Hidden Creek

Chapter Eleven

Haven

“No. Nope. You’re not going anywhere.” I grabbed his arm and spun him toward me. “We get books and then you two can do whatever you want.” 

“Hey.” Davidee and I turned in unison to meet bright green eyes. 

“Yeah?” I leaned away, ready to bolt if we needed to.

The guy looked more than a little put off. “Uh... You’re the girl that Nik is obsessed with, right?” 

“Nik. The one that smells like honeysuckle and tulips.” An excited smile split across my face. “Yes. That’s me.”

“Uh... Okay... Here’s his number so that he can shut the hell up about you and get some closure.” 

I took the slip of paper from him slowly. “Thanks...” My eyes narrowed as suspicion took over. 

“Oh, hey. Are you in like a weird s*x cult or something?” Suspicion confirmed.

“What? No.” Davidee scoffed.

“Okay, we’re done here. Thanks for the number.” I pulled Davidee behind me until his shock wore off and his feet started working again. “A s*x cult?” I smiled, biting back a laugh.

“A s*x cult?” Parsa paled. “What about s*x cults?” 

“That... That guy just asked us if we’re in a weird s*x cult.” Davidee shook his head as he took on a dopey smile. “What a f*****g weirdo.” He laughed.

It was too infectious. Parsa and I burst out laughing. Heads turned in our direction as the three of us tried to regain some form of composure. “Let’s get these books and get back to the pack house. I cannot believe humans.” I gasped, fighting back the last bits of laughter.

“So, you want to be Iota?” Davidee smiled over at Parsa. Look at him, all starry eyed. Precious. I couldn’t help smiling too as we trekked through the isles of books. 

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. But... If you and I are mated...” Her eyes went wide as her head snapped towards me. 

“Not an issue. It isn’t an absolute that we have to have two Betas. In any case, Betas don’t have to be mates. You can absolutely be the Beta’s mate and be Iota.” I reassured her.

“Oh... Good.” She twirled happily before stopping in front of a section of biology textbooks. “This is so exciting. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to be Iota!” 

“You still have to pass all of the necessary courses.” I slid my finger down the spine of a nearby book absentmindedly. “And, because you’re going to a human college, you’re going to have an extra semester of werewolf biology that only pack schools teach.”

“That’s okay. I’m going to ace every class, and be the best Iota this pack has ever seen.”

Davidee chuckled. “Don’t tell Vik that. He’s pretty defensive of his post.”

“Vik is getting old, he needs the help.” I shrugged.

Parsa was on the move again, and to my surprise, Davidee hung back, grabbing my arm.

“What’s up?” I raised one eyebrow.

“The human that you saw in the bar. The number you got today. That’s the guy that was outside of Red Moon and saw you covered in blood.” He stared down at me, not blinking for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Ven, tell me you aren’t going to use that number. If you don’t throw it out, you’re just putting us in danger.”

I shrugged and fought the urge to cast my gaze down. Can’t show any weakness. I’m the Alpha, I don’t have to explain myself. “I don’t know yet. I-I think he may be my mate.”

“What?” He scoffed. 

“He smells nice.” I pitched my voice low, hating that we were talking about a human. “I dream about him.”

“Haven...” He ran a shaky hand through his long hair. “Humans can’t be mated to wolves. It’s absolutely unheard of.”

“We don’t actually know that.” I hissed. “And thanks to the Coyotes, it’s not like we have a list of Elders we can consult.” 

“I’ll meet you back at the pack house, I’m going to talk to Nuna. He’s the Gamma and the closest thing we have to an Elder.”

“Davidee!” I called as he headed for the door. “Well, shit.” I murmured. 

***

I trailed behind Parsa as she headed back to her car. My shoulders tensed as three men passed by us. “Humans make you nervous, huh?” Parsa asked, not looking back.

“Very.” I sighed.

“Hm.” After a few seconds of silence she shrugged. “I genuinely think we need to integrate ourselves more into the human communities around us. I know there aren’t any humans living within our borders, but I think it’s really important, not just as wolves but as indigenous peoples too.”

“Are you sure you want to be Iota and not Beta?” I chuckled. “It seems like you have some ideas for change.”

Parsa stopped at her powder blue car and smiled at me. “I don’t need to be high ranking to make change, I just need to have good enough ideas and an Alpha that’s willing to hear me out with an open mind.”

Nodding, I turned her words over in my mind. “Okay. I’ll give you as much time as you need. Come to my office tomorrow morning and you can tell me your ideas.”

“Great.” She beamed. “I’m looking forward to it.” She waved to me as she pulled out of the tight parking space.

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it is time for some change. “Are you f*****g kidding me? I can’t do this anymore, Kaitlyn.” A man yelling nearby caught my attention. Against my better judgement, I turned int the direction, ready to jump in if I needed to. 

“What do you mean?” A female voice scoffed. “You’re not breaking up with me.” Humans. They were almost identical in height, and could be seen easily over the roof of a nearby sedan.

“You know what? I am. We’re done.” The guy huffed, throwing his hands in the air briefly before dropping them down to his sides. 

“No.” It was a simple retort, but anger clouded her features and her body took on the telltale signs of aggression. 

“No? No! Kaitlyn, read my lips. We. Are. Done.” He enunciated each word very clearly.

The girl, Kaitlyn, looked down for just a second before pulling back and punching him in the shoulder. “I said no.” She hissed. I took a step around the sedan, but in their angry haze, they didn’t notice me.

The boy flinched and rubbed at the spot she hit. “I can’t do this anymore. You treat me like s**t and you don’t even act like you care about me.” 

Her fist clenched and unclenched before tightening back into a ball. She’s going to hit him again. Instinct took over, and the world slowed around me. Where her fist would have connected with the shaggy haired boy, it now connected with my open palm. “You know, domestic violence is never an adequate solution.” I smiled before dropping her fist.

“Who the hell are you?” She hissed.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re done here.” I turned my attention to the boy behind me. “Do you have a way to get home?” 

“No. I came with her.” He sighed.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Jerome.” He smiled hesitantly.

“Okay, Jerome. My motorcycle is over there. Wait for me.” He nodded stiffly and walked away. “Listen up, never set foot near him again. I’m serious. Stay away from him.”

“You can’t stop me. You don’t even know us.” She smirked, menace radiating off of her. 

Digging deep, I let the wolf in me be known for just long enough to terrify her. Red burned in the depths of my eyes as my teeth elongated. My wolfen smile had the exact effect I needed it to. She cried out before scuttling backward. “Stay away from him.” My voice was deep, more animal than human. I stalked quickly to my bike and grabbed the spare helmet before tossing it to Jerome. “What’s your address?” 

I punched it in quickly as he recited it to me. “Thanks for stepping in.” He smiled timidly.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to give you my number when we get to your place. If she shows up, ever, call me.” He watched me skeptically before nodding and hopping on my bike. “Sko’den.” I sighed.