Page 11 of Outcast

"Okay," Amorette answered too quickly.

"Hmm." I didn't stand up.

"What?"

"Why do I feel like this is a trick?" I squinted at her, but she just smiled.

"No trick. I love when you take charge. It looks good on you."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just living your best life and projecting." We laughed and left my office.

The school was in the next building and the dorms behind that. With the associations both Amorette and I had, we thought it was best if the girls weren't constantly in the same building as us.

We had a pretty good handle on our shit, but one never knew when it would blow up in our faces.

"How's my precious little pearl?" I asked as I held the door open to the outside.

"Oh you know, slobbering all over the place." She slid sunglasses on her face that she'd grabbed on our way out. I put mine on too. The sun was vicious and we would not be wrinkling before our time.

"And the daddies?" I smirked. That was one fucked up arrangement, but it worked for her, so who was I to judge.Honestly, having four, raging-hot alphaholes fawn all over you and your child was a dream. Just not mine.

"Twirled around Cossette’s little finger. Especially Lafe and Parker. And Andre." She huffed out a laugh as we passed through the wrought iron gate to the school. I'd added this. It just completed the image I had in my head of those stuck up places I'd seen in the movies. "Actually Grey might be the worst."

"So nothing has changed and they're all deliriously happy."

High-pitched yells from the practice field floated around the corner of Little Love Hall.

It was ridiculous and cutesy for an all girls’ school. I rebelled at first, but caved. Who gave a shit what the buildings were named?

Amorette slowed and tipped her face my way. "They are happy. Especially since we received the call."

I pressed my lips together. "We're not talking about that."

"We have to talk about it sometime. You still never told me–"

"We're not talking about any of that." I sped up, opening my stride until her tiny legs couldn't keep up. So Matías was actually alive. And he'd spent his time away from us hunting downhersister.

Who fucking cared?

It was at best another nail in the coffin of reasons he wasn't right for me. I couldn't trap the breeze in my hand anymore than I could force Matías to love me.

He broke my heart and scattered the pieces across the street without any remorse.

Knowing that he cared for Amorette enough to find her sister, sliced into the tender muscles of my heart more than I wanted to admit. How did I come back from that?

If Amorette wasn't so fucking likable in a prickly, driven way, I'd have hated her guts.

What was it about her that had men falling all over themselves when I couldn't hold on to the one man I wanted. Had onlyeverwanted?

Whispers of drunken memories tried to take over but I ignored them. I'd done so many things I'd regretted since Matías tossed me aside. The very best thing for me to do was pretend I hadn't done them.

Girls ranging from twelve up to sixteen trained in hand to hand combat on the field. Olga, a German battle ax with Russian family roots, yelled commands and prowled around the pairs, tossing out corrections and the rare praise.

I didn't see the little blonde head I was looking for, so I kept going.

A few of the girls noticed me and smiled. I tried to return it, but it seemed more like a grimace. They didn't seethat, taking their attention quickly back to their opponent before they were knocked in the head.

Olga gave me a chin dip, and then looked behind me.

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