Angie struts away with a little sway in her hips as she heads inside after him. I sit there seething at her and the intense anger shocks me. I've been angry before, but the hate that has formed towards her takes me by surprise. There is a vehement hatred inside me and not just because she has shoved me down the stairs. The sandwich the Alpha has tried to get me to eat is crushed into mush and I glance down at my hand with a wince. What am I doing?
Something is different. I look around the backyard. There are rows of shocked faces staring back. I stare back. Haven’t they seen anyone get angry before? I sigh and throw the crushed sandwich goop in the trash.
Everyone is still staring at me. They're whispering behind cupped hands to each other. My cheeks burn.
Why hasn't anything changed? Along with the familiar licks of embarrassment the flames of anger bubble inside me. The Pack members stumble back and drop their heads. What the fuck was wrong with them? They spring away from me like I am contagious. Tears brim and I dash them away. I'm not doing a walk of shame.
It is just like home. I am being shunned. How could I be such a fool? They don’t even know about my secret yet and I am already an outsider. This Pack is no different. I am always the freak, and always will be.
I can’t stand it. Running towards my room I take the steps two at a time. I am almost there, when Angie appears at the top. She smirks when she sees me. Something twists painfully in my chest when the Alpha appears behind her, and worse, he places his hand on her shoulder.
My stomach drops like someone has just punched me.
The Alpha looks up from her and notices me. An indecipherable expression crosses his face. I shiver and take off running the rest of the way, ignoring them. I unlock my door with precision speed and throw it open. Slamming it shut behind me, I engage the lock firmly and lean against the door as I tremble.
My heart hammers in my chest. What is wrong with me? Am I really a freak? Why does seeing him with her coming from his room hurt so much? It is almost like I have some invisible claim on him as irrational as the thought is.
No, it's like he said. I am new, that's why he is spending time with me. Why he and Mateo watched a cheesy movie with me and always want to sit beside me.
There's a knock on the door and I jump back. The handle twists until the lock stops it. "Kat? Are you okay?" The Alpha is on the other side of the door. The invisible knife buried in my stomach twists and plunges deeper inside me. My throat is clogged with emotions I can't control or even explain.
"Kat, tell me. What's wrong?" His voice is higher, almost panicked.
There's another set of footsteps in the hall and I hear Mateo's voice. "Alpha, everything okay?"
The door handle jiggles again. I wonder how much it can handle if he gets serious. This is his house he would likely think nothing of breaking it if he has to. "I don't know," he admits.
"Oh, Alpha," Angie's purr is way too close. Hearing her voice makes me grit my teeth. "She's probably on the rag. Pay no attention to her."
My vision turns red. I wish I had a wolf so I can tear her apart. That’s it, I turn around and grab the door handle, disengaging the lock and rip the door open. I focus on Angie's face as she pales.
Mateo and Alpha Ezra take a few steps away from the door. A vicious growl escapes my lips, shocking Angie. The bitch looks like she's on the verge of soiling herself. It shocks me too. In all my life, even when I pretend to have a wolf, I've never made a noise close to that before.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think I have a real wolf.
Angie takes a step closer to the Alpha for protection. The heavy tension in the air snaps, and I lunge at her.
I see it a second too late as Mateo and Alpha Ezra both jump at me at the same time. Alpha Ezra’s arms wrap around my waist securely, ripping me back away from her. Mateo moves out of the way just in time as my leg kicks out aiming for Angie's terrified face. Maybe this time when I break her nose she'll learn her place.
“Angie, go!” Mateo orders her and she darts off down the stairs.
“What the fuck Kat, what is wrong with you?” Alpha Ezra scolds me, my anger vanishes while in his embrace, draining out of my body like it was manufactured. The warm cinnamon scent is oddly soothing. I am left with this overwhelming urge to hide away from shame.
I'm out of control, pushed to a limit I've never reached before. Never have I been this furious or so consumed with the urge to inflict pain on my enemy as I was in this moment.
The Alpha must notice my mood shift because he slowly unwinds his arms from around me and searches my face. Even after all that, his eyes shine with concern for me. “Why did you just try to attack her?" He grips my chin and forces me to look him in the eyes. "I will not tolerate violence, Kat.” he lectures softly.
He lets me go, and I move away, putting my head down. I'm ashamed of my actions. What has come over me?
“Answer me, please?” He insists.
I can’t. I don’t know why I am so angry, why I am so hurt by her being close to him. It is no concern of mine what he does with her.
I'd growled at her. How? Only someone with a wolf can growl like that. Growling comes from your wolf side, yet I have none. That I am certain of.
I sigh and put a hand to my head. "I think," I whisper, turning away. "I should go to bed."
The Alpha starts to speak, but stops before sighing as well. "That might be best, Kat," he agrees before stepping out of my room and leaving me alone.
I stare at the closed door and put a hand to my chest. I really must be tired. My whole body hurts, but why do I feel close to crying?
I think about taking a shower and brushing my teeth, but the thought of going down the stairs and being exposed to everyone makes my stomach hurt. I crawl into bed, letting exhaustion drag me into slumber and away from the horrors of the day.
When I wake-up the sun hadn't risen yet. It would be the perfect time to shower. Quickly I grab my towel and toiletry bag along with my clothes, and race down the stairs, slipping into the bathroom. I sigh in relief. I am right, the entire bathroom is empty.
Going into the first stall, I shut the curtain and strip my clothes off. Turning the taps I step under the hot shower, letting it burn my skin.
Today is going to be hell. I might go unnoticed with everyone's excitement over the Pack run, but how long would that last before they remember to shun me? Halfway through my shower Angie's nasally voice burns my ears.
That bitch.
This isn't a place I want to be trapped. Naked in a stall? No, thank you. She's talking to someone, which makes this situation even worse.
“I know that scent,” she whispers to whoever she's with.
I take this opportunity to wash the shampoo out of my hair quickly. I have to get out of here.
Bad move. My eyes burn as the suds trickle down into them. Reaching for my towel, I feel around, desperate to stop the burn. It should be on the shower curtain, but I can't feel it. Angie cackles at me along with some other person I don’t recognize.
Bending down, I try to find anything to stop my eyes from burning so I can see. A cold draft hits me while I search for my clothes.
The laughter is louder, and I step under the water, flooding my face and clearing out the suds, only to hear the click of someone taking pictures.
I open my eyes to find the curtain wide open, and my clothes are gone.
Angie stands there flanked by a girl and some boy, with a phone in her hand and a smug smirk on her lips. Her eyes gleam with satisfaction. I scream and rush for the curtain to close it, trying to shield my body away from their watchful eyes.
They laugh louder and hard at me, before running out, giggling amongst themselves.
I look around for my clothes, anything to shield myself, but come up empty. I look at the flimsy shower curtain in my stall and I rip at it, trying to get it off the hooks so I can wrap it around myself.