Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

37. Guess

Tyra

I'd been pitying Darius' pitiful state as a human being (or should I say werewolf) but by Sunday morning I'd somehow joined the same lowly ranks as him. And not as in happily skipping along the path of self-destruction like he was doing, it was the constant check-ups from fellow pack members that we now had in common. In my case it wasn't them giving me a full body search every few hours. What they did was shove tasks at me one after the other. Whenever I felt the craving creeping in there was someone at my side right away, asking me if I could hold their baby for them while they went on an errand, asking me to join a dance game tournament, asking me to help them grab something at the store a few blocks away. There was always something they needed and they made sure to hold my hand whenever they had the chance. The contact had initially baffled me- until I realized their touch had the same calming effect as Jett's. They were literally keeping me from collapsing in on myself.

Precisely like Jett said they would.

Needless to say, I somehow survived Sunday.

But today was Monday and there were no more nosy, well-meaning werewolves at every corner to save me from myself. I was out of luck. I was also supposed to accompany Ember to her classes yet I had no idea how I was going to carry out the role of frightening bodyguard when I kept fidgeting and glancing about like a caged animal. Which is exactly the state I'd be in if I attempted to stay still in a room full of strangers.

"Can I take a day off today?" I asked Jett when he'd returned to the driver's seat after helping Ember out.

"I didn't plan on having you work this week," Jett replied, staring pointedly at my trembling hands. He pushed his seat back, patted his thigh. "Come here."

Saved once again. I unbuckled my seat belt without another thought and straddled him. "I'm causing all of you trouble." Still, I wrapped my arms around him, unable to stop myself from clinging.

He tugged at one of my curls. "The scar on my face, do you want to know how I got it?"

I touched the scar in question, quirking a brow. "You're willing to share the story? Where did Mr. Secretive go to?"

"You don't want to hear it?"

I cupped his face. "You have my undivided attention."

His lips twitched upwards in amusement. "I got the scar while escaping the cage my parents put me in." He paused, not to put a check on any discomfort you'd expect after making that kind of admission, but more like he was searching for the right way to proceed. "If I hadn't gone through the trouble of escaping I would still be locked up in a basement in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes the pain is worth the freedom."

I waited for him to continue with the story. He just stared back at me, apparently finished.

I snorted. "I thought you were going to take the time to explain the story in full detail, instead you go 'I escaped and got the scar on my way out. End of story.'"

Jett shrugged. "I'm not good with words."

I laughed. "Now that I think about it, did you compare me to a scar?"

He ran his hands through my hair, tickled the nape of my neck with his fingertips. "Maybe it's because you've marked me the same way."

Despite being pleased at his comment, I gave him a pointed look. "You really don't want to start a tickling battle in the car. You won't have any room to escape."

His expression turned smug. "I'm not ticklish."

That didn't bode well for me. "Can I ask you another question?" I asked, diverting him.