Broken

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was amazing how quickly my classes flew by when I had a friend, or at least a protector with me at all times. Then again all of Monday had flown by, not just the school portion of the day, so it really shouldn't have been a surprise today was doing likewise.

After Spanish, Jasmin had escorted me to Mrs. Campbell's class. Telling her I wasn't going to be able to help out at the lab anymore had been one of the harder things I'd ever done, but she'd been surprisingly understanding. We'd scheduled my makeup test for the next day and I'd left with the sneaking suspicion she'd guess more about what was really going on in Sanctuary than either pack would've liked. I'd been busy contemplating what Mrs. Campbell might have really figured out as we left the building, only to have Jasmin interrupt my musings with an apology of all things.

She didn't get into specifics, and it was obvious she was still worried about the coming showdown with Brandon, but I was pretty sure she really was sorry. It didn't make us best friends and she was still an enigma, but it was a start. It even gave me hope maybe Jessica and James might eventually come around.

I was still reeling in surprise as we walked out to the parking lot and met up with the rest of the pack, or rather the rest of the pack minus Alec. He'd shown up several minutes later, looking very satisfied with himself, but obviously unwilling to answer any questions. As we caravanned home, I realized the collection of vehicles carrying us back to Alec's estate probably cost more than my house.

Donovan had met us at the door and conducted us to the dining room, where Alec and his friends devoured a sizable meal. Even back when I'd had a more substantial appetite, I still couldn't have kept up with the wolves. Even the girls packed away more food than I would've believed possible for such slender frames. I mentally shrugged and added it to the list of shape shifter benefits. Able to eat like a complete pig, and still slip into size zero jeans.

Dominic spent a couple hours after dinner helping me with Spanish. She probably would've spent even longer with me, but mom called, so Dominic slipped out to give me some privacy. I fielded something like a hundred questions about school, reassured her two or three times that she wasn't a terrible mother, and promised yet again to stay one hundred percent out of trouble while she was gone. I was beginning to wonder if I as ever going to get off the phone when she finally decided, ultra-late shoot tomorrow or not, she'd better go to bed.

By the time I finally finished up the rest of my studying, decided I was ready for my catch-up test in Mrs. Campbell's class tomorrow, and spent a few minutes with Rachel, I was well and truly exhausted.

I thought about going back to the Lilac room, but it would've just been because I was worried about what everyone else was thinking. I'd been raised to believe good little girls didn't spend the night with boys. Not even boys who were so gentlemanly it was sometimes painful.

I guess I still believed that, but my desire to be with Alec had devoured the parts of my brain that used logic and reason to decide things. I wanted to be with him while he slept, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Everyone in the pack already knew I'd spent the night. In the end, the reasonable part of me never had a chance.

Waking up next to Alec fully vindicated my decision. He'd greeted me with his typical, heart-stopping smile and I'd leaned in to kiss him before I'd even realized I was in motion. He'd pulled back, but his expression at least wasn't reproachful.

I wanted to force the issue, wanted it so badly I could feel the desire bubbling inside me, but even more than my natural shyness, the thought of him pulling away again, this time in disgust, was too much to contemplate.

Once we got to school, I'd found the rampant gossip had subsided to a dull rumble, but the few undecided votes seemed to have come down solidly on the side of everyone else. Some people hated me for using Brandon, others hated me for playing Alec, while a small, but decidedly upwardly-mobile group disliked me for achieving not just one, but both of the conquests they'd been dreaming of since grade school. In the end, it didn't really matter why everyone disliked me. Still, only the fact that Alec's pack closed ranks around me kept the situation from becoming unbearable.