Chapter 6

I groaned in annoyance swiping at whatever it was that was tickling my nose. After a while I felt it again, wrinkling my nose I turned my head into the soft pillow with a sigh. A second later a felt the tickling sensation against my ear and once more I brought my hand up to brush it away.

My eyes flew open when I heard a soft chuckle and I turned my head slightly to see Carson sitting next to my head. In his hand he held a silk handkerchief which was floating above my face. He moved it from over me and dropped it into his lap.

When I saw the scratches on his chest and shoulders everything from the night before came flooding back to me and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

The things I had done!

I brought up a hand to cover my eyes and groaned.

“Don’t be embarrassed, there’s nothing wrong with what we did.” he said, dragging my hand from my face and holding it in his. He really didn’t help the situation because my cheeks turned scarlet at his words. He grinned down at me, then leaned down to kiss my forehead.

“You were everything I could ask for and more.” he then kissed my hand.

It was at those words that I sat up, ignoring the fact that my ass was sore as hell. Those were the same words I had heard my dad whisper to my mom one Thanksgiving as they cuddled up on the couch. Words a man should utter to his wife, words a wolf should utter to his mate! I looked up at him. He was looking down at my hand as he played with my fingers.

They say the morning brought with it the reality of what the night tried to mask.

“Carson…” I whispered apprehensive. He looked up at me with a soft smile, his expression dropping when he saw the look in my eyes.

“What is it?”

“W-What about your…mate?” I forced the words out, not really wanting to hear his answer. The night had been, despite my embarrassment, absolutely amazing, I had felt things I’d never dreamed of feeling, done things I’d never thought I could. It made the night I had tried to resist him seem petty and insignificant.

“Don’t worry about that Laken.” his voice was gentle but his eyes had in them a glint of determination.

“But- what will happen when you find your mate?” The moment the words were out I wanted to slap myself.

Of course when he finds his mate you’ll be thrown aside like the little nobody you’ve always been fool!

In any case who even said he’d want to do this with me again. It was probably just a way for him to relax, to let off steam. A one night stand that he expected me to push to the back of my mind and move on.

Last night after we had had sex and I lay in his arms, his breath soft on my neck as he slept, I had remained awake fantasizing of a life with him. He never finding his mate and us being together, living happily ever after.

What a load of bull.

He hadn’t even told me he liked me, he hadn’t even said he was gay! I mean he was probably bisexual, so when his mate came along he’d have no qualms about dropping this side of his life and moving on. I looked away from him, extricating my hand from his. How’d I go from one emotional extreme to another in such a short time?

I heard him sigh, “Don’t ruin a good thing by over thinking it Laken.” he warned.

I shook my head too lost in my thoughts to really pay attention. It was only when I felt his arm go around me that I returned to reality, he pulled me against his bare chest and my head rested awkwardly on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about that, it’ll work out you’ll see.” I felt his lips brush against my forehead and my heart melted. I loved when he did that.

“But forreal though Carson-“ I started.

“Don’t worry I won’t be looking for a mate, trust me.” my heart soared at the news and I lifted my head up slightly to look at his expression. He looked down at me, his expression serious. Did I dare to hope? Maybe an Alpha could choose not to have a mate. I knew I was grasping at straws, hoping beyond hope that there was some way this could be so.

“So- what happens now?” I asked timidly, I could no longer look at him.

I could detect the smile in his voice as he said, “Now you’re mine.”

And I leaned against him once more, my eyes drifting close, praying we could just be like this forever.

……………..

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

I quickly covered her mouth with my hand. A few heads had turned and people eyed us curiously for a second before they grew bored and went back to whatever it was that they were doing.

“Shh, not so loud!” I hissed at her.

We were sitting in the library, books scattered across our table, we were supposed to be doing a history project.

“Oh my God pinch me I must be dreaming!!” she squeaked “This is amazing! You have to tell me EVERY single detail I can’t believe this!” she went on.

“Believe what?” we both looked around as Matt approached the table, then flopped down into the chair next to Lyla.

“Laken!” she gushed at him.

“O..K.. Laken what?” he pushed but before I could tell her to shut up because there’s no way Matt would want to hear that stuff she blurted it out.

“Laken had sex with the Alpha!” she was bouncing around on her chair in excitement, looking at Matt expectantly. Matt looked over at me with a raised eyebrow, then he picked up his bag and slowly stood up.

“OooooK well look at the time… I. have…to go use to bathroom now” he hurried on then quickly made his way out of the library.

I blushed and Lyla shook her head then proceeded to grill me with questions.

“How did it happen? When did it happen? How was it? Was it good? Did it hurt? Are you two like...together now? I always knew you would end up together! When are you gonna do it again? Does the pack know? Are you his mate?”

I blinked at the way she spewed the questions in rapid succession. Then started to answer before she could continue.

“Ah, it happened last night at his house, it was amazing, it hurt a little at first, I don’t really know when we’re gonna do it again Lyla” I rolled my eyes and went on “it’s not like I can just go over and ask him; “Hey Carson, so when are we gonna have sex again?”

“Yeah yeah, so are you guys together then?” she asked unperturbed.

“uhmm.. no I don’t think so.” I said uncertain.

“ So…you’re just like…his mistress?” she asked her brows furrowing.

“No! I am not! We- we’re just...” I looked for the right thing to say but nothing came to mind. I really hadn’t thought about it that way.

She gave me a knowing look. “I can’t believe you had sex before me.” she pouted and I could only laugh.You just had to love the girl.

…………………..

By the time lunch rolled around I was in a bad mood, I’d been caught staring into space in at least two classes ( fantasizing about Carson) and I’d been given detention my Mr. Lionel in math for not doing my math homework.( Which I would have done last night if it hadn’t been otherwise engaged. I blushed at the thought and Lyla grinned.

“Awww you’re thinking about him aren’t you?”she said in her weird girly voice.

I sighed.

Why did I tell her? Now she’ll make everything I do feel awkward.

We found our usual seat in the cafeteria, Matt was already there gobbling up a burger and didn’t even look up when we sat.

“Jeez matt you couldn’t have waited?!” Lyla admonished slapping him in the back of his head. He immediately started coughing and had to gulp down a large amount of his soda before he could say anything.

“What was that for?” he asked her, his eyes watering from almost choking to death.

She huffed, then wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth with her finger. His face softened at her gesture and he smiled sheepishly. It was so sweet and I had to turn away to give them a bit of privacy.

My eyes automatically travelled to his table. He was sitting with a group; three guys and two girls, looking as bored as ever, while they yapped on and on about something he clearly had no interest in. I mean come on he was the Alpha of one of the largest packs in the State, he wouldn’t be interested in petty high school gossip. I watched as he picked at his food, his head down.

“Hey what you looking at princess?” I didn’t have to look up to know who it was. Steven loomed over me. I eased back into the chair. He hadn’t been in school for the past two weeks and I thought his parents had shipped him off somewhere. Unfortunately luck wasn’t on my side. He grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me out of the chair.

“Steven why don’t you get a life?!” I heard Lyla shout at him. In an instant every eye in the cafeteria was on us. Matt was out of his seat in an instant, as always ready to defend me, and as usual setting himself up to be beaten to a pulp along with me. Matt was buff and he could fight but Steven wasn’t an easy win plus he had friends who immediately grabbed Matt before he could interfere.

“Missed me?” Steven asked, his voice low and cold. My hands came up to wrap around his where they held my shirt and I trembled. I was terrified of him, more so than Daryl and that was saying something.

“Not particularly.” I sassed. Might as well I have my little fun too because either way I was going to end up with a black eye and more bruises than I could count. I heard rather than felt as he back handed me across the cheek before I went flying to the ground. He didn’t even give me a chance to feel the pain before he grabbed me up again by the neck. By this time the entire cafeteria was in an uproar.

People were shouting over each other’s heads and standing on tables to get a better view. Steven looked around and smiled. He’d never attacked me in public before; this would certainly give him a new high. I braced myself for the punch to the gut but it wasn’t enough and I doubled over in pain gasping for air on the dirty tiled floor. Steven just stood there laughing like the asshole he was.

Fun fact about Steven? He was gay, no one knew of course, that is no one but me, the one who’d rejected him in my freshman year when he’d tried to come on it me. Ever since then he’d taken pleasure in causing me pain, but doing it where people could see was totally new.

He must have had a rough time wherever he had been the last few weeks. I dragged myself off the ground, looking around for an escape route. In my search I noticed a few things. Matt was fighting with Steven’s friend trying desperately to get over to me, Lyla was nowhere to be seen and Carson sat in the same spot he’d been in when I was staring at him earlier. He was looking over at me, his mouth tight and his expression angry, his fingers were digging into the table before him and it looked like he was doing everything in his power to remain where he sat.

I ran toward him only to be blocked by a few onlookers who pushed me back towards Steven. He grabbed my arm and drew up his hand already set to punch. I tried to shield my face with my other hand, my heart pounding in my chest and adrenaline coursing through my veins…

I kept thinking that if I could just change into my wolf I could tear him to shreds, he was only human, but the thought of what the pack would do if I showed my true self grounded me and all I could do was quiver as his fist descended .

A loud whistle broke through the noise and Steven’s hand froze mid-punch. We all looked toward the sound. Coach Mathis was walking through the crowd, whistle in mouth, and Lyla was trailing behind him, her face anxious. I breathed a sigh of relief as Steven immediately let me go and took off, running through the cafeteria and out the door.

“Greyson! Stop right there!” the couch shouted before he gave chase. Most of the students drifted out after him to watch the action and I slowly dragged myself off the ground.

“Oh my gosh Laken!” Lyla was all over me testing for broken bones while Matt held me up.

“I’m fine guys” I gently pushed them off me and went to slump in a nearby chair. Thanking my lucky stars I wasn’t in a much worse state. I looked over to where Carson sat. He was looking at me, his expression still angry. He shook his head in seeming disappointment then turned away from me. I bit my lip.

“Are you sure hun. You don’t look so good.” Lyla was saying, grabbing my face to look deeply into my eyes. Don’t ask me what she was looking for. My mind was on Carson. Why did he look at me like that? I didn’t understand it.

………………………..

I got my answer later that day as I sat around his kitchen table. He’d taken me home as soon as the craziness in the cafeteria had died down. I looked up as he entered the room, a cloth in hand. He took my face in his hand, and used the cloth to dab at the cut on my lip. I winced when his hand touched my cheek, which was now black and blue from the blow Steven had given me.

“Why did you look at me like that today?” I whispered, it was something that had been bothering me since the cafeteria incident and I just couldn’t let it go.

He dropped the cloth on the table and sighed, dragging his hand through his hair. “Laken you need to learn how to defend yourself, you can’t expect that someone’s going to jump to your rescue every time you’re in trouble. You are a werewolf, he’s a human. If you can’t handle a human then you won’t be able to handle an enemy wolf.”

I nodded and hung my head in shame.

He tilted my head up to him, “It’s not that I didn’t want to help you, but you didn’t even put up a fight, why? When Daryl used to mess with you you fought even though you knew it was a losing battle, what made the boy from today any different?” he asked, his voice had gone gentle, a tone I had come to expect from him.

“Did you see the size of that guy? Daryl can’t even compare!” I retorted.

“Yeah well…there are a lot of guys that size and bigger in this world who will try to bring you done but if you tell yourself you’ve lost then that’s the only time you really have and as your Alpha it’s my duty to teach my pack to be brave and strong and to never give up but if I keep doing the job for you you’ll never learn.” His expression had gone serious; he was in alpha mode now.

“Yes sir.” I mumble. I wouldn’t let him down next time.

“Good. I want you to start taking Martial Arts at school.” he went on.

My eyes snapped to his face, “But Steven is in that club!”

“Precisely.” He said. His voice was firm. I groaned and slumped in the chair, annoyed with the predicament I now found myself in.

“Can I at least join next semester instead?” I asked hopeful.

He chuckled, ruffled my hair with his hands then bent to kiss my forehead, “What am I gonna do with you?”

AUTHOR'S NOTES

TAKE IT...I'M DONE FOR THE NIGHT.

ShOuT OuTs: queenw and to KathleenJMBassick.. for commenting and reading and just being great!!

NIGHT PEEPS!

-unedited