“For your information you son-of-a-b*tch.” He turns slowly back to me, complete anger contorting his usually handsome features while he holds his cheek. “My mother died giving birth to me, I hate my birthday. My friends, all of them, as in plural or more than one since you seem to be slow on the uptake, get me something with rainbow colors for my birthday.”
I hold up my cuff with the rainbow colored leather. “Each color represents a different friend, it’s to let me know they are thinking of me. So maybe before you go accusing people of deceit, you should get the whole story.”
I push him again before walking away.
“SKY! WAIT! I”M SORRY!” He shouts at my back, but I just keep walking.
“I’m here Little One, just keep walking. As soon as he’s out of sight I’ll get you.”
“Why can’t the brand take pain too? He didn’t hurt me really, but I don’t like being accused of cheating or leading people on. I would never do that to someone. I can’t even feel affection for him and I still didn’t go after any other guys even when he stopped giving me information.”
“Pain lets us know we’re still alive. It lets us know that something is wrong. We cannot take pain away, but we can work through it. You’re almost to me. Let’s go for a run.”
“Okay.” I sniffle back my tears and take a deep breath. I will work through this like I work through everything else that
has frustrated me over the years. I will let my wolf out, let her take control and protect me until I can get my head on straight again.
I don’t talk to Osiston, Nickolas or even Mina about what happened. Someone wanted a result and they got it. I don’t know if Sam and the guys were trying to get under my skin, or if they were trying to push Tyler away or maybe thought he would be jealous and fight for me, but I was used, and I dont appreciate it at all.
I leave my phone on airplane mode most days. I use it only for music when I workout…alone. If anyone needs to talk to me they can mindlink me. I know I’m being followed, I can always feel a presence near me, but I don’t ask who it is or acknowledge them.
I have switched from sharing a room with Mina to staying in one of the other guest rooms with my door locked if I am home. I still go to classes, I just make sure that I am surrounded by other people so Tyler, Mike and Mina can’t sit nexttome. *
I shift and run almost every night with Osiston hot on my tail. He says nothing just lets me go and keeps me from doing anything to jeopardize our mission.
Three weeks after my disastrous birthday, Mina comes into my room. She picked the lock and tried and failed to make a joke of being proud of herself. I was sitting on my bed doing homework, like the good old days.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would go down like that.”
“SO you were in on the set-up? It’s good to know my friends have my back. What was the end game there? Cause I still haven’t figured it out.”
“You weren’t getting anywhere with him, so when Xander brought your present we thought we could use it to make him jealous and spark a reaction.”
“Well, you were right. His reaction was to call me a two timing wh*re and all of you ruined the memory of a gift that should be special to me. Do the guys know that their gift and I were used to bait Tyler?” She looks down at her hands, clasping and unclasping them.
“That’s what I thought. And who’s ‘we’ exactly?”
“Alyssa and I.” She whispers.
“So you didn’t get the idea from Xander or Nickolas or
Osiston? Did Xander explain the significance of the necklace?”
“No.” She’s still whispering.
