22

I asked if you’re okay ? You’re really quiet.
I force a smile. I’m fine, I’m just tired.
He doesn’t believe me. Want to tell me what this is really about ?
Nope.
Well, I’m insisting. What’s going on ?
I can’t help but feel annoyed. But, then, maybe confiding in him might be a good thing. Possibly even helpful ? He’s Colton’s cousin and exactly like Colton in that confusing wolf department. That’s got to be worth something. Okay, I’ll tell you if you tell me your secret ?
His face goes blank. I don’t have secrets.
You do, Toby. You have a big secret that I know all about it.
He looks at me questioningly, slightly frowning. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.
Sure, you don’t.
Please tell me what this is about ? He’s getting impatient, his soft features scrunching with confusion. I laugh a little and reach out, putting my finger on his arm, exactly where his wolf tattoo is.
He glances down to where I’m pointing and inhales sharply. Suddenly, the car stops abruptly, the tires screeching loudly in protest. Crying out, I fall forward, my head almost hitting on the dashboard.
Are you crazy ? I yell. Human on board here !
He stares at me, his eyes wide. He looks funny, but I’m not happy with the way he slammed on the breaks. Are… are you being serious ?
I nod. I know what you are.
His eyes widen even more, and he shakes his head. Be specific. This is important.
I know you’re a werewolf.
Holy sh… His hands grip the steering wheel and he turns slowly to face the front. He swallows nervously, and I wonder if I’ve broke him. Eventually, he lets out a deep breath. How did you find out ?
It’s kind of the reason why I’m out here.
Understanding flashes across his face. Colton. You’re with him. I knew it.
He told me. He also told me you are cousins.
We barely speak. He keeps to himself. He looks shocked. I don’t understand why he would tell you our secret. It’s illegal for us to tell humans. Why are you hanging around him ?
I cringe. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. I have to explain everything to him now and I don’t want to. Sighing, I decide to push my hair away from my neck, showing him the bite mark.
His mouth gapes.
He marked you ? he asks. When ?
Last week.
That explains the smell.
My eyes bulge. Smell ? What smell ?
You smell different. I give him a look and he shakes his head. No, I mean you don’t obviously smell bad or anything. To anyone else you just smell like how you always do. Of perfume and something sugary. But it’s slightly different to me. Like you belong to someone.
I scoff. I do not belong to Colton.
You know he’s alpha ?
I shrug. He mentioned it.
An alpha mark is rare. No one marks anyone unless the urge is really bad, which it hasn’t been for anyone in hundreds of years. It’s all folklore bullshit. It says every wolf has another they’re destined to be with and it’s the only way to recreate our bloodlines. We grew up believing it was full of shit because no one’s found that connection they go on about with anyone else and any child born recently has died. We’ve all accepted we’re a dying breed.
I pull a face. This doesn’t mean me and Colton are going to shack up and make a baby.
No. You’re young and human. That would kill you. I don’t get any of this. How can he be so stupid ? Toby rubs his face with his hands, looking stressed. I’m too hungover for this.
Yeah, well, nothing matters anymore anyway. I ended it this morning.
Toby laughs. You can’t end a mating bond. It’s impossible. You’re both bonded for life whether you like it or not. I mean, given this is an actual bond. I don’t even know if any of it’s real.
It’s not real. I don’t believe it for a second. I still have a choice. He wants to sneak around with me so the girlfriend he won’t dump won’t find out. All of this is ridiculous. He’s still sleeping with her.
He sighs. He used to live with us years ago. Even then, he kept to himself. He has some shit going on that he won’t tell the family. He looks after us, don’t get me wrong. He looks after his pack and practically pays for everything. But he’s distant.
Which is exactly why I had to end it.
I don’t know about the girlfriend thing, Layla, but I do know about a bond. It’s an unexplainable physical connection. If he’s been sleeping with someone after marking you, you would had known. You would have felt it.
I frown, not sure if he’s creating excuses. He won’t break up with her.
The car falls silent, and he looks lost in thought. Maybe I made a mistake in telling him everything. No, I know I have.
Eventually, he starts the engine and we begin driving again. I slump in my seat and look out of the window, my bad mood not disappearing even as we pull into McDonald’s car park.
Reaching into the back of his car, he pulls a hoodie from the back seat, sniffing it before handing it to me. Here. It’s clean.
I take it and put it on, glad for the extra layer. We get out of the car and I follow him inside the restaurant. It isn’t that full being a Sunday. We easily find and empty booth by the window.
What do you want ? he asks.
I don’t have to look at the menu. I always get the same thing whenever I come here. Chicken nuggets, a cheeseburger, a large fries, and a banana milkshake.
I reach into my skirt and pull out some money, but he pushes my hand away. I’ll pay. You are my best friend’s sister… and I guess family now.
I glare at his teasing and put my money back into my skirt. Thanks, lame wolf boy.
As he joins the queue with a smirk on his face, my phone buzzes in my skirt. I pull it out absentmindedly and look down at the screen, blinking with shock when I see Colton calling me. I stare at my phone. I can’t speak to him. I don’t know what to say.
Thanks for leaving me, asshole ?
The call ends, and moments later, a text comes through. I stare down at the notification with anxiety, wondering what I should do.
A tray being placed on the table in front of me snaps me from my thoughts. Toby sits down opposite with a mound of food.
I’m starving, he groans, passing me my food and drink before grabbing one of the five burgers on the tray.
You’re going to eat all of those ?
He shrugs. Yeah ?
My phone buzzes again. Another text from Colton. Toby continues eating while I chew on my lip, working up the courage to open his texts. Eventually, I do.
We need to talk.