I Despise My Mate

Chapter 4 - Parental Judgement

After spending a day lying out in the sand, and swimming in the water, I couldn't be happier. My muscles burn from the physical exertion needed to master the waves of the ocean, and my skin glows pleasantly from all of the sun I've soaked up. I really needed this. I can't help the smile that quirks on my lips as I put a key into the back door, and step into my home.

"Where have you been?" Dad's voice is quiet as he leans against the kitchen counter in the dark.

At his words my senses immediately prick to attention, and I can feel the anger and tension roiling off of him. I'm frozen in place, every hair standing on end and my heart beating fast. I can tell Dad's wolf is close to the surface, and I don't know if I've ever seen him so pissed.

"I said," A deep growl rumbles from his voice, and Dad has to clear it for a second to get himself under control. "Where have you been?"

"The beach." I don't know what else to say. Am I supposed to explain myself away to him? He's never cared before about where I've been. But I guess I was always with someone from the pack before.

"Why haven't you talked to anyone in the pack?" Dad's grumble in his voice keeps me treading carefully as I casually step around him and set my stuff on the kitchen counter.

"No one was around wh-" Dad cuts me off with a deep growl, and steps forward trapping me between him and the counter.

"Don't play with me. You can always contact me." Something in me recoils at the thought of reconnecting with the pack. Dad must have sensed by now that I've withdrawn from them. I'm honestly surprised that he hasn't yelled at me sooner.

"Dad, I honestly don't need everyone poking around in my head right now." Instead of pushing further, all of Dad's anger just deflates out of him. He slumps against the counter, his arms hanging at his sides, and lets out a deep sigh.

"Raina, the last thing I want to do is push you. We're just concerned about you, and I wish you wouldn't make this so hard." I really don't want to fight with Dad, and I can tell that he's done with this argument.

But, doesn't he realize how hard this is for me?

I get, wolves are strong, and so we should be strong. Wolves are only as strong as the weakest in the pack, so my kind get in the habit of ignoring, or destroying the weakness. I can see that everyone has decided I am weak for letting a human violate me, and they are choosing to ignore it rather than banish, or kill me.

Survival in the modern days is rough, and we have to stick together, especially since the werewolf population seems to be ever closer to being discovered. If the humans figure us out, they will hunt us down and kill us. So we have to stay strong, and those who are weak, threaten the entire werewolf population with exposure. Because if you're weak, you can't keep your wolf under control, and you might just do something stupid.

"But it is hard, Dad." I whisper, and brush a tear away. "I understand where you're coming from, and I promise I will try to do better." With that I push out of the kitchen, and run up to my room.

If word gets around that the Alpha's own daughter is weak, and is a threat to the pack, there will be a riot. Dad has to be strong, and has to hide my mistake from the pack. And Quill as the future Alpha has to be just as strong, so they both chose to ignore what's happened to me. But I always thought Marcie would be there for me when it was just the two of us.

I shut my door, and slump right into bed, not even bothering to change into pajamas. I have one more day before I have to go back to school. What am I going to do tomorrow? I need to find something to avoid talking to everybody here.

A click on my window has me rolling over onto my stomach to peak outside. I can't see anything from where I'm at on my bed, so I flop back down. Another click sounds, and I hop onto my feet to go to the window. Standing in my back yard is Kyle.

I immediately fling the window open, and lean out the window, motioning for Kyle to leave. Doesn't he understand that everyone in this house has werewolf senses? They will all know in a matter of seconds that he's here.

Kyle shakes his head stubbornly at me, and motions that he's staying put. Grumbling under my breath, I climb out the window, and drop down to the grass below. It's a bit of a drop, but my strong legs can handle it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hiss as I skitter across the lawn to Kyle, dragging him by his arm to the trees where we'll be hidden in the shadows.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're alright." Kyle is dirty, and sweaty, and breathing hard, like he's been running through the woods, and rolling in the dirt.

I sniff cautiously, and smell that his wolf is close to the surface. "Did you run here?" Kyle can't miss the disbelief in my tone, and steps back warily.

"I know it's not a smart thing to do with your pack prowling around, but if I tried to approach as a human they definitely would have caught me." My mouth drops open in shock, and I have to turn away from Kyle for a moment.

"They are going to smell you!" I exclaim, and try to keep my voice down. "What the hell  were you thinking? Now they'll know you're here and they will search this whole island for you." Kyle doesn't look the least bit concerned, in fact he's smirking at me.

"What?" I snap as I catch his amused expression, and can't fathom what he finds funny right now.

"You care." Kyle says simply, and his smile broadens.

"Care about what?" Kyle must be out of his mind tonight. First he runs through the middle of a pack territory as a wolf, summons me from my room, and now he's smiling.

"Me, you care about my safety."

I'm shocked by Kyle's statement and take a step back. "Look, you save me the other day, and it's only fair that I pay you back." I justify myself, but freeze when I hear a howl in the distance. It's Quill. I didn't realize that he was on patrol tonight.

"You have to leave." I shove on Kyle's arm and push him towards the street. "Run towards the school, all of the scents from the students should throw them off of you." I try to shove Kyle further, but he plants his feet and is immovable.

"Not until you give me your number." A cocky smile spreads across his face, and Kyle leans against a tree.

"Right now?!" Panic sears through my veins as I search the trees around us. There's another howl that's even closer to us.

"I tried to find you today, and it was really hard." Kyle pouts a bit as if I should feel bad for him. "It would be a lot easier to come to your rescue if I had your number."

An offended scoff escapes my throat, and I step closer to Kyle to poke at his chest. "Rescue? I don't need your rescuing, thank you very much."

"You did yesterday." Kyle's face turns dark, and he steps back from the tree.

Another howl echoes into the night, even closer to us. This time Quill sounds like he's on Kyle's trail.

"It doesn't matter, just go!" I shout at Kyle, not caring if the others here me as long as he gets out of here.

"Meet me tomorrow then." Kyle suggests, and steps forward to grab my hand.

"Fine! Just get out of here!" I pull my hand from Kyle, and start pushing him toward the street again. He lets me move him this time, but slowly.

"Tomorrow at noon you can meet me at the pier." Kyle's eyes twinkle mischievously, and spins his body so fast that I lose my balance. Kyle catches me in his arms and pulls me in tight for a hug. "See you then," he whispers against my hair, and places a gentle kiss on the top of my head.