Chapter 44

Megan

I felt off. Not quite sick, but just…off. Maybe it was the nightmares, the adrenaline, and Sam's kiss this morning, or being up too early and too much caffeine. Maybe Mary cooked with something I wasn't used to last night. Wolf was still lethargic at best. I went ahead and skipped a big breakfast, opting for a piece of dry toast in case it turned out to be something more sinister.

The morning passed in a blur, and by lunch, I wasn't any better. Wolf was acting strangely, too. The bell was a few minutes away, and I raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss Carmichael?"

"May I use the restroom?"

The teacher nodded. I was a model student and never asked to leave class for any reason. I felt justified today. I gathered my things and trudged out the door to the bathroom.

Meet you in the cafeteria. Heading to the bathroom. I sent to Sam through our link. He didn't immediately respond, but I didn't worry much about it as the bell rang, and I was closing in on the hallway to the bathroom and students flooded out of classrooms.

Wolf was wobbly legged as I staggered past a few girls at the sinks and into a bathroom stall just in time to throw up in the black and white porcelain toilet. I spit the nasty taste out of my mouth and flushed it down, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. Wolf lay down, her eyes closed, her fur dull and dingy, not glossy and shining as usual. Clearly there was something wrong with us.

I didn't feel ill, just unsettled. Just…off. And obviously I ate something weird that didn't agree with us. Shaking my head, I exited the stall and found two curious pairs of eyes belonging to two cheerleaders watching me, and Shelby Atwood staring at me from her view in the mirror.

Skylar, the captain of the cheer squad—the one Raven had said was hard to please, glanced at her red-haired friend and smirked.

"Morning sickness?" she shot at me before they giggled and left the bathroom. I was too shocked to say anything. Shelby whirled around and looked at me, an unreadable mask on her face.

"Are you pregnant?" she asked bluntly. My head snapped back, and Wolf looked up, snorting in disdain.

"Of course, I'm not pregnant," I retorted. "But either way, it's not really any of your business."

Her lip rose in a silent snarl before she turned on her heel and stalked out of the bathroom. Belatedly, I remembered her fawning attention to Sam at the movie theater. Oops. I guessed that wondering if the object of your crush had impregnated his girlfriend could make a person irritable. I sighed as I methodically washed and dried my hands after rinsing my mouth out. I really hoped that my new nonexistent pregnancy wasn't going to be the latest gossip headline. I blushed thinking about it.

I was not that sort of girl. I thought most people knew I was not that sort of girl. I hoped my previous reputation was upheld even though I'd been dating Sam and from all accounts we were pretty into each other.

Leaving the bathroom, my phone vibrated.

—Where are you???— From Sam.

Frowning, I quickly texted back. —In the bathroom. Didn't you hear me?—

Wait there. Coming.

I huffed a little breath and adjusted my backpack and shoved my phone back into my pocket. Sam's head broke through the sea of people thronging to the cafeteria. The look on his face was intense, and my anxiety rose.

I moved to meet him, and he grabbed my hand, weaving us through the hallway to an exit that led out to the courtyard. It was cold, so there was next to nobody there.

"I about had a heart attack when you weren't waiting for me," he said urgently, voice pitched low.

My forehead creased as I crossed my arms against the cold. "I told you I was going to the bathroom and would meet you at the cafeteria."

He blinked. "When?"

Icy fingers slithered into my belly. "Right before I left class."

"I never heard you. Did you not hear me—after the bell?"

I shivered and the icy fingers gripped me harder.

"No," I whispered. "I didn't hear you at all."

Sam's expression fell, and the color emptied from his face. He scrubbed his free hand down his jaw as his hand holding mine squeezed once.

"Okay," he breathed.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Panic tinged my voice.

He looked at me hard, sorrow bleeding from his eyes. "How's your wolf?"

I gulped and shook my head. "I just threw up. She's not very responsive." The words forced themselves between my teeth as the icy hand clenching my gut grew claws and buried them in my midsection. Sucking in a lung-full of frigid air, I took a minute to try and process what I knew was the most likely culprit. The werewolf toxins were leaving my system. Humanity was winning.

I shook my head, denying the possibility. "I think it was something I ate. I'm sure after a nice run tonight, she'll be back in tip-top shape. She's probably needing a good stretch. She's been holed up for a few days. Remember? I was too tired to shift last night…" I drifted off, recognizing my own rambling.

"Probably so." Sam's voice was hollow. "Do you want to try to eat something and stick it out, or are you feeling too sick?"

"Maybe some soda and crackers? I have a test this afternoon that I'd rather not miss." I had felt worse and made it through a day of school. And the distraction from what might actually be happening inside me would be good. This was a good thing. This was my body telling me that I would have permanent skin, not fur. It was what I had wanted all along.