I tried to keep my promise to myself of being done with the Group and especially Chase. Mason ended up driving me home and I had some explaining to do to my mom for why I skipped school and was crippled. It wasn't far of a stretch for her to accept that I tripped and fell and that Wes had taken me to his uncle who was a doctor who didn't think I needed to be walking around the rest of the day.

With a few unconvinced glares, my mom eventually accepted it, but I didn't let her see the wound. That would've led to more questions. Not to mention Zoey who lurked around my bedroom door when I was changing my shirt and noted it was "an interesting wound for such a fall" before walking off.

So I was without help at home and everywhere else. Wes and Eli didn't come to school on Friday. Mason and Chase did, but they were distant. I had to stay away from Chase and he was obviously avoiding my sister, so it was fine with me. The only downfall was the fact that I had him in five of my classes. The worst of them all: English.

It was awkward in there. I didn't like it. I sat with a hand on the side of my cheek as I drew a picture of a cat intruding in on a dream cloud.

"Distracted there, Alicia?" my teacher asked. Disoriented, I looked around before laying eyes on him.

"No. Why would you say that?" I said sarcastically in a slight laugh. I dropped my mocking smirk.

"Well for one, this isn't art class," he stated.

"But it is free write time," I reminded. Meaning I could do WHATEVER THE HELL I WANTED TO in my journal.

"Free write," he repeated. "Maybe you were so busy with Wes that you picked up his habits."

Excuse me?

"Well maybe—"

"I think that it's no concern for who she's spending time with or what she's doing in her journal on a free write day," Mason spoke up. The teacher gave him a look and then walked away. Mason gave Chase a stern look that suggested something, but I didn't know. Chase gave him an immature look in return before going back to scribbling on his paper. Nice to know that hate emitted without any said word.

***

Jasmine and I sat in my room just doing our math homework in silence after school. We sighed at the same time and looked up at each other.

"I'm bored," we both complained.

"Have you heard from Eli?" I asked her. I had been trying to ask Mason all day, but he gave me dismissed shrugs.

"No," she sighed. "They said that I can't see him for a while."

That sucks...

"Have you talked to Wes?" she asked me.

"Nope," I sighed.

"I wish we could go to their house, but hell if I knew how to get there," she said. I knew she was referring to their house in the woods, but I half responded by asking her why she didn't know where her own boyfriend lived, but considering that I didn't even know where my boyfriend actually lived I couldn't say anything.

Ugh.

It took him a while to respond.

Of course when I said that, I didn't want him to. He might end up being thrown into a wall by Chase again. I sighed out of stress.

"What?" Jasmine asked.

"Wes is coming over," I informed. "And when I say 'coming over,' I also mean he's also sneaking out."

"Alicia dating a bad boy..." Jasmine said. "I can't say I didn't see it coming."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or...?" I trailed off. Jasmine shrugged. Her phone started to ring and she immediately answered it.

"Hello?" she greeted. "Uhh, okay...yeah. Sure...Whatever."

And then she hung up.

"What's up?" I asked. She started to pack her backpack with her book and papers.

"I don't know. My parents are being weird," she answered. She pulled her strap over her shoulder and stood up. "I'm just gonna go."

"But we're not even done," I reminded, referring to the homework.

"I'll find someone to copy off of tomorrow," she shrugged. We said our goodbyes and then she left. I saw Zoey walking past my room and I stopped her by calling her name.

"Hey, can you help me on my homework?" I asked for use of small talk. She rolled her eyes and entered my room. Wow. I was surprised. She was going to talk to me? I followed her into my room to see her sit on my bed and sigh.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"I asked you about math..." I reminded.

"And we both know I suck at that, so what do you want?" she asked.

"I just wanted to say that whatever Chase said was a lie. I didn't tell him anything," I informed.

"I know..." she muttered.

"Come again?"

"I know you wouldn't do that to me," she said. She looked up at me with her hazel eyes. "He said that and at the time I was just thinking about how much time you and him spent together and maybe it just slipped, but you're my sister...you wouldn't do that."

Damn right I wouldn't....even though I did, sort of.

"So what are you gonna do about it?" I asked after a while.

"I'm going to help you with your little back injury and act like nothing happened," she smiled.

"I meant about dealing with your relationship status," I laughed.

"Oh. It's in the past," she said.

"Say what?" That was awfully fast for her to brush it off that easily.

"Well considering Micah asked me out..."

"Zoey! You cannot be serious!" I scolded.

"I can't help it!" she defended. "I still love him...and he says he still loves me too."

"Dude. The guy's a player. Of course he's going to say that."

"He isn't a player..." she mumbled.

"Remind me why you broke up?" I recalled. She narrowed her eyes.

"He said it was a mistake—"

"Obviously!" I interrupted with reason. She shouldn't be with him. I rather her be with Chase than Micah! Who knows how he'll hurt her next?

"Look. I know Micah more than you do. Everything's gonna be fine," Zoey said calmly. I narrowed my eyes at her in annoyance. She was setting herself for an epic heartbreak of mass proportions.

"Whatever."

"So...I've been hearing rumors that you and Wes are going out," she said. I looked away from her and felt heat rush to my cheeks. "Ah! My baby sister finally has a boyfriend! Wes and Lili sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G—"

"Shut up," I grumbled.

"Wait. Have you...?"

"Have I what?" I asked.

"Kissed!"

I planted my face in my pillow—which hurt my back by the way—and Zoey started squealing.

"OMG!! Lili, when?!" She asked, loudly.

"Um Halloween night and then everyday I've seen him?" I answered while sitting back up.

"Aw. Lili. That's so cute," she said in a faint voice. She bit her lip and looked away with a look. I knew what it meant. She was either getting an idea or about to ask a question that she knew that I didn't want to answer. Right now, I'd go with the second one...

"Ask..." I groaned, although I'd regret it.

"Do you love him?" I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her in annoyance.

"How could you ask me that? I've known the guy for two months and have merely tolerated him for about a week—"

"I was just asking," she interrupted. "I mean, there must've been some reason you abruptly changed your mind about him," she mumbled. "But whatever. As long as you're happy and he doesn't treat you like he used to, I'm happy for you guys."

While I was appreciative of her approval, she made me start thinking. Not if I loved Wes, but could I love Wes. Aside from the fact that he had been the boy to cause so many bodily injuries on me, he was still a werewolf and that held the possibility for more disaster. The fact that he was a werewolf came with the overlaying threat of mating that I knew nothing about. Was he my mate? Was I obligated to be head over heels in love with him and wish for a happily ever after to confirm us being mates or was that after he felt those things and pronounced them? I was inevitably confused about forces I didn't know and after seeing Jasmine and Zoey's relationships with the boys, I had no idea how mine would go with Wes.

***

Wes didn't end up coming over Friday night. Nor did he end up answering any of my texts or calls. It was Monday the next time I saw him and he was acting as if nothing even happened. Just. Like. Eli. I was worrying about him and Jasmine. They were distant today more than ever.

"Hey," I said, barely limping over to Riley at the lunch line. He slid his tray against the rack with the little food that I had no clue how it filled his nutrition.

"Um hi?" he returned before moving to the other food line.

"What's up with you?" I asked, referring to his grouchiness. I hadn't seen him since Monday night of last week and now he was being aloof? Maybe I should be the one to be rude and shoot him with a bullet! "Did I do something...?"

"Actually yes and no," he answered before sliding down.

"What?" He turned to me for the first time. His silver eyes looked deep into my boring brown ones.

"Look. I don't know if you noticed, but your boyfriend is a jealous, egotistical douche bag that hates me. I'm pretty sure that in the next ten to twenty seconds, he's gonna come over here, insult me, and then leave with you all because we're having this short conversation."

"Um. I don't know if you've noticed, but my boyfriend doesn't own me," I retorted. "I can talk to whoever I want. But if you want to be a jerk and defy my generosity, then by all means that's on you."

"It's not that—"

"What the hell are you doing talking to her?" a familiar voice said. Hmm. Fourteen seconds. I looked up to Wes with a slight roll of my eyes.

"Wes, I'm trying to talk to him. Can you please just go?" I asked in a quiet voice. His deep eyes looked between me and Riley, and I noticed that Riley's composure was more confident since I stood up for him. Wes leaned down to my height.

"You're seriously dissing me for this idiot?" he muttered down to me.

"No. I'm not dissing you at all," I denied, moving around him to get my food. "I just want to talk to my friend and if you're gonna be a jerk to him then I want you gone."

"Whatever," Wes replied. He bent down to my ear. "Remember the one that shot you?"

"Remember the cause of my most recent incident?" I whispered back to him. He pulled away and gave me a shocked look that read: 'I can't believe you just brought that up,' but I shrugged before walking around him once more and paying for my lunch. I heard him give a scoff or sarcastic chuckle before I sensed him leave. I took a breath in and out.

"Thanks," Riley said to me with a crooked smile. "Can you come and eat lunch outside with me today?"

"Sure," I answered with a smile. We walked through the cafeteria and I noticed that my usual table was rearranged. Eli sat across from Jasmine, Mason was on his phone texting—without his stock pile of food, Wes was just now setting his fully packed tray on the table and glaring at me and Riley. And then there was an empty seat waiting for Chase to show up.

Riley and I took a seat across from each other at the benches outside and started eating in silence.

"So you and Knight?" he asked as so many other people had before him.

"Yup," I answered. "Me and Wes."

"He's not a good guy," Riley assumed.

"And you are?" I asked. It was meant as a way to suggest no one was really a "good guy" to everybody, but I feared he would take it in a different way—like I was comparing them.

"I am more than him apparently," he responded with reason.

"Apparently how?"

"Well considering that he hurt you—"

"How do you know that?" I interrupted.

"I've been hearing around school that you fell this weekend and he just happened to be around. I'm not stupid, I heard you mention to him who caused you last incident and I don't doubt it was him," he answered. I could understand him listening to the rumors going around school, but I was supposed to believe he heard a whisper between me and Wes? Regardless to that truth, that meant he had to have overheard Wes saying he was the reason I was shot. But eavesdropping on that and admitting to it would be more trouble because he'd have to confirm or deny it. I surprisingly kept quiet. "See, I know it's true."

"It's not like that. It's complicated—"

"Alicia. He hurt you, right?" he stated. In my heart I knew it was truly an accident and the attack was pointed at Chase, but deep down I felt like a pathetic girl defending an abusive boyfriend even though Wes wasn't that. "You didn't fall at all, did you?"

"I did fall," I assured. "He had nothing to do with it."

"And what could you possibly fall on that would cause you to have stitches?" he challenged, but I failed to ask him how he knew about those. Maybe Zoey was running her mouth.

"A flight of stairs. Little did I know that there was glass..." I lied. "You know how klutzy I am."

"And what place was this? With glass on stairs?" Riley pressured.

"Well—"

"None of your business," a voice answered. I looked up to see Chase behind me and I rolled my eyes. He looked down to me with dark brown eyes. "Wes wants you."

"Yeah. I get that. And I told him to leave us alone because he was being a jerk to Riley," I informed. Why Chase even here? Didn't he understand the fact that I was avoiding him? That means stay away from me. And I doubted him and Wes were back on good terms so quickly so why would he ever advocate for him? Oh right, because their hatred for Riley would always be more than their hatred for each other.

"Well now I'm telling you that he needs to talk to you, and I need to talk to Riley, so bye," Chase said harshly. I rolled my eyes as Riley gave me a weird look. Whatever. I slowly stood from the bench and grabbed my tray. I limped back to the cafeteria and plopped down on the seat next to Wes.

"You realized Riley's a little bitch and you missed me?" Wes asked me with a quick kiss to my cheek. I looked at him unamused.

"No. I embraced the fact that Chase Cane is a little bitch and I want nothing to do with him," I growled. I didn't think I could ever hate him, but it was starting to come to that. I felt more stirring and anxiety from the thought of him more than I ever had when first encountering Wes.

"Good," Wes replied before smiling and eating fries off his tray. "You're finally seeing him as the nuisance I've seen him since we were kids."

"I thought you were best friends," Jasmine said.

"Yeah, you and me both," Wes replied in a tone that attempted to mask his hurt with arrogant humor. Considering Wes had a nice side and a vicious side, I was glad I was treated to the former (outside of full moons). Chase on the other hand...I felt like he was a victim of whatever came between Wes' dual personalities. I wasn't passively going to think that a werewolf secret was a magic cure for the rifts between the boys that had to run deeper than just being two aggressive teens.

"So where's Chase?" Eli asked me.

"Probably still talking to Riley considering that's why he interrupted our lunch."

Eli coughed up his Gatorade.

"Riley?" he choked out. I nodded. "Shit."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing," he lied. I stood up and slammed my hands on the table.

"You know what? I'm sick and tired of people not telling me shit around here," I started. "Whether it's about Alphas or mates or anything. I want to know why people are going crazy all the time. Why do I keep getting hurt? What the hell was wrong with Eli that he's covering up and being aloof from Jasmine today? Why is it that I don't know basic shit about my own boyfriend? Why is Chase apparently the most complicated person I've ever met in my life? I want to know everything and I don't give a damn who tells me as long as I'm told. The next person who says 'I don't know' or 'nothing' after I ask them something, I'm smacking them."

"I don't think that would be smart," Mason piped up as he looked down to his phone.

"Oh? And why not?"

"I don't kn—" I lunged before he could even finish the reply.

"Smacking us isn't very wise. Remember when you fractured your wrist?" Wes started as he pulled me down onto his lap. He placed his lips at my ear to whisper something. "Calm down and we'll talk, okay?"

I looked up to him and then he leaned in to kiss me. I kissed back to his soft lips for a couple seconds before pulling away. He breathed in my face and I smelt his lemony breath. I tasted it too even though he had no trace of lemon on his tray.

"Does that mean you're gonna answer all of my questions?" I asked with a cajoling smile. He laughed.

"If you're lucky," he replied before pecking my lips again. I smiled at him as he smirked back at me in happiness. My smile dropped when my new enemy walked up.

"Why were you talking to Riley?" Eli asked him before he could even greet.

"Doesn't matter," Chase dismissed. He pulled something from the side pocket of his backpack and then dropped a tiny stack of papers on the table. Everyone took one in interest. Wes handed me one. I read the fine calligraphy that was outlined in gold.

"Billy's wedding is in two weeks. Congrats, you're all invited," Chase informed with a demanding voice. Billy had a fiancé? That's sweet.

"Who's Billy?" Jasmine asked in a whisper to Eli. He answered her back with something, but I couldn't hear. I tossed my invitation on the table. They all gave me a weird or confused look.

"Why should I go to someone's wedding when I just met them?" I shrugged.

"Because maybe he likes you?" Mason guessed.

"Because he saved your life," Chase mumbled. I narrowed my eyes.

"Because I unfortunately have the unwanted honor of being a groomsmen and I need a date," Wes said in a droned tone. He was supposed to be Billy's groomsman? I thought they hated each other.

"I'm going to go with...none of the above," I decided. "Sorry. Offer declined."

"Okay. Fine. I'll go to Billy's stupid wedding with no one as my date and the last memory he has of us as a couple is me attacking you—"

"Ugh. Fine. I'll go," I groaned.

"Thanks. You'll enjoy your time in hell with me," Wes joked before kissing me. I rolled my eyes playfully even though I really did hate the fact that the devil he was had an effect on me enough to think he'd make a wedding fun.