Shadowed

Chapter 58

On the way home Kale had slugged back the coffee, and still hadn’t noticed the phone number. It was as we began the steep inclination up the mountain that Kale brought up the wolves. He told me how he’d gone for a perimeter run this afternoon with Caleb. They’d scented the wolves and then in the process of chasing them down, had been chased down themselves and gotten into a fight.
He told me of the alpha wolf and how infuriating arrogant he had been.
“They’re like us then.” I muttered gazing out the window at the mountains.
“Yes, and no. These wolves...shifters, they’re run like a pack of wolves, there’s one single person in charge. “
I looked at Kale studying his tensed jaw and the frown on his face as he was caught up in deeper thoughts. It made me wonder, if one of our boys had to become the leader, who would it be? There would definitely be a massive dispute about it. 
Jace would want the glory and power of being a leader. Harry had the brains for it, but maybe not the command of a real leader. Caleb... maybe, but I’d seen sides of Caleb which scared me a little. Like when he tutored me for a sparring session down in the basement, he seemed to lose himself. A leader couldn’t lose control like that.
Kale probably wouldn’t pass either. He had the command, and the ferocity of a leader, but he had temper issues big time, and that again, would not be a good quality.

There was no one in our group that I could definitely say would make a good leader if the decision ever had to be made.

“But that howl...” Muttered Kale. “It wasn’t like any howl I’ve ever heard Kaela. It literally pierced right through your skull like it was being spit open with an ax – like no fucking migraine I’ve ever had in my life! Unnatural – hell, super natural!”

“Shit.”
“Yeah, and I’d hate to even think about what would happen if they turned against us. They’ve got nearly as many numbers as we do, if not more.”
“So you think they would?”
My stomach clenched at the thought.
“If they were going to... well, I think they’d have attacked us already.  It seems the only one that’s come close to wanting them all dead is us. We don’t want to pick a fight with these guys.... no matter how much fun it may be.”

“Hah, fun?! Yeah. RIGHT.” I rolled my eyes. Getting eaten by a huge pack, of HUGE wolves, did not sound like fun.

“Okay.” Kale chuckled. “Maybe not that fun. But we are going to have fun tonight.” He grinned with a glint in his eyes.

My eyebrows raised. “Oh are we?”
“YuP, but not just you and me, we’re all going out.”
“Oh?”
“It’s Friday. We’re going out, then if we get back, just you and me could have some more fun... if you like.” He said with a smirk.
“Huh...”
I opened the car door and slid out of my seat.  “Out. So, where are we going?” I asked as we walked up to the front door.
“Somewhere fun.” Chuckled Kale coming up the steps behind me.

I opened the door and we walked in. Dan and James were playing x-box and Harry was munching through a bowl of cereal and stood behind the couch watching. Milk dribbled down his chin.
“Huh guhies!” He mumbled with a mouth full.

“Your back late, where’ve you guys been?” Asked Ryan walking through with wet tousled hair and smelling of soap.
“We just went out and grabbed a coffee.” I said with a smile.
Kale jerked up the empty coffee cup in his hand.  “Yeah.”
“Oh. You get in much trouble at the principal’s office?”
“. . . naah not really. I’ve still got that detention ...oh shit.” I groaned slapping my forehead.
“I forgot about the damn detention!” I cried.
“HAHAHAHA!!” Roared James from the couch. “You ass! Now you’ll get like an extra fucking hour, SHAME!”
Ryan bit his lip hiding a grin. “Guts.”

“Hey...” muttered Kale next to me.
I turned and looked. Oohh farrrk! He had the coffee up to his face and was glaring at the phone number.  “What the fuck is this?!” He demanded turning to look at me.

My mouth opened but I didn’t know quite how to explain it in the least damageable way possible. My mind scrambled over random words and fractions of sentences....

’I was...writing down Nardias phone number...’ ....no....
’..It’s not mine...’..welll shit Kalea  really??
‘ ...It’s ....’
The coffee cup was slowly being crushed in Kales fist the polystyrene cracking.
“Look, John didn’t know I..“

Kale’s face soured. Shit..okay don’t mention the guys name!
“...THE COFFEE GUY.....he thought...look he gave me his number on the cup...he thought it was mine. I didn’t ask for it...never the less, he knows I have a ...” I stuttered under the next part of the sentence. “..he didn’t know I..I...”
I sighed.
“He didn’t know I had a boyfriend. Now he does, and the number is still meaningless and ....yeah. No problem. No? Okay. Going now.” I muttered turning and quickly exiting the room.

I strode down the corridor my heart pounding.
“Ouuhhhhh. Hear that Ryan? ‘Boyfriend!” Jeered James, his voice carrying down the hall.
“Fuck up!” Growled Ryan.
Poor Ryan.

I didn’t have to look back to know that Kale was already following after me. There was only so long that I would have been able to avoid the whole ‘boyfriend’ tag. When we were together, we were together. We slept together, maybe not intimately...due to complications, but we were as good as.  Announcing it would only make things easier. It would make things easier when explaining to Nardia, or any other people our weird relationship. 
On and off as we were, sometimes loving each other and other times turning our relationship into world war 3.

I knew not everyone of course would take to the whole idea lightly. I knew Ryan would find it a bit hard. While I did know he had feelings for me, even if it was only a little, both he and I knew that nothing could really become of it. It wouldn’t go any further. For one: the feelings were not mutual, and secondly, I had Kale.