Unclaimed

Chapter Twelve

"So, the bones in the grave were my mate, the one who bit me," I explained, my arms wrapped around my legs. I was sitting sideways on the couch to face Syd, whose arm laid along the back of the couch beside me. "My mom said a spell was cast on me so I couldn't remember who he was, but it must have broken when I found him."

"So, who was he?" He showed immense interest in the story I was telling. He had sat with me while I wept, and then when I stopped, I had started spilling my life story to him.

"His name was Luke. He was the Beta of my old pack, the Alpha's son. His dad wanted him to claim this other girl named Brittany, but he was in love with me. So, he marked me, but I guess something went wrong. Maybe it was because he got killed so soon after, or because I was seventeen, or maybe because I didn't really know him at all, the mark wasn't really completed."

"And Lily removed it for you. You have such an epic story! You should tell people. I'm sure everyone here would love to hear it."

I chuckled shortly. Grady seems to think they're inviting, too. "I don't really know many people here. You, Peter, Alpha Grady, Beta Mark, Delta Patrick, and Darlene. I think that's everyone I know. Besides Alpha Grady, I haven't spent much time at all with anyone."

"How do you know Peter?"

"He's actually how I ended up here. We went on a date. He found my mark, and decided to bring me here to see if Alpha Grady could help."

"You almost slept with Peter?" he teased.

I couldn't stifle the scoff that rose up in me. "I guess so, but not really. It was weird. The situation with Peter is... strange."

"How so?"

I sighed. I wasn't sure if I should spill the beans on what happened with Peter, but decided Syd was probably trustworthy. When Alpha Grady had first mentioned him to me, he hadn't suggested there was any reason not to trust him. "Peter and I went on a date, and things were going pretty well. I had been trying to date for quite some time, but once the other person found out I was marked, it ended badly.

"So, I started taking them home with me on the first date. That way I wasn't wasting any more of either of our time, and we could figure out if we were compatible right away. When Peter found my mark, he was upset, like everyone else, but then I think he felt bad. So, he brought me here, and told me he would never be able to look past me being marked by another wolf so we could be just friends instead."

I checked Syd's face for a reaction, but he was just nodding along with a blank face. "Then, the day before the full moon, I asked him to take me to town for some grcoeries-"

"Wait, why him and not Alpha Grady?"

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. "Things were... complicated."

"Pfft. It sounds like they always are between you two."

"Ha! Yeah, maybe they are. So, anyway, Peter took me to town to get groceries. We stopped for lunch. When we got back, I didn't want to be alone. We watched a movie together, and he kept scooting closer to me the whole time. And then he kissed me-"

"After he told you he would only be your friend?"

"Exactly! It was super uncomfortable, and I told him I wasn't interested in a relationship. So, I haven't really talked to him since."

"Does he know that you...?" He pointed to my shoulder, and I put my hand over it, almost protectively, like I always had.

"No. I'm not ready to tell him. I'm afraid he'll try something."

"And you don't want him pissing off the Alpha?"

I gulped. "I don't really have any interest in Peter."