Lessons in Love

Chapter 22: Ghosts in the Room

POV: Delta Rick Wallis

My alarm went off as usual. As usual, it seemed, I was already awake. There was no way I could have slept last night. There wasn’t enough booze in the world to make me sleep after talking with George. I’d even tried to get black out drunk.

I’d taken him back up to my quarters and sent for a couple of bottles of his favorite whiskey. George had been guarded no matter how drunk he got, and I had to pace myself despite his huge head start. The fight with Ben had sobered him up a bit, and he had been careful with his words for the first hour. Once the whiskey got flowing, though, he had made the odd comment that had stuck with me.

“Your father was a good man,” he had said at one point. “Pity that had to happen to him.”

“Had to, sir?”

“That patrol,” George had said without missing a beat. “He shouldn’t have had to go out that day, wasn’t it your parents’ anniversary?”

I had knocked back what was in my glass. “Yes, it was.” I had reached for the bottle and refilled my glass immediately. He had talked about that day for a while, and when he’d left a lull in the conversation, I had changed the subject.

“You and Alpha Marcus seem to have some big plans for the pack. Anything we can help with?” I had asked. “Ben and I are eager to prove ourselves to you both.”

“Nothing yet,” he had grinned. It was a grin that had sent a shiver down my back. It was the one he used right before he’d do something awful to Ben or Claire. I had taken a sturdy sip of my drink to hide the way that smile of his made me feel.

“I had expected you both to deal with fixing the high school up for the girls, but the new teacher seems eager to do it.” He had grumbled, swirling his glass under his nose before draining it. My palms had started to sweat at the mere mention of the high school.

“That’s for the best, isn’t it? She can put it together with the curriculum in mind. Ben and I would just be painting.” I had shrugged.

“That’s all they need.” He had growled. “Women are such idiotic creatures, and that woman struck me today as insubordinate.” He had griped about Riley snubbing his title that morning and how she’d fallen all over his ‘pathetic excuse for a mate’ when he was the important one. I had started to get fuzzy from the drinks and hadn’t been listening too hard when I caught him saying something about not being strong enough to save Crista.

“Sorry?” I had perked back up.

“I said it was a pity that John wasn’t strong enough to survive his mate’s passing. Pity that Rogue got to her.” His grin had resurfaced. “Crista was a useless woman, anyway, but still, how could he have not been strong enough to help you and defend his own mate.” George had drained his glass again and poured heavily for the two of us. He’d kept on about it until nature finally called him back to the bathroom.

It had felt like an hour since he brought up the war, but it had only been minutes. My hands had been shaking as I had stood up and gone to the kitchen where I had left a sleeping pill dissolving in a glass of whiskey. I had topped off his drink, and he was out within twenty minutes. I had poured him into a guest room and went home to finish off the almost untouched bottle we’d opened.

I had been shaking when I grabbed the bottle and drank as much of it as fast as I had been able. It hadn’t helped. I had been seeing Crista’s dead eyes since George had mentioned her name and had been hearing John’s voice begging me to do something. I had brought the bottle to my lips, trying to kill the whole bottle in a single go, but I was having a hard time breathing. I had choked on it and vomited violently in the kitchen sink. I’d been curled in bed, shaking badly since.

I stopped the alarm and got out of bed. I dressed, scrubbed my teeth so Ben wouldn’t smell the stale alcohol on my breath, and headed toward the schools. I saw Sam, Ben, and Riley already standing outside the high school. My breath hitched at the idea of having to go in there. I flexed my fingers and tried to breathe in through my nose, out through my mouth.

“Good morning,” Sam said as I approached. I nodded, afraid of how my voice was going to sound, considering I was shaking. I gripped the railing of the high school’s front steps.

“You okay?” Ben asked quietly.

“Yeah, fine.” I said a little too quickly. “Let’s get this over with.” I said on a bit of a growl and raced up the stairs into the building before I lost my nerve.

The lobby wasn’t bad. I had heard the growling from here. My mind wandered back to that day. I had smelled someone dying as I had made my way to the gym. My mind was quick to remind me. Ben’s hand on my shoulder brought me out of my head.

“You don’t have to be here.” He said gently.

“We need to talk plans.” I said, shrugging his hand off my shoulder. I felt eyes on the back of my head and felt like there was a target on my back. I just had to keep it together for a few minutes, and then I could leave.

“Okay,” Ben’s voice filled the space. “You both know that we think we’re mated.”

“Think?” Sam asked.

“Based on Riley’s research, we’re either a power bonded pair, or this is a curse.” Ben growled. I knew it was Ben’s growl. I’d recognize that sound anywhere, but it was twisting in the echo of the room, and it sounded like John. I looked at the gym doors as the conversation continued.

“Who would do something like that?” Sam asked.

“My father,” Ben said, the sound of growling broadened around me.

“So, how do we take him down?” I said in a rush, trying to hide how hard it was for me to breathe.

“Should we be having this conversation here?” Sam asked quietly.

“He’s out cold,” I said, pacing back and forth. I rubbed my forehead, feeling sweat. “We’re good for another couple of hours. Three or four easy.” I’d spoken for too long, and I sounded winded that time.

“Rick,” Ben’s voice was gentle again, and I growled at him.

“Can Alpha Marcus be reasoned with?” Riley asked.

“My father’s not going to let us connect with him much, but Rick and I have ideas on that.” Ben moved himself into my eyeline. “Right?” He looked at me.

“Yeah,” I was panting. “You – me – check on him regularly.” There was noise as I heard them continue talking, but I wasn’t able to listen clearly. Something about Riley and Sam playing along with curriculum, training the girls anyway, the gym, something … about …

I was sitting suddenly, a small hand on the back of my neck, holding my head between my knees. “Just breathe,” Riley said softly, close to my ear.

“I …” I was shaking so hard, and, somehow, I felt like I had an elephant on my chest. “I can’t …” My lungs wouldn’t inflate. It was like I was drowning. A hand started rubbing my back.

“I’m right here,” Ben said right next to me.