Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Yikes.
Shit.
I gulp down a swallow and press my head against the wall. She’s right.
She adds, “I wasn’t here but I heard about how Tyson almost killed Mason for just looking at Ivy, never mind them going on a date together.”
“Okay, okay. You’re right. Shit. Shit, I’m so frustrated. I wish I could shift so I could run all this frustration out. Does it really help?”
“Yeah, it does,” she says, her voice gentling a little.
“I’ll phone Mal and apologize,” I say, straightening up, but unable to stomach my own reflection right now.
“He probably won’t take your call. He’s scared out of his mind! Caroline messaged me and told me she heard him asking Brody just now if they could move up the move date to get to the new land because you agreed to go on a date with him and that now Jase wants to break his legs. Mal wants out of here as fast as possible because he thinks he’s got two council alphas who want to see him dead.”
“Two?”
“Grey knew Mal was trying to get… with me. Grey gives Mal stink eye every time they’re in the same space.”
“I’ll send him a text,” I say. “I wasn’t trying to start problems for Mal. I’m not thinking clearly.”
“Obviously not,” she mutters.
“I’m sorry, okay?” I say a little desperately.
“Okay,” she responds softly.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“What can I do to help?” Stacy asks.
Just like that. She’s let it go.
“Why are you so awesome? I’m being a horrible person over here.”
“You’re not being a horrible person. You’re acting on emotion, which a lot of us do when we’re under pressure or upset. We’ve all been guilty of that. You just have to make sure you don’t put other people in the line of fire while you punish Jase.”
“I’m not punishing Jase.”
When she doesn’t reply immediately, I repeat myself.
“I’m not punishing him!”
“Who are you trying to convince?” she asks.
I blink a couple times before I gulp down a swallow. “Anyway… I’m gonna just focus on my petition and on this law change. I’ve started work on it and if I can make it so females don’t have to go through it, then I can request a review on my situation so that the Young coven spell can be extended beyond the three days. I’ll just… I’ll focus on that.”
She says, “But Bailey? This is you and Jase.”
“There’s no me and Jase. I can’t talk about this.” My voice comes out sounding broken. Because I do feel broken.
Shit, I’m about to lose it. Sadness swamps me yet again and I want to just curl up and cry.
“Okay,” she whispers. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I’m gonna visit Sherry tomorrow. Maybe you could come.”
“Yeah, right.” I scoff.
“No, seriously. You should come.”
“Are you high?”
“Tell her what you’re doing. Maybe she’ll want to help. And maybe she’ll take comfort in the fact that it might be stopped, you know? Her situation is a prime example of how your petition could help, so… maybe it’d be good for her to sink her teeth into something too. Help the cause?”
I grimace at the notion of working with Sherry Creed on anything. But Stacy isn’t wrong. Sherry could be the poster child for why it’s important for female shifters to have some say over being mated to an alpha and being forced to live with an unbreakable bond when it’s the last thing they want.
I could try to get a victim impact statement. That could strengthen this case. In fact, I should ask my book club friends to ask around and get me a stack of them from other females who’ve had to mate an alpha they didn’t want. This way the SCC can see what happens when a female gets stuck with an alpha asshole who ruins her life.
“Think about it. I’ve got to go. But… call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Thanks, Stacy.”
“Chin up,” she says.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
I end the call and turn the water off before I type out a reply to Mal’s text that he sent when we exchanged numbers.
I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how that might put you at risk. I was just trying to live my life. I’m really sorry. Friends?
I wait a minute after seeing the message is read. No response.
I stick my phone back into my pocket and dare to stare at my reflection, feeling shame. Because what was I thinking, expecting a poor beta who barely knows us and who has been through major trauma to circumvent an angry super-alpha denied his rut?
I’m better than this. Or, I’m supposed to be.
I clean my glasses, splash cool water on my face, and tighten my ponytail, gearing up to go out there, ignore him, and get on with the rest of my day.
***
He’s sitting on the rug against the wall with his head in his hands.