37

That one word reminded Nel that there was a class of peers standing behind her. Quickly she turned around to well over a dozen amazed faces and one with a smirk on her face. Manari.

Nel’s best friend knew what Nel could do and simply displayed the pride that she felt in her best friend’s courage to finally display her abilities.

“Impressive, Red.” Colsin’s voice reached over every excited murmur and impressed accolade that was being given to Nel.

With a small nibble of her bottom, Nel timidly nodded with a small smile. “Thank you, alpha.”

The grin that the young alpha suddenly had was something that could not be hidden. Or at least, he made no attempts to try.

“That was quite amazing, miss Larken,” remarked Professor Wilde with a wide smile. “I’m glad to see you embracing your powers. Definitely something special about your peculiarity.”

“Thank you, Professor.” She bowed humbly.

She moved next to Manari, trying to shrink back into the crowd. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy.

“Neli, I didn’t know you had it in you,” said Ethan on approach. “You’re gonna make a banging Luna one day.”

Nel chuckled uneasily, her eyes playing the field to see who heard what he’d said and hoped that one in particular wasn’t paying much attention. To her misfortune, she was.

Sara glared openly at Nel, the rage in her eyes, something that she wanted all to know was kindled against Nel.

Quickly Nel averted her gaze and when she did, she noticed, in the distance, a young man standing there outside of the gate. Just as he had before; the first time Nel finally displayed her powers.

“Liam!” Onyx expressed in the back of Nel’s mind. He stood there, watching Nel intently, and he wanted her to know that he was there.

“Is it really proper for peepers to be standing outside the gate, Professor?” Colsin interrupted Nel and Liam’s stare down.

Immediately, Nel turned away, though her gaze couldn’t resist one last stare. She then glanced knowingly at Colsin Stone, his eyes boring holes into her.

Professor Wilde turned his attention toward Liam, and then regarded Colsin. He seemed to know what was going on without much clarification.

“Alright, alright, move along,” he yelled across the field.

Liam’s stoic gaze turned angry and then he backed away from the fence. It was when he gradually departed that Nel realized that Colsin was standing a few inches behind her, his arms crossed and a grin on his face.

“Oh…” she exclaimed with frustration and embarrassment and covered her face as she realized, “This is going to be a problem.”

“Tell me about it,” said Onyx.

**********

Colsin was weary about going home early. Neliyah’s classes lasted no longer than his, but he knew that she probably wouldn’t head home right away either. And more than that, he did not trust Liam one iota.

Still, he also didn’t appreciate how hard it had steadily become to control his possessive emotions concerning Nel. She was becoming a hot commodity at school, and in general. He wasn’t sure that he liked the attention that she was getting.

“Remind me to talk to her about that, Shad,” he called to his beast as he opened the front door to the packhouse.

“Tread lightly with that one,” said his beast. “She already tried to kill us once.”

Colsin found this amusing. It shouldn’t have been funny-in fact, it probably wouldn’t have been funny to anyone else, but the young alpha was starting to see things differently. He was beginning to notice that every little interaction with Nel was something that he profoundly enjoyed, whether good or bad.

“That she did,” he grinned and headed for the kitchen.

“Your father wants to see you, Colsin,” Lina came into the kitchen just after him.

“Can it wait?” asked Colsin as he went into the fridge to find something like a snack to eat.

When Lina didn’t respond right away, Colsin grabbed a beverage and closed the fridge. As he opened it, he faced her with curiosity on his face.

“No, it cannot.” Her brows were risen and her eyes cautiously wide as she said this.

Colsin knew then that he must be in big trouble with his father. With an exasperated sigh, he started off. “Okay.” He headed off toward his father’s study.

When he got there, he knocked three times and then entered. Usually, where his father was either standing near the window or looking over some contracts or whatever, he was doing none of the above this time.

“You called for me?” Colsin asked after spending a moment just watching his father pace the floor of his office in a back-and-forth anxiousness.

Maven immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around. “What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded with aggression.

Colsin closed the door behind, even more concerned than he was before. Never had he seen his brother this angry.

“Dad, what-”

“Your mate!” Maven snapped. “You move her in and then proceed to betray her!?”

Ah! Now it was all suddenly making sense. “Dad, I can explain.”

“Can you?!” exclaimed the alpha, barely giving Colsin space to finish his sentence. “Because I’m afraid nothing you can say will fix what you’ve done!”

“Dad, I don’t think it’s unfixable. She’s fine.”

“Fine?!” Maven stormed his son angrily. “Fine?! Did you see what she did to the house? She nearly destroyed everything! The windows! The doors!”

“What?” Colsin was visibly confused. “What are you…what are you talking about?”

“Yes, Colsin. The girl had a breakdown that nearly destroyed everything and everyone! What happened? She was fine when she left the house. Next thing I know she’s in the fetal position in her mother’s arms crying inconsolably and I’m getting the glass fixed!”

“I…I didn’t know,” said Colsin as he recalled the night before once more and how desperately defeated, she was. “

“Of course, you didn’t! You don’t know anything outside of your interests! Do you?” the question was clearly sarcastic. “You’d better fix this! And fix it now!”

“I’ve already spoken with her, dad,” Colsin finally said after his father gave him space to speak.

“Is that right?” Maven asked suspiciously; that hint of sarcasm still subtly ever present. “And when did this happen?”

“Last night,” he said. “Apparently, she was…more upset than I thought she was and…”

“What did you do to the girl, Colsin?” Maven reverted to the question of before. “Neliyah Larken is the meekest of young women. Kind and generous. I’ve never seen that side off her before.” Maven scoffed and shook his. “And you’re the one who brought it out of her. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I knew that she was upset about what happened that day at school, but I didn’t think that she would tear up the house because of it.” Although it appears she’d do that and a bit more, he said to himself.

“Tell me…what happened, boy,” Maven demanded of his son.

He didn’t like being addressed as a boy. Colsin’s upper lip twitched with aggravation, but he answered his father, nonetheless. Because Maven demanded him to but also because, after a few seconds of consideration, Colsin realized that maybe his father should know about this stranger.

“There’s this guy,” said Colsin. “This new guy, and I don’t like. I don’t trust him.”

“And why is that?” Maven crossed his arms with a brow raised. “He’s after your mate…isn’t he?” He called his son out on the truth of the matter.

Colsin clenched his jaw, the idea of Liam being so obsessed with what was his, grinding his gears.

“It’s more to it than that, dad.”

“You sure about that?”

Colsin, where once had averted his gaze from his father, looked at him again. “That’s one of the reasons. A big reason, actually,” the young alpha confessed. “But I also don’t trust him. I’ve asked Reece and Ethan to watch him, and so far, nothing has come out about him.”

“Well then so he’s on the up and up is what you’re saying,” said Maven. “If he is then-.”

“No…dad,” Colsin cut in. “there is literally nothing that he can find on him. He just appeared out of nowhere and seems like he immediately magnetized to Neliyah Larken.”

“Colsin, the girl is very beautiful,” Maven attempted at reason. “The only reason no one made a move before now was because they were afraid of being judged but it did not stop them from talking about it and trying to muster up the courage. This Liam character seems to have mustered up the stones to pursue her.”

“Well, I don’t like it!” growled Colsin. “I will not allow it!”

Maven chuckled. “You must have had a good talk with her if you assume that she is actually going to adhere to being considered as little more than your property, son.”

“You know that I don’t think of her that way,”

“I don’t know anything,” retorted the great alpha. “I know what I see, and I know what you tell me. So far you have told me nothing to make assume otherwise.”

“She came to me…last night and…we talked.”

“Neliyah Larken is not the type to just approach you.” Maven grew suspicious. He was a good read on people, and he knew that his son was hiding something. “What happened?”

“Dad, all you have to know is that…she opened my eyes to how she was being treated, and we’ve…come to an agreement of sorts.”

“And what does that mean? You going to stop screwing around with that girlfriend of yours? I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, believe it. I don’t want to hurt the girl,” replied Colsin. “As you said, she’s a good person. Whether we agree to be together or not, the girl does not deserve the betrayal that I forced her to experience.” He recalled how Nel pleaded with him about this. “I told her that I would try my best.”

“And what exactly are you going to tell Sara? She already doesn’t like the girl and you deciding to keep her at arm’s length is going to raise some possessive red flags.”

“I don’t owe Sara an explanation,” Colsin convinced himself.

“Oh, but you do,” Maven corrected his son. “She’s your girlfriend-the one that you may choose to be your mate. You owe her an explanation.”

“If I tell her the truth, she is going to give Neliyah Larken a very hard time.”

“Last I heard, and based off of what I’ve seen miss Larken can more than handle herself.”

Colsin fought the urge to smile as he was proud of how powerful the girl was, despite her pack position not being official. “That, she can,” he said.

Maven watched as his son seemed to display a sense of pride concerning the girl. “You like her…don’t you?”

Colsin’s gaze shifted to his father. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course, you don’t.” Maven shook his head. “I’m glad you talked to her and I’m holding you to the promise of taking care of the girl. And be careful about how you handle her.”

“I told you, I’ve got it handled, dad.”

“Hmph!” Maven shook his head and sat at his desk. “Sometimes, son, we bite off far more than we can chew.”

“You think being mated to her is biting off more than I can chew?” He didn’t know how he felt about his father doubting his perseverance.

“Son,” he stood from his desk. “I just think you need to be careful. She’s a Larken, and those women are always a lot to chew.”