Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Well, screw him. I don’t need this kind of scene at school. I get enough negative attention as it is. Now I have him proving out Abe’s words.
I frown and shake my head. I never said I needed a ride home. He shouldn’t be here, anyway.
“Who’s that?” Lincoln asks.
“My stepbrother.”
Wilde throws the door open and storms out of the vehicle.
Crap.
“Uh, on second thought, I guess I’m catching a ride with Wilde,” I rush to say. I need to head him off before he gets over here and smells Lincoln.
Of course, he’s probably already put it together. I mean, if he doesn’t know Lincoln from pack life, he’d have to assume he’s a human.
And then it pisses me off that I have to even worry about what Wilde thinks or says.
“Thanks for the offer. I’ll catch you tomorrow.” I peel off from Lincoln to walk swiftly toward Wilde.
“Hang on.” He grabs my arm.
I whirl and shake off his hold. I’m not sure what he sees in my face–fear? Anger? Whatever it is, he recoils slightly. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. I mean–is he safe?”
“Rayne.” There’s something dangerous in Wilde’s voice. Deadly, even. “Get in the car. Now.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” My voice sounds breathless to my own ears. I’m sure he doesn’t buy it. “Thanks, Lincoln. See you tomorrow.”
Wilde doesn’t look at me when I get to him. He’s squared off toward Lincoln, who eyes him back with a sour look.
Oh, fuck.
I jog for the Subaru wagon which Wilde left running and jump in. The driver-side door stands ajar. Wilde is still fronting Lincoln, who finally shakes his head and walks off.
I lay on the horn, now, returning the favor.
Wilde turns, eyes glowing.
I try to pretend I’m not scared.
I’m not.
Still, when Wilde gets in the car and lunges in my direction to wrap his hand around my throat, I have words ready to throw in his face.
“You hurt me, you’ll leave marks,” I warn him. Meaning his father will see. There would be hell to pay. “I don’t heal like you.”
He pulls back before he ever squeezed. It worked.
“You stay away from that human, Rayne.”
“Why?” I challenge.
“Because if you don’t…I will beat him to a pulp.”
I let out a shocked scoff. “Spoken like a true bully. It doesn’t make you a tough guy to pick on people who weigh half what you do and don’t have shifter strength.”
Wilde blinks a few times like he’s getting his wolf under control. The green fades from his eyes, and they’re back to a golden brown. He smirks. “No, but you’re worried now.”
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.