I removed my pajamas and pulled on a snug, black tank top and jeans. I grabbed my hairbrush and looked in the mirror that hung on the back of my closet door. My eyes had dark circles under them, which made my blue eyes stand out more. I was going to have to wear makeup today.
That was one of the worst things about looking in the mirror. I had my father’s crystal blue eyes and my mother’s long red hair. It was a painful reminder of them.
Not wasting any more time, I grabbed the concealer and rubbed some under my eyes. The last thing I needed was to worry both Kassie and Mona, which would have them making a huge fuss about what was going on. In the past few months, I’d had to go to the witch every other week instead of monthly like I used to do.
They kept telling me that I was an alpha and that if I didn’t embrace my wolf, the wolf would take over. I didn’t believe them. As long as I went to the witch, I shouldn’t have had any major side-effects. I arrogantly pushed this time to three weeks, and I already regretted it. The one nice side-effect of it all was that though other supernaturals couldn’t sense me, I could still sense them, especially with my own kind.
After finishing my makeup, I grabbed the brush and ran it through my long red hair. I wore it down all the time. I never wore it up. That’s how Mom liked her hair, so I tried to do everything possible to numb the pain.
I tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to wake the ladies. The past twelve years had brought us closer. They took on raising me, and now they were family. I didn’t know where I’d be without them. Probably dead.
“You had that dream again, didn’t you?” Mona sat in the den’s recliner with a cup of coffee in her hands. Her dark blonde hair was sticking up in various places, and she yawned.
“Uh, no.” I hated to lie to them, but they’d only worry more.
She snorted. “I’m not stupid.”
“Could you start being just a little bit for me?” The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my feelings and hug it out.
“We raised you well.” She lifted her coffee cup in the air in a toast. “But no, you were screaming again. So even if I was stupid, I think I’d figure it out.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” I pointed at her mug. “You make any more in there?”
“It’s a Keurig.” Mona arched an eyebrow. “Make it your own damn self.”
“I at least had to try.” They usually would do stuff like that for me. Yes, I was spoiled. “You know how it is.”
“Go get you some caffeine.” She waved me away. “I was up extremely late, and I’m so tired I may fall asleep sitting here.”
“Now, that’s not my fault.” She was terribly addicted to Candy Crush. “You just need to remove the app from your phone.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask to be called out.” Mona chuckled and shook her head.
I rolled my eyes at her and walked into the kitchen. I made my way over to the Keurig and hit brew. I grabbed my phone and unlocked it; I had a text in the middle of the night. It was strange that it hadn’t woken me.
Hey gorgeous. I can’t wait to see you in class today. Hoping we can catch more drinks later. – Connor.
Great, this guy was texting me again. He should’ve had a clue if he felt compelled to include his name.
There was no telling what he’d say when he saw me again. The last time we saw each other I was drunk and lost my mind. Shifters, in general, have a huge sex drive, and well, he was hot but a clinger. I hated clingers. Now, there was no telling what would happen once I got to school.
Chapter Two
I’d been running the obstacle course at the back of the house, so time flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to head to class.
“Are you running to or from something?” Kassie stepped out onto the back porch and took a sip of the coffee she held in her hand.
“Funny.” They weren’t completely thrilled with my decision to pretend to be human.
“You’re getting faster.” Her eyes landed on the course.
Our course had similar items to what a military base had for their cadets that were training. There were several tires lined up that I had to sprint through, a large rope climbing station, a monkey bar station, a net climbing, two tall poles, and a huge wood tower that I had to climb over. And the other half of the yard was a homemade shooting range. “I should be. I’ve been running it for the past two years.” Before that, they had me focus on learning how to fight. Once I had that down, they said I needed to build muscle and learn endurance.
They wanted me battle-trained in case someone ever found us. I didn’t mind. It kept me busy, and honestly, I loved that I’d been trained to protect myself. I refused to end up like my parents.
“Very true.” She sat in the wooden chair that overlooked the balcony. “I’m going to have to reset some things to make it harder.”
“I’m down.” I glanced at my watch again and cringed. “Hey, gotta go to my nine o’clock class, and afterward, I’ll be hunting the witch down, so don’t be surprised if I get home a little later than you expect.”
“Fine.” She scratched the side of her face, which was her tell. She was contemplating whether she should bring something up or not.
The longer she thought about it, the harder the conversation was going to be. “Spill.”
She snorted. “We’ve trained you too well.”
“Hurry, I’m going to be late.” The last thing I wanted to do was stay
