Jason shook his head with a wry smile. “I can guarantee the Beta wouldn’t assign you something during the same weekend the Alpha, Luna, Gamma, Delta, and Jeremiah are all away. Even he knows what Jeremiah would do if any of us let that happen. Plus, he’ll be too busy running the pack for two days to supervise. No chance. I love you, Ken, but I like my balls intact.” He chuckled.
“Ugh, Tommy? What about you?” I asked.
“If they’re out, I’m out. You’re a handful when you’re in your testing mode, and honestly, it kind of makes my brain hurt,” he groaned.
“Really? Traitors all of you,” I muttered under my breath. I expected as much, but it was worth the shot. “I’m going to go change. Can we still do movie night? Or is that off limits too since Jeremiah won’t be here?” I turned to leave before anyone could answer. It wasn’t their fault, but I hated feeling like a prisoner. Clearly, I hadn’t done enough to prove myself yet. I’d just have to double down on training.
“We’re definitely watching a movie. Are you going to wear that sexy thing I got you for Christmas?” Tommy called after me from down the hall.
I turned, shooting him a mock glare, but broke into a smile when he playfully wiggled his eyebrows.
“No chance, traitor,” I said with a grin. “For your failure to grow a spine and help me out, I’m going to wear a bunch of frumpy layers.” I started to walk away when I heard him mutter.
“Layers are more fun. It’s like unwrapping a present,” he said with a cheeky grin. Such a hornball.
The weekend passed with barely a thing accomplished. I hardly left my room, let alone the packhouse. It was just easier than enduring the third degree for trying to sneak out. I kept my distance from the guys. The longer Jeremiah was gone, the more frustrated I became with feeling trapped**and they didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of my anger.
On Sunday, Aunt Beth called me, while the rest of the guys received a mindlink from Uncle James. I couldn’t mindlink since I wasn’t an official pack member. The elders had found information suggesting humans couldn’t handle the pack connection, and attempting it might kill me. So naturally, Aunt Beth shut down any conversation about it immediately.
Something had come up, and the elders had to stay an extra day. Aunt Beth was unusually vague, which wasn’t like her, but maybe there were people around, and the details weren’t for common knowledge. I missed Jeremiah terribly, and the nightmares were growing worse. Everyone knew about them, but it was one of those things we never talked about.
Ben stayed with me that night after we got the call. He didn’t wait for me to have a nightmare; he simply followed me into my room, wordless, climbed into bed behind me, and held me as I clung to Jer’s shirt, inhaling the faint scent that had been fading over the last two days. The nightmares hit harder when I didn’t expect Jer to be gone. None of us fully understand the connection between us**it’s like we’re twins at times, able to feel each other’s emotions and communicate without words or mindlink. It’s just an innate bond.
The worst part was that I hadn’t heard from Jeremiah at all in two days. I don’t think we’d ever gone more than 24 hours without talking or texting. Nothing felt overtly wrong, but something had definitely shifted; the change was tangible in the air, and it was unsettling.
Monday at school was brutal. Even with Ben’s quiet support, the nightmare replayed endlessly in my mind, and I couldn’t shake it. We were both exhausted**he just hid it better. I borrowed his composure and silently made it through our morning workout and my first class.
Lost in thought at my locker, switching books for second period, I barely noticed Janelle’s voice.
“Were you too busy entertaining last night? You look a little rough, but maybe that’s how you like it. Is that how you keep all those guys entertained? Hope they pay you well for the services, human.”
“So witty, Janelle. Glad to see the education system hasn’t gone to waste on you,” I shot back without even looking her way as I walked off. It would take her a moment to realize I’d just called her stupid**plenty of time for me to get to class.
“Are they still on that kick?” Jason asked from the seat behind me, making me jump. Damn ninja.
“Yeah, it’s an oldie but a goodie. She only brings out that crap when Jer’s gone and she has nothing better to talk about. Apparently, you guys aren’t scary enough to keep her away just by being here. You might want to work on that,” I said with a half-hearted smile.
“Well, at least your humor’s still intact. Oh… we gotta go. Now.”
“Wait, what? We just got here and class is about to start.” I protested, but he ignored me, standing and grabbing both our backpacks. What the hell?
“Mr. Jones, sorry to interrupt. Alpha needs us. It’s urgent.” Jason nodded toward me, not breaking eye contact with the teacher.
“I’ll need confirmation of that by the end of the day,” the teacher replied.
“Yes, sir.” Jason’s only response as he practically dragged me out of the school.
“What the hell, Jason? Where’s the fire?” I asked, panic rising.
“Alpha said come to the packhouse now**and bring you. The rest of the guys are already there.”
We sped off in his car toward the packhouse. Jason wasn’t usually the panicky type, so this was serious.
“Jason, what’s going on? Is everyone okay?” My mind raced, imagining the worst**something happening to Aunt Beth, Jeremiah, or Uncle James. “Jason, please, talk to me. I’m freaking out here.” He finally looked at me.
“What happened?” I was on the verge of tears, not knowing what to expect.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.