CHAPTER TWO: A GENTLEMAN

Jessa's POV

“Weirdo,” Lizzie said. She was the one who had my duffle bag and was currently tossing out my clean clothes onto the lawn. “Oh, what’s this? A thong! What do you need a thong for?”

She shrieked in laughter as she waved my underwear over her head. Great. Now I was going to have to wash it all again.

“Ewww, why are you playing with Crazy Jessa’s dirty undies?” Evelyn scoffed.

Lizzie shrieked and dropped the bag and my underwear. She made a big show of wiping her hands off on Malcom, who in turn made a big deal out of being disgusted. I kept quiet as I started to pick things up, not meeting any of their eyes. This bunch were the ones I was most likely to run into in the mornings. They liked to stay out drinking until the morning hours.

“You never answered us,” Malcom said, stepping on my shirt when I went to pick it up. “What are you doing playing with rocks when you should be working?”

My mind cast around, trying to think of what I could say to make them leave me alone. I couldn’t tell the truth. My connection with spirits was what got me in this position in the first place. A lie? I was never very good at lying. I tugged on my shirt, hoping he’d just step off it.

He shoved my shoulder, making me stumble. “Hey! I asked you a question.”

“My brother wanted me to get to his house early,” I said. Best to pretend like nothing was happening with the rocks at all. “He’ll be upset if I’m not there when he wants me.”

Invoking Joe was always a fifty-fifty shot. Sometimes it was enough to make people remember that I was an Alpha’s sister, even if that Alpha didn’t like to claim me. In those cases, they usually backed off quickly, especially if their interference would end up inconveniencing him. Other times, they knew that it wasn’t them that would be in trouble if Joe got angry. I’d be the one to suffer and who would believe me of all people?

Malcom snorted and moved off my shirt. I picked it up and shoved it into my duffle bag. It was stained with green.

“Freaky weirdo,” he grunted, ramming his shoulder against mine as he passed me. I hurried away, keeping my head bent.

Their footsteps faded in the opposite direction I was going and I let out a sigh of relief. Until a high-pitched wail made me wince. The spirit was back. It buzzed around my head, flying in circles so tight it made my head spin. I bit my lips together, grimacing.

“Go away,” I hissed.

“You promised! You promised!” it shrieked.

I closed my eyes. “And you saw what just happened. Leave me alone before more of them show up. Those rocks are just going to get knocked down again.”

“You promised!”

My head hurts. It was just like a spirit to not leave it alone. I was ostracized by every fucking person in this town, including my own family, yet the spirits never left me alone. It wouldn’t be so bad if there was one other person I could talk to, but who was I supposed to talk to? Should I go up to my bullies and tell them about the annoying spirits screaming in my ears day and night?

“Hey, girlie, I’m talking to you!” the spirit wailed as I kept walking.

I shook my head, walking faster. It was impossible to outrun the little bugger, but I had to try. My nostrils flared as I gripped my bag tighter.

“Hey! Hey, you,” the spirit yelled shrilly. “You promised! You promised! You promised!”

I whirled, my head snapping up. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I shouted.

Only for ice to wash through me. The air disappeared from my lungs and I felt about two inches tall as I found myself staring directly into the grey eyes of Alpha Cassian Varrick.

Cassian was a massive Alpha, with the body of a professional wrestler—probably because he spent most of his time wrestling other men, in wolf and human form. His sleek black hair was oiled back from his face today, and he wore a pair of jeans and nothing else. It showed off both full-sleeve tattoos and the others that trailed over his chest and torso.

“Leave you the fuck alone?” Cassian asked, arching one black brow. He chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. “And here I was, just trying to ask why you’re leaving your clothes all over my lawn.”

I glanced down along the path I’d just walked. Various garments—including the offending thong from before—lay in my wake. The zipper of my duffle bag had split open again. Instinct told me to drop to my knees and beg him to forgive my rudeness. Cassian was one of Alpha Denric’s best friends. Denric Wystan was one of the main people who had tormented me for pretty much my whole life.

Denric was five years older than I was, and when I was five, I’d told him about the spirits. I thought it would impress him, that it meant I was special. At the time, I’d had a raging crush on him. He’d known I liked him, and he’d punished me for it ever since.

While Cassian himself was never a main antagonist in my life, he was often there with Denric. He thought of me as a waste of space, just like everyone else in this town did. He might punish me for not groveling, but a girl had to have her pride.

“A gentleman would have picked up my clothes for me,” I said, backtracking as I started gathering the clothes.

Cassian stepped aside and watched me. “An Alpha isn’t a gentleman. What are you doing out here, anyway?”

I shoved my clothes back into the duffle bag and held the busted zipper shut with one hand. I ignored his question. “Excuse me, Alpha Cassian. I have a lot of work to do.”

I marched away, my head held high. This time, the spirit didn’t follow. But I felt Cassian’s eyes on me for some time.