Page 18 of Step Alpha

I hate that he can tell. Shifters sense far too much with their noses.

“Why do you care, anyway?”

Wilde peels out, which is pretty humorous considering the extremely uncool vehicle he’s driving. “You’re defective, Rayne, but you’re not a human.”

“Your point is?”

He squeezes the steering wheel so hard it cracks. “It’s bad enough my name is tied to yours, Runt. I don’t need your reputation to tank even further.”

I don’t care that I just had the same thought. It pisses me off hearing it from Wilde. Pisses me off enough to vow to make Lincoln my new best friend just to piss him off.

“You’re not in charge of me, dickwad.”

Wilde stomps on the gas, swerving around the line of cars exiting the school to race up the narrow shoulder of the road. “Think again, Rayne. You’re living in my house now. I can make your life a living hell.”

You already do.

I don’t say it out loud. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

* * *

Wilde

It takes me a solid fifteen minutes to let go of the rage that came on seeing Rayne with that human.

I wanted to tear him apart. Pick him up and throw him up on the roof of the school to show off my shifter strength. Make him wet his pants in fear. I don’t want him anywhere near Rayne.

The level of anger it elicited seems a little irrational, but I’ll chalk it up to the fucked up situation I’m in.

My dad letting me know over a fucking phone call that he’d married the runt’s mom. Sleeping on the fucking couch. The court case hanging over my head.

After lunch, I was a good boy and did what I was told. I got Garrett Green’s number from Bo, and he had his wife call me to talk through legal options. She recommends I plead not guilty. I’m not so sure. She’s looking into finding me a lawyer in Greenville.

Then, I dutifully came to pick up the runt. Now, I’m going to teach her to drive. My goal is to have her ready for her test in three days. Because I sure as hell am not going to be her goddamn chauffeur.

I drive up toward the mesa where the roads are dirt, and there’s no traffic.

Rayne, who already nearly peed her pants when she saw my wolf-eyes earlier, is still nervous. For some reason, my wolf doesn’t like the scent of her fear. Like he doesn’t want her afraid of me.

Rankled is fine. Irritated is a must. Furious would be perfect.

But not scared.

I don’t like her scent when she’s scared.

Her scent isn’t horrible under normal circumstances. She has a fresh, spring aroma, like creosote and juniper. Maybe that’s why her mom named her Rayne. It’s stronger than I remember, but then, I never lived with her before. Never had to associate with her. I find it…

Annoying.

As annoying as I find her new look.

I’m especially irritated that she’s pretty enough to have human boys trying to drive her home.

The steering wheel cracks under my grip again.

Fuck. I’m going to pay for that, too.

It seems I’m destined for punishment for everything I do these days.

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