Twelve

"I'm surprised you sent the wolf after us so soon, considering how much convincing we had to do to get him into that collar," Ford said. He sniffed the air. "Why does it smell so good in here?"

"Probably because you're used to hanging out with men," I said before I stepped backward, sitting down on the edge of my bed to get off my feet.

Ford shrugged.

Jesse wormed his way into my small closet and came back dragging a massive rolling suitcase in his teeth.

"My RA said he can't stay," I explained to Ford. "Me and Jesse made a deal. He's going to let me finish out the semester before biting me, in exchange for me living at his house, driving his car."

Ford barked out a laugh. "You're getting the raw end of that deal, Teagan."

"I go by Tea," I told him. "And I know, but I'm trying to deal with the shitshow my life has become thanks to you bastards."

I grabbed the massive suitcase from Jesse and tugged it up onto my bed. After I unzipped the thing, I pulled out the smaller suitcase inside it and handed it to Ford. "Can you grab everything out of my closet and put it in here?"

"Mmhm." He headed to the closet.

Jesse grabbed a mouthful of my clothes and lifted them onto the bed. I made a face, shoving them into my suitcase. "Thanks, Jesse, but I'd rather not get everything I own wet with wolf slobber."

He licked my ankle, and I eased myself back down to my feet.

That Ibuprofen needed to kick in already.

Moving everything from my dresser to the suitcases was fast and easy. I didn't fold it; that could wait until my feet didn't hurt so damn much.

When that was done, I started grabbing everything else I owned and throwing it in the suitcase too. I didn't own anything nice; even my laptop was one of the cheapest functional models. College was about surviving so that I wouldn't have to worry about money afterward.

I couldn't wait to not have to stress about money. I’d be able to buy my mom the things she'd never bought herself growing up because we couldn't afford it back then. Hardcover books and candles were some of her favorite things on the planet, and they weren’t even expensive, but they'd been an unnecessary expense we couldn't fit into the budget for as long as I could remember. After I graduated, we’d live close to each other and I could drop off presents randomly to let her know that she was loved.

Ford and I packed up my life quickly. My phone was still dead, so I scribbled a note on a sheet of paper to let Ebony know I was moving out with my new "dog" and that I'd text her when I got my phone charged.

Walking down to Ford's car was painful, but when we made it, I took the passenger seat and lifted my feet to rest on the dashboard while Jesse jumped into the back seat. I was surprised Ford’s sports car had a back seat, but then again, it seemed like their pack spent a lot of time together, so he probably needed the extra seats.

Ford opened his mouth to tell me to take my feet off the dash, but Jesse leaned forward between the seats and growled at Ford.

The man shut his mouth, pulling his sports car away from my school. He turned the music on, and I shut my eyes and cursed the throbbing in my feet. I wasn't doing the damn things any favors by walking around, but what else was there to do?

Ford and I didn't say much to each other on the drive back to Moon Ridge. Jesse's head remained between us at all times probably a result of my unethical escape. I knew I should probably apologize to Ford for kissing him and the others, but I couldn't even remember if he was one of the guys I'd kissed.

The whole escape was a blur, and I didn’t feel bad about it. I'd been kidnapped, and then I'd escaped. It didn't seem all that complicated to me, even though the way I went about escaping was questionable.

Ford parked in front of Jesse's house, which seemed like a polite gesture. He helped me carry my bags inside, and at the wolf's insistence, carried the suitcases up to Jesse's bedroom.

I wasn't going to sleep in Jesse-the-guy’s bed, but I guess that was a nice gesture too.

Ford met me back in the kitchen, where I was scavenging for more Ibuprofen and some Tylenol too. He gestured to the corner of the counter. "We put Jesse's phone on the charger over there yesterday."

I glanced over. The same phone I had was sitting plugged into a charger. It had a plain black case on it, and my case was purple, so I knew Ford was right that was Jesse’s.

Ford added, "The code to the phone and the garage is twelve-twelve. The same code works for the rest of our packs' garages and phones too. We all have access to each other's homes, and spare car keys and shit, so if you're ever locked out just knock on one of our doors."

He slid his hands into his pockets. "Our numbers are all in Jesse's phone. His parents are too. Call any of us, or them, if you need anything. We know getting chosen by a wolf isn't ideal, and we want to help you however we can."

He paused, watching my reaction. I didn't react; what would I do or say? When I didn't do or say anything, he continued. "Jesse's got a mate-cash-stash on top of his fridge. We all have them. It's supposed to help you out while we're stuck in wolf form. Jesse's not a guy who would abandon you to figure this shit out yourself, so don't hold it against him that his wolf is in control right now."

He waited for my reaction once again, but once again, I didn't react. "Everyone in the pack has dinner together almost every night, as you know. You don't have to join us, but it's free food. We'll text the meal rotation to Jesse's phone in case you want to. I think that's about everything." He eased his way toward the door. "If you have any questions, just text or call one of us. Or walk over."

"Thanks," I said, a little overwhelmed by everything he'd told me.

"No problem." He ducked out the door, closing it behind him. It shut and then opened again immediately. "I forgot to tell you, make sure you lock the doors at night. You're not in danger here, but Jesse will be easier to deal with at night if the doors are locked.”

I nodded. He hadn't seemed difficult the night before, but I'd keep it in mind.

With that, Ford did leave.

I glanced at the wolf. He was sitting on the ground beside me, just watching me.

"What's a mate-cash-stash?" I asked him.

He tilted his head.

I pulled a chair over to the fridge, too curious not to. It sounded like he'd been storing money for his mate, but that couldn't be right. Who would save money for a stranger?

Climbing up the chair, I peeked over the top of the fridge. Sure enough, there was a thick envelope up there. I grabbed it, then carefully stepped down from the chair and up to the counter. The envelope wasn't sealed, so I just opened the flap and tugged out the money.

It wasn't just money it was a stack of money. A massive stack of money.

I flipped through the stack, shock blooming within me. The bottom half was hundred-dollar bills; the top half was the fifties. Altogether, there were at least five thousand dollars.

I dropped the money on the countertop. My eyes flicked back to the envelope, and I noticed writing on it that I hadn't seen before.

I picked it up. Words were scribbled on it in black ink.

It took a minute of squinting for me to decipher the messy handwriting, but I did. It said:

For my mate: I'm sorry you've been dragged into my world. Hopefully, this helps ease your transition. Use it on food, clothes, or whatever. It's yours.

I dropped the envelope, shaking my head.

Leaving money for the mate you knew your wolf would insist on hunting was something a good person would do. But that went against almost everything I'd been thinking since the abduction.

Jesse the human couldn't be a good guy. He just... couldn't. His friends had abducted me. He was a werewolf, for crying out loud. Werewolves kidnapped people and ignored women screaming for help as they were dragged to their captors' homes.

Sure, they were also friendly when you asked for directions, and they would offer to turn up the AC if you started stripping, but they weren't good people.

Were they?

I rubbed my head. A headache was building, even with the ibuprofen and Tylenol in my system.

I needed sleep and a hearty dose of reality.

Shoving the money back into the envelope, I stuck it back on top of the fridge and dragged the chair back to the kitchen table.

Though I needed sleep, I had to do my homework. I had a test for my chemistry class that closed on Saturday, so I also needed to study my ass off.

What I needed was an energy drink.

I tugged open Jesse's fridge. It was still filled nearly to explosion with food, but there were no energy drinks. With a sigh, I grabbed the bag of leftover pizza before heading to the stairs. My laptop bag was in my big suitcase, which meant it was in Jesse's room.

The wolf walked slowly up the stairs beside me, capturing the bag of pizza between his teeth and carrying it up the stairs for me.

"This is going to be a long day," I warned him, as we reached the top. "All I have time for is studying."

He dropped the pizza bag on the ground next to my suitcase and licked my wrist.

"Guess you don't care what we do, huh?" I asked him.

He blew a puff of air on my wrist, and I absentmindedly scratched him behind the ear with my spare hand as I unzipped my suitcase.

I caught myself petting him a moment later and jerked my hand away.

What the hell was I doing?

The werewolves were going to make me lose my damn mind.

How was I supposed to prevent it, though?