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Dad was speaking with the big scary wolves on the table. I woke up from a bad dream, by the open doorway where they were all meeting. The Beta, Griff, let me in. Dad's arms opened up for me, smiling at me. He wasn't just a few seconds ago. But to me, he was always smiling. I grabbed onto him, clinging to him. His familiar scent washed over me and I knew that if he was there, nothing bad could ever happen.

I woke up with start.

I picked up my phone on my night stand next to me, and checked the time.

Shoot. My ten minute nap took five hours.

My muscles were a little sore from working out too much. Blaine pestering me about taking it easy. I stretched a little, realizing that my nap didn't make me feel any better. I was just so tired. Exhausted from everything. School, work and training.

Getting off my bed, I checked on Mom. The lump on the blanket signaling that she was there. Sleeping. As usual.

I missed talking to her. We could talk about anything. I used to talk about everything with Dad. With Mom, she was this bright light that's dimmed. There's nothing of her. I'm not enough for her to get up and start to live.

That's what having a mate does for you.

"I missed you," she whispered to him.

"I missed you more," he said to her.

I couldn't take anymore of this. I stood up from the bleachers. "Hold up. Wait one second."

Penelope stopped reading the book.

"It's just getting to the good part," Penelope complained, but she put the book down.

"They literally just saw each other yesterday-" I'm flabbergasted. "People eat this up?"

"Humans do, yeah," Penelope shrugged.

"T-this is only the fourth chapter of the book!"

Penlope gave me a look that read I was either too stupid or too naive of this world. Probably both. "Ah, Edith. How you can experience such a great love yet you do not pursue it."

"Okay stop talking like that," I tried to fight back my smile.

Undeterred, Penelope continued with her cringe dialogue, "The way that your mate looks at you makes a thousand doves sing. The way you deny him makes it hard to watch as his eyes only are to you and his heart belongs to you as you do him. Alas, this is what your mate is for."

"Thanks Penelope, I really needed that. Got me a reality check," I said.

"Homecoming."

"Penelope," I groaned. She wasn't dropping it, was she?

"Do you even love me?"

I pointed my finger at her, "Don't use that on me."

"If you loved me. You would go."

"P."

"I will have no one to go with not even my bestest friend!"

"You have so many friends," I brushed off. It was true, Penelope was a magnet for everyone liking her no matter what. She just uplifted you and raised your spirits. "I'm pretty sure many asked you out."

Penleope sniffed, "Yeah one wolf did the whole rose petal flower thing to ask me, but not into that. I need romance."

I nodded towards the book, "Clearly."

"Let's head inside," Penelope checked the time. "Wonder how Blaine is doing."

"Try-outs for the team are tomorrow," I said, holding my hands out so she can get up. Penelope took them.

"I need to scam a teacher before class- I gotta leave ya for now," Penelope gave me a side hug. "See you in lunch!"

I waved smally at her before my phone gave me a ping.

Nicholas.

He texted:

I frowned. Alone? Yeah right.

What did he mean by that? West is my mate. Not that Nicholas knew that. Well, wouldn't put it past him to be scared of West Stryder. Especially since he saw his wolf.

My frown deepened. Why was Nicholas asking me this? And why would he think-

"Who are you texting?"

Speaking of the devil.

West's ever present smile was at me, adjusting his gym bag on one shoulder and holding his cleats to his side.

"Nicholas..."

"What?" West exclaimed looking taken aback.

"He's just texting me about...stuff."

"So he can have your number but I can't?" I think West pouted for a second, and it did things to my heart like make it flutter. But that was the mate bond. Nothing to do with how actually hot it was.

Nope. Nothing like that.

"Fine. Here," I hold out my hand. Why not. This was in case anything happened while we were on recon. We were on a mission basically. West's fingers brushed mine, sending a pleasurable jolt. But it passed as he was all too eager to put in his number.

Handing the phone back to me, my mouth fell into a flat line. Amused, but not going to show it to him.

"West."

"Just so I know you at least have some semblance of what you should put." West raised an eyebrow at me. This Alpha right in front of me was something else. I didn't want to smile at his goofiness, so I cleared my throat and changed topics.

"Do you think we can trust Nicholas?" I asked, voicing out my thoughts. Nicholas was the one who thought we couldn't trust West, but truth me told it's him that's weirding me out. West looked surprised for a second, but kept walking.

"I'm not sure yet. Don't go anywhere with him when I'm not there."

"He's our only hope to figure out anything that is - if- if anything has been going around in the packs."

"But I wouldn't trust him. Use him, like he's using us," West suggested. "Under no circumstance should we trust him."

Ever since West shifted into Salvatore, I felt protective of him. This sudden urge to let him shift and be free. I can't imagine what it would be like if I couldn't shift or if I could only shift every once or rarely. I feel like he's been more relaxed and happier since his shift. I could physically see his burden to shift lifted. The mate bond wasn't helping at all either. It was hard to fight it, and times like these I wonder if it's the bond or me.

How can I ask him if I can see Salvatore again without sounding like a creep?

"What is it?" West asked, his voice low. His eyes scanned my face.

"Uh-" I swallowed. There is no way I would tell him. Could I? "Nothing. It's fine. I'll see you around?"

I thought I'd be done, but he spoke up.

"You should come to the soccer game," West said suddenly, and he held out his cleats. "I put my lucky ribbon in the shoe laces." My eyes wandered to his black and red cleats. Sure enough, my ribbon he took for "good luck" was tied in the top part of his cleats on his shoelaces, making a small bow. The ribbon he took from me when he was trying out.

"You..." I trailed off, not knowing why this gesture meant something. But it did. "You're something else." I didn't know exactly the "else" part was about West Stryder.

He only grinned at me. "I'm telling ya, it's lucky."

"Maybe I should see it for myself," I challenged. Whoa. Where did that come from?

West's grin widened. His eyes crinkled to the side, making him look regal. Untouchable. Like he's too good for me. He probably is.

"I'd like that."

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him until I cleared my throat and looked away. "Well, gotta go." Before I kept staring into his eyes.

This was the second time saying good-bye, and for some reason it just felt wrong leaving him.