Chapter 22


    Chapter 22


    I feel bad. I had to leave Winter at home this morning, because I had football practice, well okay, I was


    staring at the cheerleaders and maybe some of the other girls that cheer for them.


    A crappy reason to leave my sister behind right? I should have stayed but surely dad was way too


    drunk to do anything.


    He’d beenpletely out of it when I left so I thought it was safe. I shake my head. I’ll checkter to


    make sure that she’s made it to school safely. I promised her I’d change and I meant every single word


    of it.


    Theres a niggle feeling in my gut and I don’t even dare wait until lunch like my original n to find her.


    Instead I


    go to the administration office and get red at by the secretary. Clearly she doesn’t like me. Like I


    care, heck the feeling was mutual. I drum my fingers across the desk just to piss her off some more.


    “Can I help you” she says snidely and I so badly want to give her the finger but making sure Winter is


    ok is my first priority. I could always give her the finger when I left.


    “I’m wondering what ss my sister Winter is in right now. I need to speak to her” | mumble. There’s no


    need to tell her myst name. I’ve been in this office so many times to see the headmaster that the


    secretary knows my full name off by heart.


    She scowls at me and then slowly, pulls up something from herputer. At least she’s not arguing


    with me but then maybe she just wants me the hell out of her office.


    “Why are you looking for your sister when she called in sick today” the woman snaps, as though I’ve


    wasted her precious time. I swear she rolled her eyes at me.


    “Winter called in sick” | double check. I don’t believe her, Winter has never missed a day of school.


    Even when she was being bullied relentlessly or sick with a cold, she came to school. Her grades were


    too important to her.


    “Yes she called in sick” the secretary says irritably and I still.


    “Did she call or did her father?” I ask in a whisper, my gut churning.


    Now she looks even more annoyed. “Does it matter?”


    “Yes” I say with gritted teeth “it matters a lot” and she sighs, pushing away her chair.


    “Wait here while I ask the headmaster” she drawls sarcastically and I re as I watch her go in.


    She’s back, surprisingly quickly and makes a conscious effort to settle herself back in her chair before


    she looks up and meets my eyes. My arms are folded now and I’m feeling extremely impatient.


    “Well” I growl.


    “Your father called in sick for Winter, she was too sick to do it herself.”


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Father would never do something like that, not even if Winter really was sick and she’d been finest


    night when we’d been hanging out. I frown. Something feels dangerously wrong and I don’t even have


    the heart to give the secretary the finger as I leave.


    I no sooner make it to the front door of the school when another kid joins me. I guess I shouldn’t say kid


    because it was the new Alpha boy Johnathon. How ironic that he has the same name as one of my


    friends I think to myself absently as I stop and stare at him wondering what it is he wants. Clearly he


    feels it’s disrespectful cause his eyes sh and I find myself baring my neck in submission


    “Are you Winter’s brother?” he asks in a dangerous tone and I give a nod.


    “I’m looking for her” he adds and I sigh.


    “I was just going home to look for her” I tell him and his eyes sh.


    “You think she’s in danger” he said to me and I hesitate but I can’t exactly lie to an alpha.


    “I know she’s in danger” I say grimly “Winter’s never missed a day of school in her life, if there’s


    anything that means the world to that girl it’s her grades.”


    “I’ll give you a lift” Johnathon said looking just as grim and I give him a nod of thanks, sensing he was


    coming with and wouldn’t exactly take no for an answer. This is the asshole who rejected my sister and


    I was letting him give


    me a lift to my house! I could yell at himter when I found Winter.


    It’s not long and where pulling up in front of the house. Johnathon drives scary and there were


    moments when I found myself praying for my life while he drove. I almost vomited the contents of my


    stomach up as I got out. It must be nice to be Alpha and not worried about being pulled over, I think


    sourly as I make my way up the driveway. I don’t bother to knock, let alone unlock the door, father’s


    always too drunk to care about stuff like that and we have nothing worth stealing anyway.


    Topen the door slowly and peer in. Father is his usual drunk self, sitting on the couch, a beer bottle


    dangling from his chubby hand, snores permeating the room. I walk in quietly and motion for Johnathon


    to follow me, he does but I notice he looks at father askance and with repulsion on his face. Clearly he


    didn’t approve.


    “I’m going to check her room” I say and Johnathon nods, looking over at father. “Keep him in your sight”


    | whisper and slowly tread upstairs, walking straight to Winter’s room. She’s not in there. I spend time


    looking in my


    room and father’s even the bathroom and toilet but theres no sign of my little sister anywhere.


    He’s done something to her, I know it in my bones and I storm downstairs, Johnathon pointing to the


    kitchen. I


    peer in and see blood on the floor, not a lot just small spatters, a broken dish and a teatowel on the


    ground. To me it looks like signs of a struggle and I’m in no mood to wait for father to wake up. I stomp


    over to him and smack him upside the head with a loud crack that whips through the air. It’s the first


    time I’ve hit him and instead of being worried I feel powerful, more than ready to take him down if he


    doesn’t tell me what he’s done to Winter.


    Father groans and I feel no sympathy for him. One eye and then the second one cracks open and he


    sits bolting upright, his eyes full of scorn as he res at me. He makes no move to retaliate and it’s


    then that I see what a coward


    he really is. Why have I been afraid of him all this time?


    “What” he snaps, dropping the bottle to the ground and rubbing his bby face.


    “Where’s Winter” I snarl and he gives a chuckle, as though amused by the situation. I re harder.


    “Why do you care” father says snidely “you never have before.”


    “I care now”I thunder and before I know it, I’ve gripped father by the neck and lifted him, his feet


    dangling


    uselessly. His eyes widen in rm. Johnathon is silent in the background, observing it all and making


    no move to interfere.


    “Tell me” I say between gritted teeth and he dangles before grumbling and then finallyughing. I stare


    at him. Has he lost his marbles?


    “You’ll get a kick out of this” my father wheezes as I finally drop him, gasping for breath and clutching


    his throat,


    a wide grin on his face that makes me want to punch the crap out of him.


    “Tell me” I growl and heughs, doubling over. dangerously close to killing him right now.


    “Fine, fine” he mumbles as I go to hit him again. “I sold her.”


    I stare. Had he just said what I thought I heard? “You sold her” Johnathones forward his hands


    clenched into fists, his eyes pitch ck as he stares at father with hatred, his alpha authoritying


    through. “Speak” Johnathon orders and father’s helpless to disobey against the alpha tone. For once


    I’m grateful for Johnathon’s presence.


    “I sold her to someone for money” father snaps and I feel numb. How any father could do that to his


    daughter was beyond me. I’d never been full of so much disgust for him.


    “Who” thunders Johnathon and father casts a sly look at me as though he finds something funny about


    it. I realize why a momentter. “I sold her to your friend Thomas.”