Page 5 of Fallen Wolf
6
Huxley
I could seethe Kiba boys were back to their usual shit. We had all been warned to stay away from Lexi Turner. The orders came down too all the packs. It seemed that Ranger didn’t get the same order, or he was using his status in the pack as the alpha’s son to get away with it.
There were a lot of complaints because she was living on Kiba land with members of the Kiba pack. Lexi was a foster kid, she was living with the couple who took fosters in… shifter foster kids. Just no one really knew what she was, she wasn’t a shifter or was she? She had no idea about our world and we were told to keep our mouths shut around her until they figured out what she was.
Because the packs only took shifter kids, and they were never female, the other packs including mine thought it wasn’t fair that they had an advantage on claiming her. Hell, that other foster kid she came with, Rafferty, had already told everyone that he had a claim on her. You could smell he had marked her and that she’d marked him.
Rafferty had been in fights with both the Kiba and Kenneally packs the day he got here, then the following day she showed up and all hell broke loose. He had more of a claim on her than anyone else to be honest. I didn’t care as long as he left me alone, I didn’t have any problem with rogue wolves. But my wolf was uncontrollable at times, so as long as he didn’t start shit with me, we were good.
Mason was the one who was mostly putting up a fight about it. River was his packmate but River didn’t care too much either way. He was happy just playing the field, he wasn’t ready for a mate. The only problem was that one day the field will dry up and disappear, and he and Mason would be old and alone… well alone together.
I wasn’t sure what their status was other than packmate, they seemed more interested in girls than each other. But then at times Mason or even River would say something that made me believe they were more than just packmates and friends. And if they were, I would be so happy for them. They were my best friends and I wouldn’t want them to feel a need to hide themselves from me if they were bisexual.
Hell, my dad’s were bi, so were River’s. Sexuality wasn’t something to be ashamed of, it was celebrated in the wolf packs. But in the outside world they were still catching up. And that might be why River and Mason were hiding it from me… from everyone. At high school where non shifters walked around with us, homophobic humans who had no idea what it was like to love someone.
This was our senior year, and the reason we were at Port Willow High was because our families wanted us to meet girls and claim them. Other packs we knew of had their own in-schooling, and they had a lot of problems with that. Packs were dying out because there was nowhere for them to really meet anyone if they only spent time with each other. That was the real reason all three packs went to the high school here… the fighting and claims over the girls was just normal everyday life for us. But it was so we could meet girls find our mates.
“It’s bullshit, she doesn’t even like them. Why can’t we just make a move, have a chance?” When I shrugged at Mason’s words he looked to the rest of our pack and continued. “This is shit and you know we are the smallest clan. We never get foster kids. Only Kiba and Kenneally.” He grumbled from beside me. No one answered him back, we knew Kiba was listening in. Maverick’s eyes were watching us, although he didn’t often fight I knew he was good for it, he could take on any wolf and take them down. He was calculating and quick. It was Ranger who was the hot head in their pack. I got into my fair share of fights, many with him, but I didn’t actively seek them out like Ranger. And I avoided fighting at school where I could.
“Just leave it, who cares, there are plenty of girls in this school. Look at that one, what’s her name? I think she is in my Biology class but today she is looking different, but in a good way.” River pointed to the doors that lead out to the hall and I froze when her eyes met mine.Ada.She was looking right at me again and I couldn’t look away.
I had never seen her go to the cafeteria before so when she came in here, I’d followed, then I sat with the rest of my pack and watched her. I forgot all about her when Mason started bitching and now… fuck she had seen me staring at her again. She looked different today. Her hair was different… she wasn’t wearing her usual pink or purple shirts. She was wearing a hoodie, it was dark, she was usually wearing more color almost forgot she was here.
“Oh hey wait up, that’s the girl that went all hot for Hux at the shop.” I turned and saw the goofy grin on Kenton’s face. I growled at him and he put his hands up in defense.
“Hey man, I smelt it. Your dad did too, he just didn’t tell you She likes you that one. Go make a move.” I tried to calm myself down, but Kenton was pushing me too far. How dare he mention that he could smell her arousal. That was shit you didn’t say to another shifter about their girl. Though she wasn’t my girl, he still shouldn’t have mentioned that.
Shifters could smell arousal, fear, anger… fuck emotions were always there around us, it was hard to block them out most the time but you still didn’t mention it. River was watching us both and slammed his hands on the table.
“Wait up. What the fuck? When was this? On Thursday after I left?” Kenton nodded at his brother. “Oh man, you know if I was in there, she would have been hot for me.” River nudged my shoulder being playful, but my wolf didn’t agree. I growled at him, I could feel my wolf close to the edge, itching to rip his throat out and show him who Ada belonged too.
No…Ada wasn’t mine.
“Fuck, shit sorry man.” River backed up away from me. When I turned back to where she had been standing, she was gone. Fuck. I probably scared her back to her car.
Great, I was already feeling shit about Thursday and the way my wolf wanted to claim her at the pizza shop, then I had run away to cool down out back and looked like and asshole, but I was scare di was going to shift in front of her. But now, I had scared her out of the cafeteria. And she didn’t deserve that.
7
Ada
I waited outsideof Lexi’s class today. After yesterday with Lexi leaving class before I could ask her about partnering up with me, I wanted to be sure to ask her before English class started. River Smith walked past me and smiled at me… like right at me. My brows furrowed and turned to look behind me, assuming he was smiling at someone else. But when I saw no one there I worried that I had food on my face and wiped my hand on my mouth.
“Hey, Ada.” River said, I turned to see him. Um… I didn’t know what to say for once. He didn’t usually speak to me… well never had actually so I was wondering if there was some kind of set up, or dare. Talk to Ada, no one ever does. Lucky Lexi came and saved me from trying to figure out if I should say hi back to River. I was all kinds of confused, was it because he saw me at the pizza shop? Was it the new hair and clothes? He gave up waiting on me to say something and just walked past me into the classroom.
I smiled at Lexi. “Hey, I was wondering if it would be okay that I asked Mrs. Jeffery if we could do our English lit project together? I don’t really have many friends in her class. So, um…is it okay?”
When she smiled and nodded, I almost screamed “yes”. She wanted to be my partner. I tried to calm my excitement down.
“Oh, this will be great! Did you want to meet after school today? We could go to my place or yours.” And she nodded smiling again. I felt so light and bubbly. She wanted to meet up, hang outside of school hours. Oh my god. I was freaking out. I wanted to text Destiny, but I wanted to keep it cool. I could be cool.
I wanted to ask her to lunch today, but I actually did have a debate meeting so I wouldn’t see her until later.
I almost diedwhen Lexi found me, so we could walk to class together. This was what friends did. They walked each other to class. She was my friend.I did it. I was feeling really emotional and that was not good for my word vomit. At all.
“Do you know much about Ranger?” Lexi asked when we were seated in class. She didn’t talk much but when she did, I made sure to listen like a good friend.
