Page 56 of Step Alpha

I release her from my jaws and attempt to lick the wound closed, but she’s already scrambling inside.

“You bit me!” She sounds incredibly offended.

Fuck.

If she doesn’t have super healing abilities my dad will throw me out of this house for good.

I follow on her heels into the house, getting past when she tries to slam the door on me.

“Get away from me! I can’t believe you did that. I’m bleeding!”

I try to lick the wound again, but she kicks me in the face. “I said get away! You are fucking crazy!”

She runs for the front door, grabbing the keys to my Jeep on the way.

I shift back to human form, taking a few precious seconds to run for my boxers on the back deck.

And that’s when I hear the scrape and crunch of metal smashing into metal.

“Rayne!”I bellow as I race through the house and out the front door.

* * *

Rayne

Ohfateohfateohfateohfate.

What have I done?

I just wrecked Wilde’s Jeep. I don’t even know what or who I hit because my face slammed down on the steering wheel on impact.

I wrecked Wilde’s Jeep. I don’t even have a driver’s license. I took it without his permission.

I’m so dead.

In the next moment, the door flies open and Wilde yanks at my body, fighting with the seatbelt until he gets me free.

“I’m sorry!” I squeak, thinking he’s furious. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have taken your Jeep. Please don’t kill me.”

“Rayne.Fuck.Are you okay? Look at me.” Wilde’s propped me on my feet, leaned me up against the Jeep, and his hands roam all over me, checking for injuries.

I crane my neck to look around behind me to see what I hit.

Oh, God. The mailbox. I backed the Jeep at full speed right over the concrete planter and into the metal mailbox post. The back fender of the Jeep is now completely wrapped around the tilted post.

I rub my bruised forehead. It hurt a fuck-ton in the moment, but the pain has already diminished, which seems strange.

I’m way more concerned at this point about what Wilde will do when he sees the extent of the damage. Or worse–oh fates–what Logan will do or say.

I’m so fucked.

So very fucked.

I drag in a sobbing breath and burst into tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I hurt your Jeep. I’ll pay for it to be fixed. I’ll give you my college money. Please don’t tell your dad.” I try to focus on Wilde’s face through my tears. “Please? Can we figure something out?”

Wilde seems to have calmed down. “Okay, Rayne. Go inside the house. Let me get the Jeep out of the planter before someone sees what happened out here.”

Relieved that Wilde at least knows what to do, I obey, walking on trembling legs into the house where I sink into the sofa. I think I’m in shock because absolutely no thoughts move through my head. I note no passage of time.

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