Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
She winks at me. “You’re an idiot! And I am definitely keeping you away from Sierra, she’s a bad influence on you.”
I laugh at her then look down at my messages. ‘Tyler said to meet up by the student center and we will run the trails, ‘like normal’ is in quotes, then we will change and do a real run once we are about five miles into the trails.”
I look up at Osiston, but Mina has to chime in before he can respond. “He also said he’ll have a bag and would be more than happy to hold your clothes for you while we run.”
She starts giggling, like a toddler. “He wants to make sure he gets to see you naked.”
I groan. “Not a chance, I’m not stripping to shift, I dont have to, neither do you remember?” She stops laughing for a second then grins again. “It’s still funny and kind of cute. He’s pretending to be chivalrous, while being a total guy.”
We both laugh and a clearing of the throat catches our attention. “If you two are done drooling.”
Osiston says, but he doesn’t look angry, just like he’s rolling with the teenager vibe in the room. “Although, I don’t know if you should advertise that you can shift without changing…”
“I’m not getting naked with these guys. I wouldn’t have even if I couldn’t shift with my clothes. They are unknown and that makes me vulnerable. Never gonna happen. If one of you were going as part of the group or if Xander or Oscar were there maybe, but they can’t be here, and you can’t be seen, so no go. We can both do it, so we’ll just say it’s a pack thing if they even ask.”
I hope that is enough to finish that argument. Robbie is questionable at best, but I don’t get totally safe energy from the other two either. My instincts say to keep a healthy distance. And I trust my instincts. Osiston looks at me for a moment, clearly making a decision of some kind. I don’t break eye contact, trying to convey my uneasiness at the situation. He must find what he’s looking for, because he just nods. “Okay, keep this boy close though. Engage with him and try to get him to talk. Any information can be helpful. Where he’s from, what he’s studying, family, all the mundane stuff can lead us to more answers.”
I nod. “So what is on the agenda tonight?”
“Homework.”
Mina and I say together. “l have to maintain my teacher’s pet status.”
I roll my eyes playfully. “l can work the teachers more if they think I’m an overachiever. There’s also something about my ecology professor, he’s not normal, but I don’t think he’s a bad guy. Based on his appearance and his scent he spends all his free time outside and probably in those woods. He might have information too. We have a later start tomorrow so we could do a run in the morning before we train.”
He nods and heads towards the door. “We are going to go get a patrol schedule going and then we will bring back dinner and talk about anything new we find.”
He doesn’t wait for a response, just walks out the door with the rest following. I move to sit by Nickolas on the couch and rest my head on his shoulder. He hasn’t said much since we came inside. “Do you want me to make you some tea, or something a little stronger?’ Mina asks quietly. “Stronger would be preferred, but I need my head on straight for this and if I start down that road, I may not be able to stop.”
She nods and heads towards the kitchen. “l know you just fought it out with Osiston, but do you want to go workout? It always makes me feel better when I’m frustrated.”
I look up at him from my spot on his shoulder.
He huffs a laugh. “Yeah, that would probably be the best. It will help me sleep too, or at least settle down enough to rest. I don’t think my wolf will let me sleep until we get her back.”
He rubs his eyes. “How long have you known? I ask and I don’t have to elaborate. “Eight years. Her coven is near my home. I caught her scent the day she turned 18. She was out in the woods between her home and mine doing some kind of spell. They come of age at 18 too and get their full strength of magic, although from what I have learned she was like you and showed signs of power earlier than anyone else on record.”
He looks over at me. “What do you mean like me?” We walk out the back door and head to the small clearing just inside the treeline behind our house. “Alpha Reggie and Alpha Lucas have kept a close eye on you your whole life from what I understand. Especially after what happened to your mom during your birth. Once Alpha Reggie put the pieces together and discovered your lineage, they both made a point to keep track of you. I only learned about all of this recently and clearly I don’t know your whole story since I still don’t understand your so-called bonus features. Even I noticed your abilities at trials and started asking questions.”
“The problem with all of that, was that I was kept in the dark until about a year ago. Everyone is always trying to protect me because am a female or because of my size.” “Okay, let me stop you right there. It’s a hard instinct to shut down when the initial perception of you is this tiny quiet girl who apparently lets people beat her up for the fun of it. You have to forgive natural protective instincts.”
I see red as mytemper flares and I run at him. I go to sweep his legs and miss but land a punch to the center of his thigh knocking him down for a minute. “It’s not the strangers’ assumptions that make me angry. I get that, Its the people who know me, train with me everyday and still treat me like porcelain or like I’m incompetent that set me off.”
Sweep, punch and a miss.
“Maybe, like me with Gentry, they cant stand to see you in any kind of harm’s way, no matter how strong you are, how strong they know you are.”
He moves to grab for me, but I tuck and roll under his legs. “And you can’t really say you don’t use your size to your advantage, even if you don’t realize it.
Like those guys today. Mina is just as beautiful as you and her personality invites people in, but these guys chose to approach you, the small quiet, shy girl. You come off as less intimidating, right up until you beat someone’s ass with your pinky finger.”
He laughs as he parries another move. We go on sparring playfully for a little while until he tries to put me in a headlock and I kick him in the back of the knee, taking us both down. Then all bets are off and we are both going full force, sweating, panting, covered in dirt with manic smiles on our faces. He’s become like another older brother and our competitive natures clash frequently. “l think thafs enough. Sky needs to eat and actually do the homework that will put her in the teachers pet position. She also needs to check in with the boyfriend.”
Osiston pulls our attention and it’s enough for Nickolas to get the upper hand. “What! I don’t have a boyfriend.”
I grunt from my face down position on the ground. “According to the amount of notifications on your phone, I beg to differ. Mina has been eyeing it for an hour. If you dont want her to respond I suggest you get your butt moving.”
I launch Nickolas off of me and run for the house, both guys laughing at my retreating form. I barrel into the door, just as my phone indicates another message coming through and Mina moves to see what it says. “Don’t even think about it.”
I laugh at her. “You have no idea how torturous this is. I know better and yet my semi-nosey nature just wants to invade your privacy.”
She laughs back. “Are you really that attention deprived?” “Attention, no. Affection, probably. But I wouldn’t know because all of that is being suppressed.”
She groans. “l actually just have a good feeling, hmm, or maybe it’s a bad feeling, that these guys are involved somehow and I want to get moving on something other than new versions of school work.”
She makes a crazy face and we both start laughing. ” Well…what does it say?” I step away from her so I can read over the messages first. I have no idea what this guy would say, but I don’t want something personal or private being seen by anyone but me. Hot Ecology Guy: We meet up at the Student center for a normal’ trail run, the real run happens about 5 miles in.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.