I hurried off to the lunch line hoping that Kendall wouldn’t follow me. I needed to be alone. It was killing me being near Allison. Being close enough to smell her was almost physically painful. I hadn’t seen her all day, but I could smell her everywhere. This was not normal! How was I supposed to pretend like there’s nothing there? There was definitely something there. Something I couldn’t ignore. Something I definitely couldn’t explain.
And Kendall. Somehow, I was supposed to be with Kendall even though the mere sight of her suddenly repulsed me. Where the hell does she get off telling me what to do? I totally get that she wouldn’t want her boyfriend hanging out with another girl, but telling me that I have to stay away from Allison? Threatening to tell my father if I don’t? How could I pretend that nothing has changed between us?
But, I had to. I wasn’t exactly sure what my dad meant when he said, “And you know what that means,” but I knew it couldn’t be good. Would he keep me from being the next alpha? Kick me out of the pack? Disown me?
There was only one thing I could do. I didn’t have the same options that others had. There were rules that I was expected to follow, no matter what. No one really gave a damn about what I wanted. It has always been, and will always be, what’s best for the pack that matters.
Just as I was heading back toward the table, Sammy walked up and asked, “Hey man, you okay?”
I gave him as much of a smile as I could muster and lied, “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a bad day.”