ELEVEN

FIFTH PERIOD WAS FILLED WITH THOUGHTS OF THE MEETING AT THE MAIN HOUSE TONIGHT. I would occasionally think about Caleb badmouthing me to his class. I felt like asking him about it, but then the thought of my new mate would overwhelm me and that would be all I could think about. Occasionally, our teacher, Ms. Warden, would call out my name and ask if I was listening to her. I'd nod and continue thinking about tonight.

As the Alpha of my generation, it was my duty to step up and fulfill my duties. There was no other choice. When I was younger, I knew exactly what the pack expected of me, but I always imagined doing it with Peter. We grew up knowing we'd be paired and mated, so we never felt awkward.

But now? I shuddered at the thought of my new mate, a guy who was probably twenty years older than me. As a result of our age difference, I was probably going to be subservient to him. I had no idea how that dynamic was going to play out with the rest of the group.

Caleb shifted uncomfortably next to me, so I glanced sideways to make sure he wasn't struggling with his book. He was just fiddling with the arm sling strap. Again. He gave me a little smile when he caught my eye.

Whispering low so the teacher wouldn't hear me, I asked, "Are you okay?"

Caleb whispered back, "Yeah. It's just sore, but I'm fine."

Assured, I looked out the window and wondered if I would be able to return and finish school after the new pack formed. In the grand scheme of things, my schooling wasn't a big deal since human education certificates of any kind didn't matter. At our core, we were wild animals, so it didn't matter if I graduated from high school.

Despite this, a part of me mourned, and I was sighing up a storm without realizing it.

Caleb wriggled again in his seat. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "What's going on?"

I shifted my gaze sideways at him, surprised he could tell I was worried. I couldn't tell him what was going on inside my head, but I was flattered he asked. I lied, shooting him a sweet smile, "Just thinking about dinner."

He looked skeptical, like something was telling him I was lying. Maybe it was the imprint. As he crossed one leg over the other, I glanced down at his lap. As I licked my lips, a thought popped into my head: how would his flesh taste? How would his thighs taste? As soon as the thought came, it departed, and Brynner yelling at Griffin about me being arranged with another guy came to mind...

Brynner would never tolerate anyone but me telling him what to do. Conflict was inevitable.

I sighed.

"It's okay, I know we just met and we don't really know each other very well, but if you want you can talk to me about anything," Caleb suddenly said, his voice low and serious.

I felt a wave of compulsion wash over me, and unable to stop myself, I suddenly asked, "Anything?"

"Huh?"

"I heard you said I could talk to you about anything. Did you mean that?"

"Oh, yeah," Caleb stumbled, surprised. "I was serious."

Now was the right time to confront him about what Zoe said earlier, since I probably wouldn't have another chance after the meeting tonight. Turning to face him, I brushed my hair back over my shoulders.

I started tactlessly, staring at his face. "I heard you thought I was weird," I said. "I didn't trust the source, so I thought I would ask you directly. Do you think I'm weird?"

Caleb's adorably handsome features were blurred with confusion. With a puzzled expression on his face, he answered firmly. "I don't think you are weird," Caleb replied, turning away as he blushed. "Who told you that?" he asked.

Some part of me wanted to tell him it was Zoe and sabotage any chance of them getting together. However, my rational side told me not to do it. It wouldn't be fair to Caleb. But I didn't want Zoe around him either.

"Just a birdie," I said quietly.

"Was it Zoe?"

My look on my face confirmed his suspicions for a moment after I was taken aback by his insight. I turned away from him to look out the window, laughing softly despite the sudden impulse to kiss him. I felt Caleb touch my shoulder as he leaned toward me. It sent a shock through me. His touch was electrifying, and I felt my heart leap for joy.

I felt his fingers grip my shirt sleeve as he said, "I'd never say anything bad about you, Dee. You're the first friend I've made here. I like you."

My heart pounded at the words, and I resisted the urge to tell him I liked him back. Our versions of "I like you" were totally different. I like him as a mate prospect, and he likes me as a friend. Why couldn't he have been a lycan or I a human? We'd have bonded in an instant if that was the case. If I could have chosen him as my mate and had him as my Alpha, my life would be blissful. Perfect.

I hated that I couldn't be with him.

"Dee?"

My favorite thing about his voice was how sincere it sounded. I looked over my shoulder at him and almost fell out of my chair when he smiled at me. He looked so gorgeous, so handsome, I wondered if I was really obsessed with him or if it was just the influence the imprint had on me. I just wanted to eat him up.

Eventually, I said, "I believe you."

"All right," he said, flashing me a boyish grin. "Do you want to come over tonight? Liam invited me out to bowl but I can't make it."

"What?" I asked, shocked. Was he serious? "Can't make it?"

A sly impish smile spread across his face as he pointed to his arm sling. "I'm not exactly the best bowler, so I was hoping you could give me an excuse to leave," he confessed, blushing. "It's not like we're going on a date or anything, we can do our homework together or something."

Did Caleb Knight invite me over? While he said it wasn't a date or anything like that, to me it sure sounded like he was inviting me out for that reason. My cheeks turned crimson. I was flustered just thinking about heading over to Caleb's house, sitting on his bed, in his room filled with all his stuff.

But, tonight was the pack meeting. Okay, it was at midnight, but surely I could sneak out and visit him before the meeting, right? It's not like I'd be staying at Caleb's all night.

Since this is my last chance to be with Caleb before I meet my new mate, I might as well make the most of it. The grim reality of the situation made my chest heavy. "Sure," I said. "What time?"

"Really?" Caleb asked. His eyes caught mine. Apparently he thought I would say no. "Oh, does after school work?" he asked, looking surprised.

I thought for a minute. Brynner had gone home or was doing whatever, so it was just a matter of telling Phoebe and Jude I'm not carpooling with them. Wait, what about my phone? I sighed, knowing I needed to find my phone first.

"Sure, but I lost my phone," I confessed. "I gotta find it first."

When I was in the woods with Brynner earlier, I was more than certain that it fell out of my pocket. If I lost my phone, tracking it down would be easy and wouldn't take long, unless someone picked it up. It would save me half the trouble of trying to get it back if Brynner had it. I sighed.

"Want me to call it for you?" Caleb asked.

Calling it wouldn't do us any good since it's in the woods, and I didn't want to risk Brynner answering the phone and finding out it's Caleb on the other end. "No, it's okay," I said quickly, "I think I left it at home. I didn't notice it was missing until Judas asked if I saw the text our mother sent today."

It looked like Caleb wanted me to give him my phone number after he said "Oh." But he quickly recovered and smiled at me. Similarly, I smiled apologetically in response. I wish I could tell him why I felt uncomfortable with him doing that. I didn't want any more conflicts among my pack mates before the new pack formed.

"So I'll go home, pick up my phone, and then come to your place?" I suggested.

Caleb grinned as he replied, "Sure!" It warmed my heart to see him so happy and content. My heart raced as I glanced away. This is the type of feeling I wish I could have for my mate instead of some random forbidden human boy.

The rest of class ran smoothly. Once the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I picked up Caleb's book bag and carried his things out to the parking lot. A woman in an old, rusted pickup truck, whom I presumed to be Caleb's mother, was waiting for him. She looked exactly like Caleb, with sparkling red hair pulled up into a bun on top of her head. The backseat passenger was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with dark blonde hair and gray eyes. While smooching her lips against the glass, her face was pressed against the backseat window.

As Caleb climbed into the vehicle, his mother said, "You must be Damita."

I smiled shyly at her as I placed his book bag on the floor beside him. Correcting her felt too awkward.

"This is Dee, my friend," Caleb said as he buckled up. The warmth of his gaze warmed my cheeks. "She's coming over and we're going to do our homework together."

Caleb's mom gave him a look, as if she didn't like him inviting me over without discussing it first, but it wasn't serious. She smiled at me as she turned toward me. "Hi, Dianthe. I'm Elizabeth, and this is Lucy."

Lucy chirped from the back seat, "Hi, Dee!"

"Nice to meet you," I said shyly.

The eyebrows on Lucy's face fluttered as she suddenly said, "Wow, Caleb, she's cute."

The tips of Caleb's ears turned red as he hissed, "Lucy!"

Elizabeth asked, "You said you were coming over, right? You wanna hop in? We're just dropping Caleb off and I'm taking Lucy to the doctor."

"Mom says I have a weird bump!" Lucy said.

I was glad to see that he had such a nice mother and such a funny, weird sister. I shook my head gently and smiled. "Thanks, but I have to find my phone first. My mom won't let me go anywhere without it," I lied.

Elizabeth replied, "Oh, okay. It's okay to drive you, you're the one who's been helping my son carry his stuff, so thank you."

I nodded and smiled at her. He grabbed the piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote his phone number on the other side, then handed it to me. "Send me a text when you find your phone, and I'll send you our address," he said, grinning. "We live by a nature reserve. You know where that is?"

It was in my blood to say "Of course, I do, that's my home," but instead I just nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do that."

He turned around and said, "Alright, cool. See you in a bit," and then his mother put the car into gear and left.

I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding once the car was out of sight. His family seemed pleasant. I turned around and walked over to where Jamie and Phoebe were waiting for me. They were standing next to Phoebe's car, looking worried.

As I approached them, I said, "Hey, guys. How's it going?"

Phoebe handed me her phone instead of chatting. In her phone, there was a picture of a wolf that looked like Brynner standing atop a hill near one of the main roads in our town. The wolf was manhandling an enormous elk. Someone driving by must have seen Brynner kill the huge elk and snapped a pic of him with his camera, captioned: HUGE ELK KILLED BY BIG WOLF IN SILVERMILL COLORADO.

My mouth dropped open in a groan. "Why was the dummy hunting so close to the road?"