Wolf Chase [23]

Massie expertly avoided her mother's suspicious eyes, she knew it was very abrupt the way she slammed the door at Sebastian's face, but if his attitude was anything to go by, him finding out her mother thought he was her boyfriend would cause unneeded problems. No thank you, she'll skedaddle her way out of this one for as long as she could

"Is there anything I should know?" Her mother asked, wary of her daughters behavior.

Massie cleared her features before giving her an innocent look. "No, everything is fine. Prior to dropping me off he mentioned needing to do something for his cousin, I'm just making sure he's not being held back or anything like that." She said casually, hoping to abate her mother's cynicism.

Her mother continued to eye her critically, but appeared to give in. "Alright. Just remember, I expect a proper introduction for your father and I next time he comes around. There's no need to a hide a relationship from us, it's not as if we forbid you from having a boyfriend."

"Yes mother," Massie conceded. Before the conversation could drag on any further, Massie moved towards her room to change.

Upstairs, she settled for a nice flattering pair of jeans matched with a casual purple top. Deciding she didn't want her hair flapping around all day as she moved in crutches, she opted to tie her hair into a high ponytail. With her hair up she looked younger but slightly more edgy, which was the look she was going for.

When she arrived in school it was just as she expected, her friends erupted with questions at her injured state.

"Oh my gosh what happened?!" Asked Emma, eyes wide as she took in her injury.

Lily's small tender hand went above her lips, covering a silent gasp. "Is this why you didn't come to school yesterday?"

Massie nodded, though she was thankful it had healed so quickly. Within two days the swelling had almost subsided. The multiple socks layering over her bandaged foot made it look bigger than it really was, but she appreciated how it served as a protective cushion.

Though she hadn't thought up a cool story to tell her friends, there was a better idea in mind to describe her accident. "I was climbing a tree and ended up falling. Thankfully, Sebastian was there to rescue me. He really is such a sweetheart, it's so great to hang out with strong friends." She mentioned casually, but Massie noticed how her friends showed immediate interest.

Emily's eyes narrowed in jealously. "You were hanging out with Sebastian?" She questioned, disbelief apparent in her features. Massie smirked, she knew saying this would press some of her buttons.

Lily's eyes shined with awe. "Wow, that is such a fairytale! So like a knight in shining armor!" She gushed.

Emma merely gaped. "I don't know how you do it. How on earth did you manage to befriend him?"

Massie shrugged. "When things are meant to be, they happen. Destiny is pulling us together," she said confidently.

And truly, she believed this to be the case. Not only was Sebastian physically appealing, but as she witnessed this morning he was also a gentleman. Knowing he was Cinnamon made her more drawn to him than before, especially since he was noticeably more affectionate in wolf form. She desired to continue getting to know him, as well as the rest of the pack. She couldn't imagine letting them go now with all they've done for her and all that she knew.

Emily sneered. "Don't get ahead of yourself, you're not even dating yet. You're so cocky about something that isn't even yours."

Massie rolled her eyes. Emily had a valid point, but she trusted her instincts more. "I want you to remember this day when I end up being Sebastian's girlfriend, because I won't even waste a breath telling you 'I told you so'," she said, giving her a wide cocky grin.

Before Emily could give a snark remark, Emma raised her hands to diffuse the rising argument. "Enough! Alright, so since you're injured you probably need help carrying your books, I'll be more than glad to help you," she offered, successfully bringing their attention elsewhere.

Massie smiled sincerely, she had made a good choice when she befriended her at the beginning of the school year. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Throughout the day Emma kept true to her word; she carried all her supplies from class to class, even courteous enough to return with her to her locker when she realized she missed a different notebook for math and social studies. When they entered Mr. Seaman's math class, Massie expressed her gratitude once more.

"Thanks again for doing this. After this class you won't have to come get me, I'll ask Jordan to do it." Massie sat down on her desk and found place for her crutches.

Emma nodded, dropping her books onto her desk. "No problem girlie, I'll catch you after social studies." As she left, Massie noticed Jordan and Sebastian speaking in low tones just outside the doorway. Emma sneaked a look in their direction when she passed by them.

Massie propped her hands under her chin, wondering what they were speaking about. As if feeling her gaze, their eyes shifted to her. If she didn't know any better she would've assumed they were talking about her. Massie blew them an affectionate kiss. Jordan was kind enough to return her gesture, but his golden-eyes counterpart merely shook his head, disdainful of her kiss. Since Sebastian was already aware of her feelings toward him, Massie figured there was no use in her trying to hide it or feign disinterest. She would have fun breaking through his tough layers.

The duo finished their conversation after a few more seconds, and Jordan managed to be in his seat by the time the bell rung. Math class had officially begun. Professor Seaman was not in a mood to teach, for his request was that the students do practice questions from a textbox as he sprawled lazily on a chair and graded what appeared to be test papers from another class period.

The class happily took it in stride, this meant they could have conversation whistle they worked—as long as the noise level was kept in check of course.

Massie crossed her legs in Jordan's direction. "What were you guys talking about in the hallway?" She finally asked, curiosity burning through her mind.

Jordan smiled cheekily, a sharp canine peeking through. "Wouldn't you like to know, eh?" His eyes gleamed with hidden knowledge.

Massie grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. "Tell me." She pressured.

"All I can say is that it has to do with your upcoming birthday. Sebastian will probably have a private talk with you about that." Jordan passed two fingers across his lips. The message was clear, he would not be indulging her with additional information aside from what he disclosed.

Massie swooned. She felt as though she were in a huge happy bubble flying higher, and higher into the sky. By next week she would be turning 18, meaning she would have matura. "I hope he asks me to have his babies," she said, wistful.

Jordan roared with laughter, which he had to tactfully turn into a strong cough when Mr. Seaman gave him a pointed look. Massie narrowed her eyes, offended.

"Okay, I'll will say this. Babies were not involved in the conversation."

Massie felt her happy bubble pop, sending her at a most abrupt fall from bliss. "I knew that had been too easy," she grumbled, turning her attention back to the practice problems at hand.

[o-o-o]

When the bell to Mr. Barman's social studies class rang, Massie didn't miss a beat and tapped the shoulders of the man a seat ahead of her. Throughout class Sebastian hadn't as much as looked in her direction, much less start a conversation.

"Are you going to continue being a gentleman to me and carry my books for me to my next class?" Massie asked, looking at him expectantly. She knew Emma had agreed to come get her after this class, but she much preferred Sebastian's interaction.

The dark-haired male didn't lift his gaze from the phone in his hand. Massie was amazed he even had one, he seemed too anti-social to be communicating with anyone. "One of your friends promised to come here and do that for you." He remarked dismissively.

Massie's jaw dropped. When Emma last said that, it had been inside Mr. Seaman's class. At the time, he'd been preoccupied speaking with Jordan outside. "How did you hear that?" Sebastian remained silent, but she quickly realized his hearing was to be blamed. These enhanced senses were not doing her any favors, it was an inconvenient tool that smashed her plans into tiny pieces. "You really do hate me, don't you," she found herself saying.

Sebastian sighed and ran aggravated fingers through his hair. "I do not hate you." He stated simply, finally meeting her eyes with his. His amber flames burned her inner core with their sincerity.

"You do, otherwise you would be nice to me!" She accused, her bottom lip protruding. Why couldn't he just comply with her wishes? She was used to men falling for her every whim and agreeing to her requests. "It's not even like I'm asking for much. We both have lunch after this anyway."

A small smile graced his features. "Have you always been this dramatic?" Without waiting for a response, he picked up her few books and joined them with his own.

Massie was startled at the sudden change of events, but felt a warmness sweep up her cheek at his commentary. As they walked together in the hallway, she noticed Sebastian was mindful of not moving too fast ahead of her. This was a nice change from the previous times when he purposely walked faster to lose her, he truly had been evading her presence before. She looked forward to seeing her friends' face when they saw her enter the cafeteria with Sebastian holding her things.

Before they entered the lunch room, Sebastian stopped on his tracks. "My sister wishes for you to come visit after school. She plans to check your foot and apply another layer of salve."

"I'll go," she responded, smiling. She was thankful of Kristen's thoughtfulness. She owed her rapid healing to her diligence in applying those treatments. The idea of going to their home again caused excitement to bubble in her chest.

Sebastian nodded. "James will drive you to our home after school, he will find you," he informed, before launching into the cafeteria.

Inside, the incessant chatter rang loudly against her ear, a stark contrast to the emptier hallway. The smell of cheap pizza assaulted her senses, letting her know the food today was not going to be appetizing. Already she missed Jayden and Hailey's cooking.

Sebastian remained silent as he reached her table and placed her books in front of her typical seat. She was impressed with his awareness of her seating. Her table's loud chatter lowered considerably as they stared, awe-struck that he would grace them with his presence. He waited for her to sit in her seat before leaving to his own table without as much as a good-bye. Already accustomed to his reserved persona, Massie paid him no mind and instead focused her attention on the three pair of eyes that were burning with questions.

Emma was the first to break the silence. "I was wondering why you weren't in your class when I went to go get you!" she said, casting her tray of uneaten pizza to the side.

"I managed to convince Sebastian to help me, I'm surprised he even did it," she answered honestly.

Lily's eyes followed Sebastian's movements as he sat at his usual table with the Cult. "I won't be surprised if you end up sitting with them eventually."

"Time will tell." She didn't miss the look of jealousy that crossed Emily's eyes at comment, nor Emma's reluctant smile.

Maybe having Sebastian drop her books off wasn't such a good idea, she didn't want them to resent her for the extra attention they gave her. While Lily was ever the sweet, supporting friend, Emma was probably slightly annoyed she got this much preference. Massie didn't blame her, if the roles were switched she would feel the same way. To avoid this she would keep the rest of her Cult interactions under wraps. They were a werewolf pack anyway, and she now needed to be more discrete. Accidentally exposing their secret could only cause unneeded troubles.

[o-o-o]

"You foot is looking great! I don't think I'll be needing to apply anymore salve after this, the rest will heal on its own," Kristen said, beginning to cover her foot with a new set of bandages.

Massie nodded her head optimistically. One day with crutches and already she wanted nothing more to do with them. For one, her arms were sore from all the hopping through the halls and going up and down the stairs. And second, she was tired of having to find place for them every place she went. Their only redeeming quality was having Sebastian pamper her by carrying her books to lunch.

"Thanks Kristen, I truly appreciate it," Massie said. She began to slowly slide on the layers of black socks once Kristen finished wrapping it.

By now the pain had subsided substantially. This time when she stood, the pain was bearable on her two feet. Walking, however, was a different story. If she tried to leverage her weight evenly her walk became unsteady and a limp was inevitable.

James stood against the wall, eyes fixated on his girl kneeling before her. His were filled with fondness and desire. "Massie, if you don't mind I'd like to speak with Kristen for a few minutes before I drop you off home."

Massie smiled knowingly, causing Kristen to blush. "Of course! Don't let me stop you, I'll be looking for one of the guys to bother." Gathering her crutches, she left the couple to their privacy and headed to the living room.

Save for the plump, comfortable looking brown couches and homely decorations, emptiness greeted her there. Fortunately, her ears caught the distant sound of movement and grunts. Deciding to follow this she was led further back in the home to a rear door that opened to a spacious backyard. When Massie approached this, she was greeted by a most beautiful sight—a group of males were working out. To the far right were the younger ones, and she noticed Sebastian seemed to be coaching them all into an intense exercise. To the left were the older ones working independently, she was easily able to spot the twins moving some heavy ropes against a tree.

Sheesh, maybe if she trained herself to do those, using crutches wouldn't be so tiresome. Glancing at her crutches with distaste, she left them inside and slowly limped her way to Noah who was the closest to her.

"Hi honeybear," Massie greeted, stopping a few feet away. He was on the grass doing one-arm pushups.

Noah gave her a toothy grin. "Princess. I'm not sure you should be out here, but I can't say I don't enjoy your presence."

He was probably right, this was clearly a male-dominated area and she stuck out oddly. "I came to admire the view. I am in blissful male heaven!" Massie cheered, looking at all the shirtless male bodies around her. Some of them gave her curious glances, but the majority seemed to be focused on their task.

"Don't stare too much, I might start getting jealous," Noah warned playfully, giving her a wink.

Massie smirked. "My eyes are only on you honeybear. You look positively striking doing those one-arm push ups—so very strong!" She praised. And truly he did, it made sense now why the cult was so well built. Aside from their obvious wolf genes, these people took training seriously.

"Oh this?" Noah said casually, switching to his other arm. "This is nothing. I could do these with you on my back," He boasted confidently.

"Let's test that out then," Massie challenged, moving to get on his back. Noah paused for a moment to give her time to hop on. Pressing her back against his, she laid over him and crossed her legs to condense her form—not that she really had to, Noah was large enough as it was. Keeping true to his boast, Noah easily continued his workout and chuckled when she clapped.

"Is this how you guys usually work out?" Massie noticed the different methods of training they used. Some were utilizing large tires, others were on the pull-up bars, and some were even jumping rope. It looked like an outside gym.

"The actual training begins when we start fighting," he said.

Massie stared at the trees thoughtfully, she never considered fighting as a way to train. It sounded rather dangerous. She remembered the day she babysat Hailey and cut her finger, the little girl had been surprised she didn't heal sooner. She assumed they probably healed way faster than humans did, which would explain their willingness to engage in such harsh activities.

"I hope I'm not getting too heavy. I don't want to wear you out before the real hard stuff begins."

Noah snorted. "You're very light, even with you on me it's still an easy warm-up."

"Just making sure it isn't overly straining," she sing-songed. By now she had gathered a few more glances, but this did not make her uncomfortable. She was used to gathering male attention.

Noah stopped momentarily, but she could already see the smile as he said the following words "It's an honor to have the princess on my back. Besides, you feel very soft."

Massie sighed, satisfied. "In that case young servant, keep going." She joked, waving a permissive hand with an air of flair.

Massie closed her eyes and allowed the sun her warm her face. This felt so nice. Laying on the back of a strong man, enjoying the breeze of the day, getting a nice face tan. Could today get any better? Suddenly, she felt a presence overshadow her, blocking the sunlight. Massie blinked in discontent and was faced with Sebastian's imposing figure. For a moment, she was arrested as she gazed at his smooth skin and clear-cut abs. His hair, which had grown longer over the past week was slightly over his face, but did not hide the steely expression he currently wore. "Noah, quit playing around. Massie, get of his back," he ordered sternly.

Massie groaned. Ugh, he only came to ruin all the fun. Sticking her tongue out, she met his eyes with her own. "Nope, can't you see I'm getting a face tan?" She replied, flipping her hair defiantly.

Sebastian remained unchanged. "Now," he hissed, his eyes darkening.

Wow, was it just her or did it just get hotter out here. He looked so sexy staring down at her like that. Massie winked flirtatiously. "Why don't you pick me up yourself big boy." Below her, Noah chuckled, clearly amused.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, seeming disturbed by her comment. "Stop being childish and get up."

Enjoying his state of unease, she placed the back of her hand on her forehead like a damsel in distress. "Sebby, I am a crippled. Have some compassion! I need help." She insisted.

There was no way she would leave the comfort of Noah's back and limp her way back into the house. That sounded like so much work. At least when she was coming out here, the men were excellent motivators to get her going. Inside, the house offered her nothing to entice her.

Noah continued to do his push-ups. "After I'm done with this set I'll carry her back inside captain."

Sebastian growled. Before she knew it, Massie was up in the air held bridal style by Sebastian. She smiled victoriously, placing her arms around his neck. "Wow, you have some really nice shoulders," she complimented, enjoying the feel of them as she explored every curve beneath fingertips.