker hiding something?"

Will averts his eyes. "Why would he hide something from you? You're his soulmate."

But the way he won't make eye contact as he says it doesn't make his words very believable. I stare at him until he eventually makes eye contact again.

His lip turns up in one corner. "If you don't stop staring at me, I'm going to think you're attracted to me."

I lift one eyebrow. "Isn't flirting more of Blaine's thing?"

He rolls his eyes and scowls.

Okay, this is the Will I'm used to.

The teacher begins class, but that doesn't phase Will. He keeps his scowl on me, like I've somehow offended him. Knowing him, I probably have.

Finally, he looks away, scribbling something on a piece of paper. Moments later, it lands on my desk.

Stop looking at me like that.

I grin as I write back to him.

Has anybody ever told you that you're paranoid?

I pass it back and he scowls at the note.

Well, if I hadn't offended him before, I definitely have now. As he writes back, his nostrils flare and his cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

Great. I've made him mad. Now he's going to be grumpy. Uh, and I have to spend the whole day with him because he's basically in all my classes. And after school, I won't get any relief.

The note lands back on my desk. Before I can read the note, I hear my name. I look up but realize it's just a girl from the front. She's glaring at me.

Of course Will likes Henley. Isn't it enough that she has Parker? What does she have that I don't? Uh… okay, fine. She's pretty. But she's got brown hair. How boring. But maybe boring is his type.

Will clears his throat, so I turn to look at him. He raises an eyebrow.

I look down at the note and read, You're maddening, do you know that?

I write back, My only goal in life is to anger you. By the way, the blonde girl at the front thinks you're out of my league.

When Will reads the note, he glares at me. I expect him to wad the note up and throw it in the trash, but he surprisingly writes back.

Why were you listening to her thoughts? You're SUPPOSED to be blocking them out. And I am out of your league.

I bite my lip to stop the smile.

I thought Blaine was the cocky one. And I can't help it. She thought my name. If I hear my name, I automatically turn to listen. Sorry that I'm not as good at being a supernatural as you. Maybe you are out of my league after all.

He sighs when he reads the note. I expect snark, but the furrow of his brows confuses me.

What is he thinking?

He writes back, and I hope whatever he says will give me insight into what he's thinking, but it only confuses me further.

I'm not as good at being a supernatural as you think. Trust me, I've made my fair share of mistakes. Probably more than most. Today only proves you need practice now more than ever.

I groan.

Why do I have a feeling he's going to become a tyrant now?

Back to the blonde… despite the fact that she's a little arrogant, she's pretty.

As soon as he reads the note, he wads up the piece of paper and gives me a look that causes my stomach to twist.

Yep… he's out for blood.

Later that afternoon, once school ends, Will drives me to the park. I beg him to stop for food first—not because I'm hungry. I just know if he eats he will be in a better mood. He's been in a foul mood all morning, ever since I mentioned the blonde.

Maybe I shouldn't tease Will. It's not his fault half the girls in our class are in love with him—of course they are. They don't know him and know what a grouch he is.

I grin, thinking they probably wouldn't care if he was grouchy. Will's a supernatural and all supernaturals are attractive.

"Why are you smiling?" Will's knuckles turn white on the steering wheel.

"Because I'm just so happy to be hanging out with my best friend," I tease.

He scoffs. "Has anybody ever told you that you're annoying?"

"You're the only one who's noticed." I flutter my eyelashes at him. "It's one of my many charms."

"Charms." He snorts. "Only you would think annoyance is a virtue."

"Or maybe I'm only annoying to you," I point out.

He nods. "It could be very well true. I swear, you were only sent here to torture me."

"And lucky for you, I'm mated to your alpha. So you're stuck with me." I grin at him.

He stays stoically quiet and he keeps his eyes on the road. I wonder what he's thinking, but I'm glad I don't know. I have a feeling Will keeps most of his truly caustic thoughts to himself. Maybe he secretly hates me and sarcasm is how he copes.

"Do you hate having to babysit me?" I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"What?" He shoots me a glare. "Why would I hate this?"

I shrug. "Maybe because you have to spend time with me."

"It's this or possibly have another supernatural kill you. You may annoy me, but you're Parker's mate. You're part of the pack. We look out for one another."

My heart swells at hearing Will call me part of the pack. Not too long ago, he informed me that I wasn't part of the pack and that I didn't belong. Knowing how important he is to Parker, it makes me feel good to be accepted by him.

"What about when we figure out what kind of supernatural I am?" I ask.

I know that Parker promised I wouldn't be sent away. It doesn't seem likely that he will, considering that we're mates. But I still worry.

Will takes a few seconds before responding. He keeps his focus on the road, but I get the feeling he wouldn't be looking at me even if we weren't driving. "When we figure out what you are, we'll figure out how your powers work. We'll train you so you don't accidentally reveal yourself to humans."

I chew on the corner of my lip. "So you won't send me away?"

"No."

I relax into my seat at his words.

If Will is saying they won't send me away, they won't.

Will pulls his car to a stop in the parking spot and shuts off the vehicle. He turns to face me. "Do you really think Parker would let you get away, Henley?"

I shrug, not wanting to answer. The truth is, yes. I did kind of think that. But I can't admit that to Will and if I deny it he will know I'm lying.

"Even if you weren't Parker's mate, and even if you weren't part of the pack, you wouldn't be sent away," Will says.

His words surprise me. My eyes lock onto his brown ones. "Really? But you said—"

He cuts me off. "I say a lot of things."

Before I can question him further, he gets out of the car. I scramble out after him, but before I halfway out he's at my door.

"Wait for me before getting out." He shoots me a glare and then his eyes scan the surrounding area.

"For somebody who hates me, you sure you care an awful lot about my safety," I tease.

"If something happened to you, Parker would kill me." He shrugs like it's not a big deal.

I may not be able to sense if somebody is lying like a wolf, but it's easy to tell that Will is lying. And maybe he cares more about me than he wants to admit.

I smile at the wolf and he glares at me.

"Stop smiling at me."

His words only make my smile grow wider.

He puts his hand on the small of my back and pushes me forward, toward an empty bench. The whole way there he mumbles under his breath about ‘annoying, mind reading, black winged girls.'

Will looks at me through narrowed eyes as we take a seat. "You're still smiling."

"Sorry." I try to school my features, but it's impossible to stop smiling. I chew on my bottom lip to try and hide it.

He rolls his eyes, but even I can see how his lips tug at the corners. "Come on, mind reader. Learn how to control your powers."

If only it were that easy.

Still…

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

I can't believe he was out with her last night. I just know he's cheating.

I open my eyes and see a redhead power walking. She's so angry, I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears.

I would not want to be her boyfriend right now. Especially when she considers tasing him.

Will snaps his fingers in front of my face. "Are you even trying?"

I shake my head slowly, trying to get the image of her boyfriend crying on the ground out of my head. "Sorry."

"Focus on me," Will says.

I turn on the seat so that I can face Will. There is another person walking down the path. I can hear them thinking about some hospital bill they have to pay. I try to tone them out as I focus on Will's brown eyes.

Will really should consider scowling less. He's much more attractive when he's relaxed. I think about telling him that, but he would only get annoyed. It's then that I realize the person walking is close enough that I can hear their footsteps, but I don't hear their thoughts. I keep focused on Will.

Parker has no idea how lucky he is. Henley is so pretty.

I jump at the sound of Will's voice in my head.

Will furrows his brows. "What?"

"Think something," I say.

"What?"

"Think something," I repeat.

His eyebrows furrow as he studies me, but there is nothing now. No thoughts. No anything.

"Are you mental?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Sorry. I thought I heard you."

"You…" he pauses, "heard me?"

"Maybe."

"What did you hear?" Will asks.

My cheeks grow warm. "Oh, nothing important."

Just that apparently Will likes me more than he lets on. But certainly I'm mistaken. There is no way… I mean, Will isn't attracted to me.

Is he?

But Will's eyes widen like he's just realized what I could have heard.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm sure I was wrong. I can't hear anything from you. I think I just hallucinated it."

Will's nostrils flare, but he says nothing. "I'm taking you home."

"Really? Because we just got started," I argue.

But he's already walking. He doesn't glance back or wait for me. He just paces ahead. Even when I try to catch up, he always stays a good distance ahead. He opens the passenger side door for me, but he won't make eye contact as I get in.

Did I just ruin things between us?

Will doesn't say a single word the entire drive to my house. When we get there, he doesn't move to get out.

"I have something I need to do. Will you go inside and lock the door?" he asks, still keeping his gaze focused ahead.

I'm torn between begging him to come inside and being thrilled that I'm actually going to have some alone time.

"Will, I'm sorry. I didn't know I could do that. I didn't mean—"

He cuts me off. "Henley, go."

I sigh but do as he says. Will watches as I make my way inside, but as soon as my front door is shut I hear loose gravel crunch under his tires.

If I thought he hated me before, it's nothing compared to what he will think now. I can't even blame him—I'd hate it if somebody else read my private thoughts. But it's not like I meant to do it. I never would've tried that stupid experiment if I knew.

I think about reading a book or watching something mindless on TV, but I am so sick of being cooped up inside. If it was really dangerous for me to go outside, Will never would've left me alone. So I slip my cardigan back on and head out the front door. I walk on the familiar path between Parker's house and mine. I don't plan on going to his house since he won't be there, but I want to be outside. I'm only about fifty feet from my house when I hear a noise behind me.

"Hello, there."