Kiss Of The Alpha : A YA Paranormal Romance

Chapter 98: Chapter 98

Heather

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains when I woke up. Brent’s arms were tight around me. His hot breath fanned the back of my neck. I wondered how late it was.

I searched the room for a clock, but I couldn’t see one from where I was. Why didn’t he have an alarm clock?

"It’s still early," Brent said from behind me.

I froze for a second. "Did I wake you?"

"In a way. I felt your bond go crazy with worry."

"Do you always feel when I wake up?"

He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. "You didn’t know you were my alarm clock?"

I grinned. "What did you do before me?"

"I set the alarm on my phone. But now, when I’m not in your bed as a wolf, I don’t need one. I know when you wake up, and I get ready so I can meet you for breakfast."

I thought about it for a second. "I can’t tell if that’s uber creepy or kind of sweet...I’m leaning toward creepy."

"That’s the second time in twenty-four hours that you’ve called me creepy. What’s so wrong with wanting to have breakfast with you?" He squeezed me tighter.

"What time is it?"

He rolled over and grabbed his cell. "Nine."

"Any word about Serena?"

"No."

I had to stay calm. No news was good news. "I’m going to throw on my clothes from yesterday and then I’m going to see her."

"Hey," Brent said, holding onto my hand before I could fully roll out of bed.

"What?"

"I really liked having you here."

On any other day, when I wasn’t about to go beg for my friend’s life, I would’ve wanted to linger in bed and enjoy being there. But I couldn’t afford the time. "I liked being here."

I headed to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I looked like hell and could really use a shower, but there wasn’t time. This would have to do. I pulled on my jeans and T-shirt and knotted my hair in a messy top-bun.

When I stepped out, Brent was dressed. Old faded jeans and a nondescript gray T-shirt. A pair of cheap foam flip-flops. Fighting clothes. All stuff that could be easily discarded.

I wondered what he was planning on doing today.

"I’ll go with you. The rest of Serena’s family should be here."

God. It probably was a crappy idea to go see her if they were there.

"They don’t blame you. They can’t. You didn’t do this to her, and accepting responsibility for something that happened years ago, before you even knew Serena, is silly." He paused to let that sink in, and it did. I don’t know why I felt like it was my fault, but it really, truly felt like it was. "If you want to see her, then let’s go."

I nodded. He held my hand as we walked back across campus. This was one of those times when I appreciated that we could not talk and be fine. His support meant a lot.

The infirmary was quiet when we got there. Outside Serena’s door, Leslie stood talking softly to three tall blonde guys—Serena’s other brothers. I weaved my way through the crowd with Brent a step behind me.

When Leslie spotted us, her face reddened.

"What’re you doing here?"

"I want to see her."

"You shouldn’t be here. This is your fault."

Brent’s anger hit me through our bond. "It’s not her fault."

"Yes, it is. It’s both your fault."

"How do you figure that?" I said. Sure, I messed up last night, but the rest of it... Brent was right. I couldn’t accept responsibility for something I didn’t do.

"If you hadn’t bit her, none of this would’ve happened."

"How can you—" Brent said, but Leslie cut him off.

"No. You don’t get it. You weren’t there at the party. I was. Luciana had been getting visions for years—years—about losing a key coven member to the wolves, but she didn’t know who it’d be. So when she got to the party and saw Daniel making out with Serena, she flipped. But it wasn’t Daniel who was going to get bit. It was you."

Shit. Oh, holy shit. "But I didn’t know—"

"You will stop right there," Brent said. "If that’s what happened, then clearly Luciana saw things and she acted irrationally. There’s nothing in this world that could’ve stopped me from biting my own mate. We all know that fighting destiny—fighting fate—never turns out well. The only one to blame is Luciana. She’s the one who did this."

He stepped toward Leslie. "You’ve lashed out at my mate for the last time. Blaming her for stealing me, her own mate. For hurting Serena. For any little thing you don’t like. I won’t have it anymore."

"She wasted time! She could’ve spent time trying to free Serena’s wolf, but she didn’t. She could’ve agreed to stay with the coven, but she didn’t. That’s twice she could’ve saved Serena and she didn’t do it. Twice!"

The hallway was beyond quiet, everyone else would’ve had to leave the building to not hear this fight.

I wanted to crawl in a hole, but I couldn’t. "She’s right."

Brent spun to face me. "No. She’s not."

"No. I could do something, and I haven’t." I let out a breath. "I’m so sorry," I said to her brothers. The door to Serena’s room opened and her parents and Max stepped out.

"This isn’t your doing," her father said.

"No. But I can put it right. I can get Luciana to let go of her curse, and that will let Serena’s wolf free." Brent’s fear and rage took my breath away. He’d never let me, but I had to. "I’ll go back and talk to the coven. Make a trade, myself for Serena, and she’ll fix it. I—"

"Non."

"Oui," I said in my best French accent.

"Non, cherie! Non." He started rattling off in French.

Serena’s family and Leslie started arguing, too. I closed my eyes as I tried to figure out what I was doing. For the first time in twenty-four hours, the weight lifted. This was the right thing. I needed to go back to La Aquelarre. But this time, I wanted back-up.

"Aaaand," I said talking over everyone, "I’d like you to come with me, Brent."

His eyes turned from amber to golden. "That’s a terrible idea. You think things can’t get worse but they will if we show up on the coven’s land together."

Manipulating him was wrong, but my options were limited. "Then I’ll go alone."

"The hell you will." His voice was nearly full-growl as he shook my shoulders.

"Just hear me out."

"You have about thirty seconds before I lock you in the feral cages."

What? The guy had lost his mind if he was threatening me with the cages. They were below the gym, and made of concrete and steel. It was a place where they put wolves when they were out of control.

But he was seriously threatening to lock me up? "I don’t think I can live with myself if I don’t go and try to work something out, but I’m in a little over my head." I took a calming breath, and hoped Brent would listen to reason. "You’re right. I shouldn’t trust Luciana. She’s not a good person, but maybe we can reach a compromise. I’d be happy to go there a couple of days a week to learn their ways or whatever, if they agree to undo the curse on Serena. It’d be good stuff to learn anyway. And maybe I can find someone to take over the coven in my place. Help me make a fair bargain with her."