Impulse

Chapter 3 - Impulse

Thomas

"Earth to Thomas." Irene teased, waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked a couple of times before regaining my focus. Ever since finding out my sister was alive, I had found myself doing that a lot lately, spacing out, losing myself to my thoughts.

I had been in the process of tuning up one of the pack members' trucks before I got lost in the memory of last night. It took everything in me not to rip those kids a new one for asking Paige about her sex life.

I honestly don't know what came over me. One second, I was making my way to my room after working out in the gym. The next, I was pulled into the kitchen by the one fucker opening his fucking mouth, ready to rip them to shreds. I swore for a minute I felt Eris itching against my skin, trying to get out, my body instantly reacting to the irritation that poured from Paige as she kept her back turned to those idiots.

Of course, I had heard more than a few times since my stay here about her and how she was a tease. But after meeting her, I knew those rumours were far from the truth. Just like I had heard, she was more than capable of standing up for herself. After all, she was the pack's Beta, but that didn't stop me from stepping in.

She had a reason as to why she set up those boundaries, and I really couldn't blame her. Why mess around with someone in the pack and deal with a jealous female or male when they found their mate and heard all about you?

Still, I couldn't help but wonder what the reason was. A part of me was itching to know, and I couldn't figure out why I cared so much. But nothing seemed to make sense when it came to Paige, my brain missing the memo about me not wanting to become involved with anyone, even if I wasn't as unpredictable as I once was.

"What," I said, clearing my throat as I twisted in the new oil filter.

"I asked if you wanted me to run into town for more supplies." I pulled myself out from under the truck once the filter was in place, wiping the oil from my hands with a tattered rag.

"Could use two more jugs of oil, and I need a couple more spark plugs for that old beater Zane gave me." Irene nodded, jotting down the items on her little pad of paper before running out of the garage.

When I was here last time, I found myself out here in the garage helping one of Zane's fighters out. Working on a vehicle had become my safe space, a place where my head was always clear and my nerves were at ease.

It had only been a day since I got here, but I still hadn't gotten around to remembering anyone's names, a habit I would have to break now that I was here for good.

I turned back to the Chevy I was currently working on, loving the fact that I was still able to lose myself in the calm that fixing cars gave me. They never talked back, and it was easy to figure out their problems once you knew your way around an engine.

I even had a new building picked out for a new shop. Colette and Zane both agree that having a mechanic in town would be great for us and would save us from having to bring more outsiders into the pack to fix things the others couldn't.

"Figured I find you here." My sister's soft voice filled the air behind me. It was still a shock to the system to hear her voice. It made my heart skip in my chest, and I swore I pinched myself more times than not to ensure I wasn't dreaming, still unwilling to believe this was all real.

I set the wrench down, turning to take her in. Her blonde hair cut to her shoulders, her sage green eyes bright and so full of happiness. She looked so much like our mom that I wondered if she ever saw her staring back at her when she looked in the mirror. The smile that graced her face brightened further when I returned it.

"If there is a car that needs to be fixed, I'm not too far behind." Her airy laugh filled the room, making my own smile widen.

"Good to know." We both fell silent—that awkward tension between us from years of thinking one another dead filled the room. We were still trying to find common ground that wasn't related to years of torment and abuse.

"I like the new look you got going on." Colette pointed out. I shrugged my shoulders, still adjusting to this new length.

"Figured I needed a change, thought it might help."

"And has it?"

"Helped, I mean. I did the same thing with my hair after I found myself again. I know it's just hair, but I felt like an entirely new person after." I flashed her a weak smile, the guilt of knowing what she had endured starting to eat away at me again. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, not allowing myself to drift my thoughts in that direction again.

"I'll let you know once I've had a little more time to settle in." Colette nodded again.

"Right. Of course. Well, I came out here to see if you wanted to have dinner with Zane and me tonight. I mean, you don't have to, obviously, but -"

"I'd love to," I said, cutting her off so she didn't nervously ramble on and talk herself out of the invitation. She worried her lower lip before flashing me another bright smile and nodding.

"Perfect, I'll see you tonight. Oh, and you can bring Irene too." She added.

"Okay, I'll ask her."

"Bye."

"Bye," I responded, chuckling as she turned, exiting through the main door back into the pack house.

***

I felt her before I saw her, our paths always seeming to cross the more Paige tried to avoid me. And she was trying to avoid me. I could feel her energy shift anytime I entered the room. Her body would tense, her spine straightening as she tried to find anything to look at in the room that wasn't me.

I had noticed it from the first moment I stepped foot in this place. She didn't trust me, and I couldn't blame her. I didn't even trust myself. But it wasn't all mistrust I caught in her gaze a few times. It was why I teased her any chance I got.

It was especially fun to rile her up when she tried her best to give me the cold shoulder, her mask of indifference easy enough to see through for someone like me.

Maybe it was why I found it so hard to resist it, because, for the first time in a long time, a female looked at me like a typical male looking to chase tail instead of the monster who ripped people to shreds at the snap of a finger.

But it wasn't just that that seemed to call to me. Paige didn't just have her defences up with me, though. They were always up. Her mind and body were constantly on guard, ready for an ambush, prepared for everything to go wrong. It was how I felt all the time, that this moment of solace would come crumbling down any second.

"Stalking me now, Evergreen?" Paige muttered, her eyes trailing down my body as she took in my fresh t-shirt, jeans, and damp hair.

The corner of my lips tipped up as I returned the favour taking in her ripped jeans, band tee, and braided hair, the kind of braids boxers used to keep their hair from their face. She smelt like a summer breeze with a hint of something floral. Everything about her drew me in.

Like I said, the woman was the devil and twice as pretty.

"And if I was?" I asked once my eyes made their way back up to her hazel ones. I swore I caught a hint of lust swirling in those deep orbs of hers before she blinked it away.

Paige pushed off the wall, playing the part of the unbothered, uninterested female so perfectly.

Was I as bad as that kid wondering if I could be the one to get her to break her one golden rule?

She pushed up onto her toes, her tall stature of five-nine still short enough for me to tower over her. Paige placed her hand on my chest, leaning in until her lips brushed my ear. I swallowed hard, it taking everything in me not to reach out and brush my fingertips against her undoubtedly soft skin. Her sweet scent filled my nose with each breath.

"Then I'd have to knock you down into submission like all the other pups who put their nose where it doesn't belong." A deep chuckle vibrated my chest as she stepped back, her eyes narrowing at me, not expecting my reaction.

"Careful, Firecracker. If you keep that up, I might start thinking you're flirting with me." Her hazel eyes slightly widened, her mask of indifference slipping for a second before she caught it.

"In your dreams, Evergreen." Paige scoffed before turning and heading into the greenhouse, where I guess all of us were having dinner.

I didn't miss the opportunity to look at Paige's ass before following after her.

Fuck, Irene was right. This girl was dangerous, but the kind of dangerous that had people throwing caution to the wind. I needed to get my head straight and avoid crossing any line with her.