Chapter 3


    Panting, I rested my hands on my knees. They shook as the adrenaline left me. I was dead, so dead. I


    had threatened Mike''s guest and newest partner in crime. If Dean didn''t pummel me into the ground,


    Mike would be happy to do it for him. I swallowed and tried to control my breath. Breathing in through


    my nose and out through my mouth, I straightened.


    I put the silver spray back in my pocket and smooth my clothes. Today had been a bad day, but it was


    over. Plus, there was a sundae waiting for me at home. Almost tasting the frozen, chocty goodness,


    I smiled and continued home.


    "How did it go?" Harry asked as soon as I closed the front door.


    Now there was a loaded question. I dropped my backpack on the stairs and headed into the kitchen,


    plopping down at the table. "Sundae kind of day."


    Hope drained from Harry''s face. Poor guy, and delusional too, if he thought I wouldn''t have to deal with


    Mike''s crap today. With a sigh, Harry opened the freezer and handed me a huge sundae. "What


    happened?"


    I grinned, rubbing my hands together, taking a bite and savoring it before I answered my stepdad. "He


    wanted me to kneel in front of the new alpha kid, of all things. I refused as a knee-jerk reaction and


    paid for it."


    Harry''s eyes shed bright gold and his face twisted. The expression was an angry, wild thing, and I


    backed up off the stool, shocked and scared. "Sorry, like I said it was a knee-jerk thing."


    Harry ran a hand over his face, taking several deep breaths. "Don''t Brook. Don''t apologize for


    defending yourself."


    Oh, okay. He was mad for me, not at me. Sweet. "It''s cool." I shoveled in another spoonful of ice cream


    then groaned. "No, not cool Brain freeze." I rubbed my forehead, waiting for it to pass.


    Harry looked up at me. His eyes still were a warm gold, but his face didn''t have the Better to eat you


    with my dear expression. Finally, he broke andughed. "You are something else Brook." His


    expression turned serious once more. "Did Mike do anything else to you today?"


    "Nah." Though, I debated whether to mention how the new kid kept staring at me and stuff. Nope, not


    now. I didn''t want Harry to go all big bad wolf on me again.


    "Good, stay on your toes and keep your head down." Harry gave me a light pat on my shoulder. "I have


    to head back. The alpha is having a big dinner, your mom and I won''t get back tillte."


    "No problem. Have fun." I continued eating my sundae, and when finished, I soaked into a steamy, salt-


    filled bath. The hot water easing my aches and pains. Afterward, Iid out on my bed with music.


    Someone had knocked on the window a second before it slid up. Anna climbed inside with a grace and


    elegance I thought should be illegal. Though, that was how werewolves rolled. Anna tried to smooth


    down her frizzy, blonde hair as she sat down on the bed next to me.


    I took out my earbuds and sat up. "No invite?" I had expected her to be at that pack thing Harry


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    mentioned.


    "Nope, I told my parents I didn''t want to go. I''d prefer to study and not get another F in Social Studies


    again."


    I grinned. "And yet here you are with me."


    "Yep, aren''t you a lucky girl?"


    Anna was my only friend in the pack, and then we had to keep it secret. If Mike found out she and I


    spent time together it wouldn''t be pretty.


    "Did you see him?"


    "Him?"


    "The visiting alpha''s son, Dean."


    "Yeah, I saw him. So?"


    "Isn''t he just..." Anne made a grotesque drooling noise.


    "Ew. Okay, that''s disgusting." I gave her a little shove.


    "It''s the truth. If he was any hotter, we''d have a serious problem with girlsbusting in a mass of


    hormones!"


    I couldn''t help butugh with her. Eh, Why not? "Okay. I''ll admit his eyes are the most beautiful eyes


    I''ve ever seen." What harm was there in appreciating one fine specimen of the male species?


    Anna sighed andid back on my bed with a dreamy expression on her face. "Oh God yes! I almost


    died when he looked at me in English." She sighed again, but this time it was a more depressed sound.


    "I tried to talk to him but didn''t have much luck. He seemed kind of distracted."


    "Really?" I started to tell Anna what happened in ss but stopped. The humiliation of today was too


    raw. If I told Anna about what Dean did, it would make it harder to forget and ignore. "Could be he didn''t


    know how to talk to you?"


    Anna snorted, rolling her eyes. "Right. Whatever. I''m not Beth or Tracy."


    "That''s true. You''re better than they are," I replied and meant it. Beth was Mike''s sister and Tracy, her


    wing girl. They both pretty and high up the pack rank which made them spoiled little-entitled brats. Beth


    ruined her good looks by that permanent superior expression she had on her face all the time. Tracy


    looked and acted like a teen version of Crue de Vil.


    The next morning I tugged at my turtleneck as I walked into school. It was too hot for it, but I had


    nothing else. Makeup wasn''t enough. Worse yet, scrambling to find something made me leaveter


    than I had intended. The n had been to get to school early and avoid Mike and gang.


    With a nce down the hallway, I hurried to my locker. Spinning in thebination I stuffed the first


    half of the day''s books into my bag. I didn''t have much time before ss started. It''s not that I''m


    obsessed with being on time. If Mike ditched and caught me in the halls, he would spend the whole


    period bullying me. It had happened a few times and it took weeks for the bruises to fade.


    I mmed my locker closed and turned, almost running into Dean. How long had he stood behind me?


    Creepy much? With a cocky smirk, he started to say something. Next thing I knew stared at me, eyes


    wide, a red handprint on his cheek. My own stung from the p. In my defense, I im temporary


    insanity... and hormones. Yeah. That''s it. It wasn''t my fault at all. Now, if only I could convince him or


    Mike that. Yeah, as soon as I''m made prom queen.


    My sense of survival kicked in, I squeezed past him and ran to ss. Fear sent my heart racing. At


    least, I managed not to bete. Though I practically crashnded on my desk. It earned me a few odd


    looks from people, but I didn''t care. I had bigger problems. I was so dead. This time for real. If he told


    Mike I hit him, Mike would hurt me. I''m talking hospitalization hurt.


    My eyes blurred with tears as I kept my head lowered. This wasn''t fair! I tried to y by the rules. My


    stomach clenched. The teacher droned on, but all I didn''t listen to a word. I don''t know how I turned in


    my assignment.


    The whole day this sickly dread kept growing. By the time Science came around, I was ready to vomit. I


    had one idea that might save my hide. My fingers gripped the edges of my desk until they were white.


    As odd as it sounds, I could feel it when Dean took his seat next to me. I sent a silent prayer to the Big


    Guy. Please let this work.


    "I''m sorry for hitting you. I''m stupid I swear. No doubt Mike''s told you all about how stupid and pathetic I


    am. I promise I won''t ever do anything like that again. In fact, if you keep this between us I''ll do your


    homework for a month." Whatever his reply was, Mrs. Ferguson cut him off.


    As the ss went on, I was sure he''d refuse. So as soon as the bell rang, I jumped from my chair and


    rushed out of the ssroom. Images of a lion hunting a poor innocent gazelle shed through my mind


    as I ran. I dodged and swerved through the masses to get to my locker. Shock mmed into me when I


    saw Dean by my locker. How did he get there before me?


    When I tried to change direction, I slipped and fell, right on my butt. If that''s not bad enough, I slid, and


    I mean slid, right to Dean, stopping right at his feet.


    "Wow, that was... impressive." Dean''s voice smooth and dark and for some stupid reason reminded me


    chocte. "Are you okay?" He smiled, leaving me breathless, or I was out of breath from running.


    Dean held out a hand to help me up.


    If I hadn''t taken the five-yard slide to his feet, I''d be angry he''d think I was that stupid. No way would I


    let him grab me. I stood and dusted myself off. "What do you want?" I turned to open my locker,


    keeping him in my sight. A surprise attack always hurt worse than when I was expecting one. Also,


    something about Dean kept drawing my attention to him.


    "You didn''t let me answer your question."


    I looked over at him, frowning. "What?"


    "Well it wasn''t as much a question but a statement I guess." Dean shrugged, grinning like he knew


    something I didn''t. "You asked what you could do to keep me from telling Mike about this morning."


    Oh right. How did I forget about that? "Yeah, I''ll do your homework or whatever you want. I''m good at


    homework." I put away most of my books except my math. The witch gave us like twenty pages of work


    to do. So not fair, being a minor doesn''t mean we don''t have lives, thank you!


    "I don''t want you to do my homework."


    "Okay, so what do you want?"


    Dean leaned against the locker next to mine and grabbed a piece of my hair. He ran it through his


    finger and thumb. "How about ate lunch? I heard there are some pretty good ces around town."


    My stomach felt like it dropped to my feet while my heart tried to climb out of my chest through my


    throat. "Excuse me?"


    "You didn''t eat lunch today, and I can''t stand the stuff they serve here. So let''s go get something to eat,"


    Dean exined as he brushed my hair behind my left ear. His skin was hot against mine and another


    shiver ran down my back.


    My heart continued its escape attempt. Was Dean flirting with me? A silly giddy feeling flooded through


    me at the thought he might like me.. A millisecondter my brain functioned again. I''m Missy Mistake,


    and he''s Mike''s friend. I shoved his hand away from me. "How stupid do you think I am? Is this Mike''s


    idea or are you that much of a pig you believe you can use me? You know what? Go on, tell Mike. I


    don''t care if he beats me so bad he puts me in aa. Better that than deal with you, Douche."


    Snatching my backpack, I ran home, not stopping until home. At the door, I realized I was crying. I


    hated that it mattered Dean thought so little of me. My head fell back against the door and I closed my


    eyes, taking a few moments to calm myself down. Mom couldn''t see me like this.


    Once I was something close to normal, I walked into the house. "Hey Mom, Harry. Not hungry. I''ll be in


    my room."


    I sighed and fell on my bed. "F.M.L." Just one more year. One more. Earbuds in and music pouring into


    my ears, I broke into my secret chocte stash. This was afort food day. I closed my eyes and let


    the music help me forget everything.


    Rxed, my mood rise when my mother had let herself into my room. She jerked an earbud out of my


    ear, giving me the evil eye only moms knew how to do. "Did you hear me?" she demanded, and I shook


    my head. She gave me a chastising re and huffed. "I said you need to eat something, other than


    chocte. Your friend is here."


    The chocte soured on my stomach. No one except Anna came to see me. Mom would''ve said Anna


    if it was her. "A friend?" I tried hard to keep my voice cool and calm.


    My mother nodded with an mhm. "He''s handsome too." She gave me a sly grin.


    Again my stomach dropped. This time it went through my feet and through the floor tond in the


    kitchen below in a nasty ssh.


    "Come on, don''t keep him waiting. I don''t understand why you''re hiding your friends from me."


    This had to be a nightmare. How did Dean know where I live? When I came down, he was talking to


    Harry, all toofortable with himself. At least, my stepdad had the decency to appear worried. How is


    it possible I''ve met someone worse than Mike?