Between Two Worlds

Chapter 8 Cheater

It was lunchtime, so Fleur and I were back in the library. We were lying in these huge bean bags that felt more like clouds than actual bean bags. I could easily curl up and take a nap in one of those bad boys. I had just finished telling her about my latest dream with my parents and she was chewing on her bottom lip deep in thought.

“Do you think maybe we are looking for the wrong books?”

“Based on what you just told me, that is a real possibility.” She awkwardly rolls off the cloud sack and lands on all fours, giggling. The librarian looks up from her index cards and gives us a warning glare. “Sorry!” Fleur mouths to her. She walks over to one of the library databases and types in the search bar ‘magical werewolves’. I look over her shoulder as three books pop up- two in the Winter Realm section, and one in the Spring Realm. Fleur heads towards the Spring Realm shelves, and I head over to the Winter Realm. As we settle in to the cloud sack to read, our phones buzz simultaneously. I swipe my finger across the lock pad and see a text message from Anita:

Anita: Can we please meet up this afternoon? I need to talk.

“I have the same message,” says Fleur, looking over my shoulder at my screen.

Neve: Sure. My house at 4 pm? I am in the library with Fleur. Everything ok?

Anita: Will explain later. See you at 4.

I wonder what that is about? Before I have a chance to start looking through the books in my lap, the bell rings for us to go to last period. I quickly check out all three books and shove them into my backpack.

****

Duke, Fleur and I are sprawled on the lounge eating popcorn, watching The Originals and laughing at the completely inaccurate depiction humans have of werewolves. There is a knock at the door, and I jump up to answer it. Anita is standing there, looking tearful. “Oh, honey?” I question in a soothing tone, reaching out my arms. Anita falls into them, sobbing quietly.

We’re all snuggled up on the lounge- Duke, Fleur, Anita and me- taking turns at hugging Anita, waiting for her tears to subside enough for her to tell us what is bothering her.

“Ok,” she says, taking a deep breath. “I think Jake is cheating on me.”

“WHAT?!” Fleur and I exclaim in unison.

“That bastard!” I cry. “I am going to rip his throat out.”

Fleur takes a more practical calm approach. “What makes you think he is cheating on you?”

Anita bites her lip, trying to find the right way to explain it. “Well, it all started when the guys first shifted. You all know how the guys were acting so strangely.”

Fleur and I exchanged a knowing look, oh boy had we noticed that behaviour, and nodded.

“Ever since then, Jake has been really distant. He barely touches me, and when I try and instigate anything physical he struggles to ummm….” Instead of using words, Anita uses her pointer finger to indicate that Jake cannot get a hard-on.

“Oh… OHHHHHHH!” I respond, suddenly realising what she is saying. Duke has placed his hands over his ears and is rocking slowly back and forth not wanting to be part of this conversation. We all eye him suspiciously, clearly he knows something.

“He’s not cheating on you,” Duke says very quietly, if we weren’t werewolves we wouldn’t have heard him.

Anita narrows her eyes at him. “How would you know? You’re not in a relationship with him!”

“Well…” Duke begins shrugging his shoulders, “I kinda am… you know, with our unique Alpha/Beta/Gamma bond, I know everything he thinks or feels, sometimes even before he does.”

“When you say everything, do you mean everything?” Fleur asks waggling her eyebrows.

Duke nods his head vigorously, clearly traumatised by some of the things he had seen in his Alpha and Gamma’s minds. Fleur bites on her bottom lip, trying hard not to laugh but fails miserably and starts snorting loudly.

“Soooooo…” I ponder aloud, with a mischevious grin. “Does that mean you know when one of the other two, you know…” I make a w*****g motion with my hands. Duke's face goes from bright red to a darker shade of puce as Fleur and Anita collapse into fits of giggles.

“Shut up!” Duke whines. “This isn't funny, it is really really awkward.” This just makes us start roaring with laughter. He glares at us.

I put my hands up in the air signalling my defeat. “Sorry, sorry! We’ll stop laughing. It is understandable how one could experience… um… performance anxiety realising that their best mates can sense everything they are doing. Can't you switch it off?”

“Maybe, we haven’t really figured that out yet,” he mumbles. “Look, Anita. Just to get back on track… I can't say for certain that ‘performance anxiety’ as Neve puts it is the cause of Jake being distant, but what I can tell you is that you need to go and speak to Jake. Only he can tell you honestly what is going on with him.”

Anita gives Duke a really sweet smile. “Thanks, Duke. You’re right. Thank you, that was really helpful.” She gives Duke a big hug as she stands up. “I guess I better go pay my boyfriend a visit.”

After Anita leaves, I turn to Duke. “That was really nice what you just did for Anita.”

He shrugs dismissively. “I would have said anything to stop that conversation.”

Fleur c***s an eyebrow, “Just because the conversation is over, don’t think it is forgotten!”

Duke looks incredulously at both Fleur and I. “What? You are NOT allowed to repeat what I just said to anyone outside of this room.”

“Hey, we never agreed to that,” I tease Duke.

“If you tell anyone, I swear to the moon goddess I’ll make you pay.”

“Oooooh, dem fightin’ words,” Fleur taunts Duke.

Duke lets out a threatening growl.

Giggling, I pat Duke on the shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Duke. Your unwanted s****l mindlink secret is safe with us.”

Duke swats my hand away and stalks out of the room as Fleur and I collapse again in fits of giggles.