I'm No Cinderella

Chapter 3

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An Inkling of Danger

"Uh oh, you're looking a little nervous."

I blushed, ducking my head for a moment, before glancing up into Jax's warm brown eyes. "I suppose that's to be expected, don't you think?"

He chuckled, "That's fair enough," he slung an arm casually across my shoulders in a comforting gesture, pulling me close. My face burned even more hot, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know how red my cheeks had grown. "To be honest, Rosie, you're holding yourself together better than I would be if I had to go to the alpha's castle in only a few hours."

My stomach dropped. Only a few hours. How had two weeks gone by so fast? I knew the answer, and it had a lot to do with the chocolate eyed blonde to my right. I had spent the past week reveling in the opportunity to train him at work and spend time with him without interruptions from Ash. It was something I had been pining for since we were kids. I had been so caught up in the excitement of it all, that I had almost forgotten to be worried about the impending ball– while I was awake, at least. Now, it felt as though I were cramming two weeks worth of anxiety into only a few hours. I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans. "Can I ask you a question?"

He looked down at me, "Of course."

"How many of them have you seen?"

He grunted, dropping his arm from around my shoulders, though I wasn't sure if it was from my question or because my house had come into view around the bend. He let out a humorless chuckle, "Mutts, you mean? A few here and there, but I've never gotten close."

I nodded, trying to choke down the ball of nerves that had risen in my throat. The day my father died had been the closest I had ever gotten to one, though time had long ago warped my memories of that day. My memories of him, at least, the one who had done it. He might have looked like the other monsters I had seen through the years from a distance, above average height and muscle-mass, but otherwise visibly indiscernible from a regular human man. If it weren't for the wide berth the other humans gave them, I might not have even been aware that they were there. Wolves among a flock of oblivious sheep. In my memories, he didn't look like that though.

    No, to me, that day had become only a series of horrifying images and sounds. A flash of red eyes that might have once been a different color. A blood chilling animal growl. A face warped in pure, unfiltered hatred, and the unmistakable glint of white fangs. I shivered at the thought.

I glanced up at Jax, startled to find his eyes already fixed on my face, brows drawn in concern. My trepidation must have been written all over my expression. "Hey now, don't make that face," he said, reaching out to take my hand and give it a firm squeeze. "Come on, let's talk."

He tugged me around the side of my house. For a moment my fear was gone, and all I could do was stare wide-eyed at my hand clasped in his and allow myself to be dragged toward the woods that lined our property.

He found a secluded area at the edge of the tree line, dropping my hand as we came to a stop. I spotted a stump and sat down on it. He sat himself on a large rock beside me, our knees brushing together ever-so-lightly, and waited for me to speak.

I didn't know where to begin.

"I've been having nightmares," I admitted finally, keeping my eyes glued to my shoes.