“Of course, you can, Angel,” Riff murmured, kissing my forehead while I sighed. “You’re too good for him, and I’m sorry you got stuck with Kyler.” When I quirked my brow, he hastily added, “you know, working with him. I can’t imagine that’s any fun.” No, it isn’t. Sitting beside him isn’t my idea of a wonderful time, either. But pretending I don’t know your secret is kind of amusing. Biting my lip, I worried that he might feel betrayed because I didn’t tell him I figured it out. Guilt filled me, and I opened my mouth only to freeze when Char stalked towards me, shaking his head.
“Don’t you dare,” he chuckled in my ear while Riff and Marcus shared a glance. When I bit my lip, he added, “what you fear will not happen. Me? They might feel annoyance, but only pride for you, Angel. So, stop worrying and enjoy yourself.”
Chuckling, I nodded, albeit I still felt a little guilty. Plus, when I was in the presence of Marcus, I had this desire to confess everything to him. All my thoughts and fears, my dreams and hopes, because I knew he would listen. But it was more than that. I felt like he wanted to be aware, like it was important to him to have that information. Then again, if what Jaxy said was right about omegas and alphas, perhaps they worked together to take care of their pack. The alpha saw to their physical wellness in that they are safe, while the omega cared for them emotionally? Or something similar? Thus, once the omega was comfortable, the pack could blossom? Gah, so many unanswerable questions. Ah, well, I’ll solve this puzzle, eventually.
Once Char left for school, the ever-present doughnut in his mouth, Riff played games beside me on the couch while I researched. By the time Char returned home, I had a well-written report ready to give to Kyler so he could work on the presentation part of it. Hey, now, it wasn’t fair to make the artsy one do that part. Besides, we were supposed to be learning, not only playing to our strengths. I feared that’s all Kyler did, so hopefully, this would force him out of his comfortable box.
With a sigh, I stood and grabbed my sketchbook, and Riff grinned. Char chuckled when I picked up my iPod and headphones before pulling on my boots. They followed me at a bit of a distance, and I sighed with relief. While it was nice to feel like I belonged and to be surrounded by people who cared, I was still a loner at heart. I needed my time alone, and I feared I’d feel like I was suffocating if they stayed so close for much longer. Once at my rock, I noticed they remained out of sight to give me the illusion that I was alone. I smiled, whispered thanks under my breath, and pulled on my headphones.
A slight breeze blew, followed by a playful tug on my headphones, and I snorted. Looking through my iPod, I picked a song that struck a deep chord with me when I first heard it. It was a cover, but I liked it more than the original because it felt more earnest. Little Red Riding Hood by Amanda Seyfried, I pressed play once I had it selected and sighed. With a smile, because I believed a particular ghost would enjoy this song, I sang aloud.
‘Hey there little red riding hood
You sure are looking good
You’re everything a big bad wolf could want
Little red riding hood
I don’t think little big girls should
Go walking in these spooky old woods alone
What big eyes you have
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad
Just to see that you don’t get chased
I think I oughta walk with you for a ways
What full lips you have
They’re sure to lure someone bad
So until you get to Grandma’s place
I think you oughta walk with me and be safe
Gonna keep my sheep suit on
‘Til I’m sure that you’ve been shown
That I can be trusted walking with you alone
Little red riding hood
I’d like to hold you if I could
But you might think I’m a big bad wolf so I won’t
What a big heart I have
The better to love you with
Little red riding hood
Even bad wolves can be good
I try to keep satisfied
Just to walk close by your side
Maybe you’ll see things my way
‘Fore we get to Grandma’s place
Little red riding hood
You sure are looking good
You’re everything a big bad wolf could want
Little red riding hood
I don’t think little big girls should
Go walking in these spooky old woods alone
What big eyes you have
The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad
Just to see that you don’t get chased
I think I oughta walk with you for a ways
What full lips you have
They’re sure to lure someone bad
So until you get to Grandma’s place
I think you oughta walk with me and be safe.’
When the song finished, I glanced up from the sketch of Zach I was working on only to stiffen. With no input from me, my lips curled into a slight scowl while my brow furrowed. Upon seeing that, Kyler’s shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. Hmph. What did he want? Figures, I finally got to at least pretend I had some time to myself, and he showed up. Sighing, I tried to banish my darker thoughts to give the teenager the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t know this was the first chance I had to be alone, so this wasn’t an intentional corruption of my introvert time.
I was surprised to note that I didn’t feel queasy upon seeing him, even though the thought of him made me hurl only yesterday. Instead, my heart fluttered, and my soul felt lighter, which only made my scowl darker. We’re supposed to be soulmates, right? Which he knew upon meeting me, whereas I was clueless, and he rejected that. I get that I don’t appear to be good enough for the privileged young man, and I wasn’t,
