I wiped tears from my eyes, feeling hope rear its head but I couldn't let it come out completely, just in case. "Are you sure? You're willing to help me?"
His smile was so like Aaron's and it made my heart skip a beat. I had to remind myself he was not Aaron, he was the twin. The long lost twin brother who was meeting me for the second time that day yet was willing to help me. Life was quite the irony, wasn't it? The one that I had noticed was considered to be the black sheep of the family was the only one here with me. I didn't know if I should be grateful or feel betrayed.
"Hey, you're a Salvatore right?"
I looked at his face, then nodded. "Yes." A sniffle. "Yes, I am."
"Good. You're in safe hands, we'll find out who did it and why, okay?" His gaze was gentle and reassuring.
"Thank you." My gratitude could only come out in a whisper. The tears would not stop falling. I felt the humiliation of today in school sting so bad. I was going to be known as the school thief. The first student to have ever stole from the biggest pack school in all regions. Oh my goodness, the shame!
"Come here." He drew me close, I willingly went into his arms. I really needed someone's comfort and encouragement.
"Hey Kathy." My mother came into my room.
Her eyes observed the situation with both shock and befuddlement. The unwrapped eat chocolate and empty cup and tray littering my big bed. The arms of Baron comfortingly around me as I laid my head on his chest. My puffy eyes that were leaking more tears and a running nose. She rushed to my side, I did not bother raising my head from Baron's chest, I felt too at home there to even attempt moving away.
"Hi mom." I greeted.
"We meet again, Father's wife." He smiled as he greeted.
Father's wife? That sounded weird and kind of unaccepting, like he did not recognize or accept mom as his step mother or generally as part of the family.
"Please don't call me that Baron, it sounds weird."
He shrugged. "We just met and I'm just getting to know you. Maybe next time will be different, who knows?"
Mother just glanced at him and shook her head. Taking one of my hands in hers, she sat on my bed.
"What's wrong? What happened?" She questioned, worry in her eyes.
"I was acc…" I began.
"She was accidentally pushed today in school." Baron drowned my own explanation with his own explanatory lies?
But why was he lying? I wanted to tell my mom the truth. But I caught the look on his face, urging me to go with it. He'd better have a good reason for putting me through all of this charade of lies.
"Yes mom. I…I was accidentally pushed today in school." I repeated robotically.
Mom's brows furrowed more in confusion. "I don't understand. Is that why you're crying this much like something really serious happened?"
I looked to Baron who had started this lie. I had nothing else to say, he did not even meet my stare. He did not remove his eyes from mom's face.
"She sprained her ankle and the person who pushed her wounded her a bit but it was unintentional."
"Are you serious?" Mom was worried now. "Where's the wound, let me see."
"Arhhh!" A painful cry left my lips as I felt something sharp swipe hard on my back. What the hell?! I glared at Baron, how dare he?
But his expression was still unchanging. He turned me and lifted my top to show mom the wound he'd just caused me. Why did he have to lie in the first place? Now I was injured. Stupid him.
"This is what she showed me." He told mom.
"The marks are claw-ish." Mom observed. "Were you being bullied?"
"No, she was not." He replied before I could. "She'll be fine, don't worry your head."
"Look at my daughter's back and she sprained an ankle too. I have to worry my head."
"Alright whatever you want. You can worry any part of your body and for as long as you want it worried but trust me, it won't change anything."
"I have to report this to the Alpha. He can stop this and warn them not to ever bully my daughter." Mom was on the verge on going wild with rage and I understood her completely.
I had been treated awfully in our previous pack and she had thought here would be different. That being the step daughter of the most richest Alpha and going to the best pack school would make me finally get the respect and honor I deserved. Well, I wasn't getting the respect and honor but at least I was not being treated awfully until today. But many thanks to Baron, mom was beginning to feel bad for thinking she was not doing enough to protect her daughter and angry for having someone bully her daughter. I shifted my position and sat up facing mom.
"It's okay mom. I'll be fine. It was an accident." I was trying to assure her but I did not know if I was succeeding or not.
"But I still have to let the Alpha know." She insisted.
"Do you really want to worry dad about something that was an accident?" Baron asked mom.
"Why should I not?"
"He has other matters to attend to."
"She is family too and he should be concerned about her." She shot at him.
"I'm not saying otherwise but come on, just an accidental little back scratch and a sprained ankle, and you want to go disturbing the Alpha? It just makes you look like a whiner."
I elbowed him, mom narrowed her eyes at him in disapproval. He just plastered a stupid smile on his face. This Baron was something else, I could tell why he was the black sheep of the family. Very crazy eccentric dude.
"Fine, I won't tell but the next time it happens, I will proudly wear the whiner's badge and go tell the Alpha."
"We'll both make sure it doesn't happen next time." He told mom, his voice reassuring and confident.
After some comforting hugs and peck from mom, with a promise to send in dinner for two, she left the room.