Chapter 4

“Leni? It’s Ashley. Can I come in?”

The soft knock on my bedroom door is unwelcome. Ashley isn’t the one I’m angry at, though. I roll over, staring at the door. Should I answer her? I guess I should. She knows I’m in here.

“Come on, nerd. I brought you luu-unnnch… it’s a ham sandwich with diii-jjjoooon… on a crois-aaannnt.” Her voice gets higher pitched with a sing-song tone. “Carly snagged some jalapeno kettle chips, tooooo!”

I can’t help but smile. Ashley loves making people happy. Of course, she would bring my favorite food. The fact that she got our friend Carly involved makes it that much more her style.

“Come in, Ash.” I sit up and rub my eyes. They still feel puffy. My nose is completely stuffed and my throat is raw.

Mom didn’t say a word to me when Dad dragged me into the apartment. She just stood by my bedroom with her arms crossed, glaring at me until I closed the door. She and Dad had a hushed conversation about what happened, and he left again. I didn’t really sleep after I stopped crying. I stayed awake listening for Dad to come home. It was after three-thirty in the morning. He didn’t come in to speak or even check on me. I thought they would scold me at least one more time.

Ashley opens the door and peeks her head in with a huge, toothy grin. Her blue eyes sparkle, even with the curtains closed. Her blonde hair is in a messy bun. She pushes into the room, precariously balancing a tray of food in her hands with her tongue sticking out in concentration. She’s still in baggy sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt. She sets the tray on my desk with a relieved sigh, then comes over to the bed and throws her arms around me.

When she finally lets me go, she looks at me sympathetically. “Um… I-is it true?”

I furrow my brow. “What did you hear? It’s only been twelve hours since Dad brought me home.”

“I saw Reggie Slater in the dining room during breakfast. He said Milo Stone told him that Bronx said that your dad told him you might be pregnant and if you are, they’re sending you away.” Her eyes are wide and worried. “You don’t smell any different, but maybe it’s too soon for your scent to change. So? Are you?”

I run my fingers through my scalp and blow a puff of air out. “I don’t think so. Mom has to take me to the clinic next week for a pregnancy test.” 

I’m going to fucking kill Bronx. Why did he tell anyone!? A small part of me hopes I am pregnant so I can leave this damned place. I don’t want him as my Alpha. I hate him so much.

Ashley makes me eat half the sandwich even though I’m not hungry. She’s kind of motherly like that. She eats the other half and tells me about the internship they have offered her with the pack accounting office. She wants to wait a couple of days before she accepts it so she can find out who her mate is first. The food in my stomach and a relaxing conversation that has nothing to do with my impending future actually makes me feel better. 

I tell her everything about last night until Dad pulled me out of the truck. The only thing I say about his rant is that he told me some confidential information. I may have to leave because of that information. I hate being cryptic. I have no choice unless I want to live the rest of my life in the dungeon.

Ashley’s body tenses for a moment and she looks down at her hands balled into fists on her lap. She flicks her eyes up and speaks low. “We should say a prayer to the Moon Goddess that you’re not pregnant. And then another one, so that when Marco comes home, Zinnia doesn’t kill him.”

Zinnia is Ashley’s wolf. She woke up last week. Ashley says she can already feel how powerful she is. She can’t wait to shift for the first time under the full moon. It’s the only way Zinnia can come into her full power. Then she can find her mate. 

“Knock it off, Ashley.” I roll my eyes. “This is hardly a matter to bother the Moon Goddess with.”

“You’re probably right. We can’t change our fate, but Marco better watch out when he gets home.” Ashley climbs off the bed. “I gotta go home and get ready for tonight. First, show me your outfit one more time.”

“Bitch, come on. You were there when I bought it.” I roll my eyes but slide out of bed anyway and go to my closet. 

I pull out the garment bag and show her the light green dress. It’s sleeveless. Mom insisted on sleeveless. She says it makes my shoulders look feminine and my legs look long. I think that’s her way of saying it makes me look less manly. I almost never wear dresses. Most of the time, I wear leggings and baggy shirts. After last night, if it was up to me, I would wear a potato sack to the Mating Gathering and get it out of the way. 

“And what panties are you wearing?” She puts her hands on her hips and gives me a stern look, but her lip is curled into a knowing smile.

“You know I hate that word, Ashley. Can’t you just say underwear?” I open my top drawer and pull out the bra and underwear that match the color of the dress perfectly. I fully admit that I dress like a slob most days, but you better believe my underwear and bra always match each other and they always coordinate with my clothing.

“Panties. Panties. Panties.” She mocks me and sticks out her tongue. “Your mate is gonna love helping you get out of them. That’s all that matters.”

“I hope so.” I frown at the lacey strapless bra and the thought of anyone other than Marco helping me undress. 

Ashley holds my shoulders and tilts her head. “Chin up, Leni. After tonight, you’re an adult. You have your whole life ahead of you. You’re going to find your mate… hopefully Marco… to help you take your bra and panties off tonight, and you two are going to live happily ever after. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. In a week, no one’s gonna remember all this mess.”

I smile gratefully at her. “I love you, Ashley.”

“I love you too, Leni.” She hugs me again, then bounces out of the room.

“An adult.” I say out loud, looking around the empty room. Adults don’t sit around and sulk about their asshole brothers ruining their lives. They keep their shit together and act responsibly. Right? 

Okay. Let me think like an adult. Take a shower. It seems like something an adult would do before a big life event. I think? It won’t hurt, I guess. I find a heavy metal playlist to help drown out the world. It seems like I'm not quite ready to grow up all the way yet, after all.

Have you ever taken a shower so hot that you’re certain it’s going to melt your skin off and boil the meat away from your bones? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. That’s the good shit, man. When I see the sunlight dimming outside the little frosted glass window, I make myself get out and wrap a towel around myself. I blow dry my hair, but leave it down. Mom will help me put it into a high ponytail. She’s the only one who knows how to get it smoothed down perfectly.

The first few drum beats of my favorite Mastodon song blasts out of the speaker. I close my eyes and let the lyrics melt into my mind. I turn the volume up to max and have a little concert for myself while I brush my teeth. 

Somewhere in the depths of my mind, I hear a soft howl. I freeze halfway through putting my moisturizer on and listen carefully. A whine and yipping sound make me stand up and look around.

She’s waking up! I look at myself in the mirror. I look the same. Mom said I might feel my wolf before midnight. She told me I might hear her calling for me or feel warm and itchy. My heart beats harder with excitement. I just took a boiling hot shower for the past hour. Of course my skin is warm and itchy, but I can hear her!

I put my hand on my chest. I need to tell Mom! 

“HEY MOOOOOOM-oof!” I throw open the door to the bathroom and run into a brick wall, falling back onto the hard tile floor. A cracking sound from my tailbone makes lightning shoot up my back. “OWWWWW!!!!! MOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!”

“Leni, are you okay?” Bronx squats in front of me. He looks at me with concern, which would be comforting if I wasn’t still pissed at him.

“Bronx?!” My temper overtakes the pain. I kick at him, creating another flash of pain in my back. I wince and growl. “Get out of my room! NOW! MOOOOOMM!!! Tell Bronx to get out of here!”

In the distance, I hear her say something about him driving me to the Mating Gathering, completely ignoring my demand.

“Leni, calm down. I just came to apologize. What time do you want to leave to go to the meadow?” Bronx holds his hand out to help me stand up. “If you hurt your back, we can go down to the hospital wing to have it checked out before the ceremony.”

“Apology not accepted and I’m not going to the hospital wing.” I cross my arms and huff at him. My back hurts like a bitch, but I refuse to let him take me for medical treatment. “You ruined my life, Bronx. After you escort me home later, I never want to see you again.” 

“Leni, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it! Get out of my room. Get out of my life. All you do is fuck it up!”

Bronx's face is emotionless for a long moment. He turns on his heel and slams the bedroom door behind him. “Fine. Be downstairs at nine-thirty.”

“THAT BUZZ CUT LOOKS DUMB ON YOU!” I throw one more insult through the door.

“Fuck off, Leni.” I hear the front door of the apartment slam closed, leaving me in the loudest silence ever.