Page 37 of Pack Nightmare

“Wait, you do?” Landon’s voice is positively hopeful now.

“Yeah, I do. I would have told you that sooner if you hadn’t been in a rush to tell me what a bad idea it is.” The sarcastic curl of her lip draws a chuckle from me.

I push off the side of the car. “Yeah, I’d say you guys earned that one. But I’m in, Lex. I go where you go—always.”

The beaming smile she gives me in response makes my heart flutter in my chest, and I smile back at her.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” she states confidently. “It’s over an hour's drive from here. Derrek doesn’t have any afternoon classes, and neither do Landon and I. You two,” she gestures to me and Jared, “will have to play hooky for the afternoon. And Jared, you’re probably going to skip practice again. I apologize in advance if the coach punishes you for it. Of course you don’t have to go…”

“No, I’ll be there. Someone’s gotta have your back besides these two bean-poles,” he snorts.

“Okay, great! This is it, guys. I feel it.” She’s genuinely excited, and everything in me is excited with her.

I want Lex to be happy, and if that means going off on this crazy quest to track down an old lady who likely won’t know a single useful bit of information, then that is what we’ll do.

Even if I agree, that it’s a terrible idea.

Jared

Landon drives Lex home. Ordinarily, Milo would go with them, but he insists he’s behind on his studying and is going to use the extra time to catch up, so he heads back to the library and waits for me after practice.

Guilt swims in my chest, knowing the team is counting on me and I’m going to no-show again tomorrow. I push myself harder than normal during practice. It’s become so routine I don’t even have to think about the physical work anymore, let alone the plays. Coach announces them, and muscle memory sends me off in the right direction every time.

I’m bigger, faster, or stronger than about 90% of the team. Even as a freshman, and even though I’m shorter than half of them. So I work hard, and I set the example at practice after practice, putting guys three years my senior to shame as they fall out, panting, during a run.

The result is that Coach is pleased, but I’m exhausted when I finally meet Milo at my truck.

And I still have to study.

“We’re getting Badger’s,” I warn him as we clamber in. I’m starving. My stomach feels like it’s eating me from the inside out.

Milo doesn’t say anything—he knows how I get when I’m hungry.

So it isn’t until we’ve devoured enough burgers and fries to feed a normal family of four that he speaks.

“Jared, how are you feeling about this little field trip tomorrow?”

I turn to him sharply. “Bad. I don’t like it. But she’s the alpha, and she doesn’t want to keep hearing what we think she shouldn’t do. I want to support her, so I don’t really see any option but to go, and hope it doesn’t blow up in our faces.”

“Agreed,” he nods, thoughtfully sipping from his shake. “But no one says we have to go alone.”

“We’re not going alone. With Landon and Layla, not to mention Professor What’s-his-name-”

“His name is Professor Westin,” Milo interrupts mildly.

“I know his name,” I snap. “I just don’t like the guy. I don’t like the way he looks at Layla.”

“This is old news. We all know how you feel about him. You were saying?”

“That’s five of us, hardly alone. Definitely enough for one old lady.”

“But what if it’s not just one old lady? And what if Derrek isn’t on our side? Then it’s four against two.”

My body tenses. “Wait, you think he might be setting us up? Dude, why didn’t you say something?”

“I know nothing for sure, but I’m trying to avoid alienating Lex any further. I think it’s the smart move to have some backup, that’s all. In case it’s not everything that Lex is hoping for.”

I narrow my eyes, thinking, as I finish up my last few fries.

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