The Alpha And His Mate (Silver Hills #1)

Chapter 6

The sun reflected off the water of the swimming pool, making it look like liquid gold. I waved my arms about and watched the ripples as they danced.

"I'm glad we woke early," Angel said from beside me, her hot pink bikini blurred beneath the water. "I hate it when the pool is full of mewling infants."

A pushed my back against the hard ceramic wall of the pool and splashed her gently. "Mewling infants," I teased. "Where the hell did you learn words like that?"

"You, obviously!" She splashed back, with more vigour. "It's the consequences of having a nerd as a best friend."

"A nerd!" I squealed in fake anger. I lunged at her. In moments we were a tangle of limbs both trying to pull the other under.

It was 7 0'clock on a Sunday morning, the one time we knew the local swimming facility would be dead. A couple weeks had passed since the party and I had been obeying the rules set down by Genevieve and her council to a T. That meant only hanging out with Angel and not going out after dark, which was what I normally did anyway.

I tried not the think about being the alphas mate too much. Sometimes it made me want to run off into the woods and never return.

"Hey, did you hear Genevieve is engaged to Richard?" Angel told me. "I don't envy him or her."

I recalled a fateful night a fortnight ago when Genevieve had snuck into my room. She had used the word fiancée then when talking about Richard but I was so caught up in my own problems I didn't make the link.

"Do you think we'll be invited to the wedding? Knowing the Masons, it will be something special." I thought about seeing Genevieve in a white wedding dress; the image didn't fit my view of her at all.

She hasn't spoken to me since that night, but every week I found a bottle at my doorstep with the label 'one sip every night'. The actual liquid was clear and tasteless so I gulped in down with relish before I slept.

"I hope she makes me a bridesmaid! You know bridesmaids never leave a wedding alone," Angel said, a delighted look in her eyes.

"You'll have to do some ass-kissing to be made a bridesmaid," I warned. Genevieve tolerated Angel but I wasn't sure she would be keen on having her hold her train.

"It'll be worth it to end up with Bellamy," she declared. "God, I'm glad everyone's at church on a Sunday morning!" She began to swim the length of the pool, her long limbs pushing aside the water. I paddled about after her, not being entirely keen on water.

"Are you sure you want to stay stuck in this town?" I asked seriously. "I know you've got that job at the elementary school but it might be good for you to find new men to obsess over."

"Percie! I'm not obsessing over anyone!" She swam back to my side and grabbed onto my arms. "Besides, one of us has to be romantic. You've hardly even looked at anyone in that way."

My mind wandered into dangerous territory. Jax. I shook it off as quickly as I could, before I could start imagining a face carved by a sculptor and sheaves of dark curls. I had never seen him, but I could imagine what he looked like. God, I could even imagine his scent, like pine and flames. Like the earth itself.

"Maybe I'm just waiting to find the one," I lied. Now I knew that there was only one the one for me, and I couldn't have him. I'd just have to resign myself to a life of loneliness. It didn't matter really though; you could live a life full of love, even when that love wasn't romantic. I loved my friends and family, it shouldn't be a big deal that I wouldn't ever love someone in the passionate 'ride or die' sense.