Page 20 of Pack Scratch Fever
5
PIPER
I can’t sleep.
I have a bad habit of staying up all night replaying every mistake I’ve ever made in my head over and over until shame threatens to swallow me whole.
I stay in my nest, cuddling a pillow and groaning into the plush fabric.
It seems as if my body is finally rejecting the suppressants and my hormones are spiking.
I need to be up in four hours, too, if I want to make it to the rescue on time.
What a nightmare.
I should have crashed at Blair’s place. Her apartment is on the other side of town and much nicer than mine. She even has a guest bedroom, which I utilize more than I should.
The last twenty-six years of my life play in my head over and over.
No matter how much I love the rescue, it doesn’t impress my parents or my sisters.
As far as they’re concerned, I wasted the money my grandparents left me for college on a mediocre life, running a nonprofit with no means of getting ahead.
What should have been tuition for a prestigious university now goes to rent and basic necessities.
I turn over and bury my face in the pillow, groaning in frustration.
I need to sleep.
I have to be somewhat alert to interact with the cats and check off everything that needs to be done tomorrow.Today, technically.
And I need to not think about the Alphas, either.
If I’m not beating myself up about my life choices, then my mind drifts to Poe, Avery, and Maddox.
Stop thinking about them. Get some sleep.
Or here’s an idea—just stop thinking.
I exist in a state somewhere between half awake and half asleep until my breathing finally evens out and my mind quiets.
But then a buzz jolts me back awake.
“Who the fu—” Irritation races through me, and I answer my phone without checking the number, holding it to my ear with my eyes still closed. “Hello?” I say, my voice hoarse.
“Hey,” a deep, smooth voice says. “It’s Maddox. We met earlier at the rescue. I brought in a kitten with Avery. Sorry to wake you up like this.”
My eyes snap open, and I roll onto my back; unsure I heard him correctly.
“What?” I stare at my ceiling, my brow furrowed. “How did you get this number?”
“We need your help,” he says, completely ignoring my question.
My head spins; my brain is still fuzzy from sleep. “With what?”
“There’s a kitten rave in our backyard.”
“Huh?” My mind clears and I sit up, frowning.
