I give my skull a hard shake, as if it will dislodge the looping thoughts in my head.
Trey walks over and hangs on the fence beside me. I adopt the same pose, staring at a spot on the concrete floor.
"I don't have the urge to mark her," I admit after a long moment of silence.
This is the fact I've been trying to push to the back of my mind since last night. The torment. It should make everything easier, but it doesn't. It only makes it worse.
"I… claimed her last night. No serum on my teeth. No desire to bite."
"Huh." Trey sounds surprised.
I flip around to hang the other way on the fence, facing out.
"Maybe it's different with humans." Trey sounds doubtful.
"It's not. Remember Garrett with Amber?"
"Yeah." Trey flips around, too. "Well, the moon was full then. Maybe that's why he gave you two weeks. Moon'll be full by then."
"Maybe." I'm slightly relieved by Trey's suggestion.
But that means I must want Angelina to be my mate. Which is stupid, because I still can't have her. I mean, I won't. I don't want to ruin her. But still, knowing she's my mate would explain why I'm having such a hard time walking away. Cutting her loose and just wiping her.
"You thought I was going to say she's my mate?" I have to ask. I need to know what signs he saw, other than me being protective of her.
Trey shrugs his shoulders, which makes him do a pull-up of sorts. "Yeah."
"Why?"
"You know why. You're acting crazy. Wrecking your bike. Defying our alpha." He's silent for a moment, and I keep quiet, too. He's the problem-solver between us. I'm the brute force, he directs it. "Was anything different when you fu-claimed her?"
I appreciate his word choice because I would have to beat him senseless for speaking disrespectfully about Angelina.
I hesitate. Trey's the only male in this world I would admit this to. "Yeah. It was different. The opposite of what I thought it would be, actually. I didn't go agro on her at all. In fact, I was…" I give an embarrassed laugh and kick the chain link with my heel. "Fucking tender. It was the first time in my life I made love instead of fucked. Never thought I'd say that, either."
Trey's silent but this time it kills me not interrupting his thoughts. I just hung myself out there, and it feels fucking exposed. "Maybe," Trey says slowly, "Your wolf calms down around her. You're more violent than most. If you got more amped up around her-a fragile human-you could kill her."
"I know." I start doing backward pull-ups on the fence to work out the violence growing in me, fueled by frustration. "That's why I don't want her to be my mate. I could never claim her."
"You're not listening. What if your wolf knows better? He calms your aggression when you're around her. He's keeping you in check, including the desire to rip her shoulder open to leave your scent."
"Then why did I try to break Fox's neck for wiping her? I knew I was wrong doing it, but I couldn't stop myself."
"Duh, dumbshit. The wolf always protects his mate."
I'm relieved at Trey's goading me by calling me dumbshit. I'm on him in a second, getting a solid punch in before he dodges and kicks my ass. I tackle and take him to the ground, wrestling until I have his head in a chokehold.
Trey slaps the floor and I release him. Both of us stand up grinning. "Asshole," he mutters without any rancor.
"So how do I figure out for sure?"
Trey clomps around to setup the last section of fence to make the cage. "Wait until the full moon."
"And if I still don't want to mark her?"
Trey slaps the fencing in place. "Dude. Don't be an idiot."
"What?"
"You already want to mark her. And you've already made some decision about why you can't. Why don't you just let that decision go? Just until the deadline. Things might become clear."
"I hate you."
It's a mark of our friendship that Trey's face lights up with a surprised grin and not hurt. "Why?"
"Smart fucking asshole."
He looks far too pleased with himself as he hooks the fencing to the pole. "You gonna help me here, or do I have to put you in this ring and show you a thing or two about fighting?"
I laugh, because we both know I'll win every fight I enter in that cage. "I'm helping, I'm helping."
For the first time since I claimed Angelina last night, the heaviness lifts from my chest.
I have two weeks. No need to come to any conclusions until then.
Angelina
Jared's waiting for me outside the dance building and I can't deny the pleasure that blooms in my chest at seeing him waiting for me. I remember in high school the popular, more socially well-rounded girls-girls who didn't have ballet five nights a week-got picked up by older boyfriends from school. It seemed so exciting and romantic. Something I'd never have.
In college I've had boyfriends and I've even had a couple hookups, but never the formal dating. I haven't had the guy who wants to drive and take me out to dinner and pay. I didn't even know I wanted that.
Turns out I find it pretty hot.
Or maybe it's just because it's Jared.
I've changed into my shorts and he gives me that look when I get in the car-the one that says he'd like to eat me alive.
Instantly, my whole body lights up, as if my very cells are vibrating and heating just being close to him. The memory of sex last night-the best sex of my life-almost makes me blush.
"How'd it go, baby?"
I shrug. I definitely don't want to talk about school right now. Or anything real life. I'd rather know everything there is to know about werewolves. Too bad he won't tell me.