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Chapter 27
Margo
Before school, Mam handed me a gift bag. “For Perdita,” she said sheepishly. “A couple of treats to thank her and help her relax. She must be worried sick about her pregnancy.”
I grinned back at my mother. She was such a softy, no matter what she sometimes sounded like. “She’ll be happy to receive it.”
“But maybe you shouldn’t hang out there anymore. It could be stressful for her, too.”
“Honestly, I think it helps keep the rest of the pack from overwhelming her. They’re still wary of me, most of them. I’m like her shield wall.”
“The things you say,” she muttered, pinching my cheek. “Hurry up, and I’ll drive you to school. Make sure you’re studying at that poor woman’s house and not getting in her way.”
“She’s not afraid to tell me if I’m bothering her.” I was pretty sure anyway.
“You’re quite cold this morning.” She touched my cheek a second time. “Are you sure you’re all right? Nothing happened, did it?”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I didn’t bother with hot water this morning.”
“Hmm.” She eyed me for a moment before giving up. I hadn’t told anyone what I had tried to do at Perdita’s because now that the panic was over, I wasn’t sure anything had actually happened. I felt a little cold, but then again, I always did. I had to chalk it up to stress. Besides, I was too busy waiting to hear from Dorian to worry about myself. Dad managed to call to let us know he was okay, but he had separated from the group and was waiting for news himself.
At school, I made it my priority to seek out Victor. I didn’t have to put much effort in—he was following me a couple of minutes after I arrived at school.
“You,” I said. “We’re studying after school, right?”
He shrugged. “If you’re that keen on it.”
“Is Perdita okay?”
He smiled then. “She looks about ready to explode.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone’s losing their shit fussing over her. They keep showing up at her door to give her food and tell her mad things like keeping a wet pebble under her pillow will give her a boy. I don’t know.”
“Poor Perdita.” That gave me more of an excuse to head over there. “Well, if I’m there, they might not show up anymore.”
“Doubt it. They’re acting like she’s a queen or something.”
Dorian made it clear that Perdita didn’t like being the centre of attention. I could only imagine how suffocated she felt with all of the fuss surrounding her.
“Shouldn’t Nathan do something?”
“He’s worse,” he scoffed.
I didn’t like the sound of that either. The sooner Dorian came home, the better.
After school, Victor and I walked to Perdita’s house together. Some of the others, like Alison, fell in line behind us. It felt strange and yet comforting, as though I had taken Dorian’s place for a while. He was taking my place finding my family, and I was making sure nobody took his while he was gone. I liked that.
“The alpha’s going to punish you when he gets back, for sure,” Alison was saying to one of the boys. “You can’t keep failing tests.”
I didn’t look back, but I heard a scuffle behind us. I made it a couple more steps before growing truly irritated. I looked back to snap, “Give it a rest,” right as Victor said, “Quit it.”
We glanced at each other in surprise before facing forward in silence. The rest of the teens stopped hassling each other for the rest of the way.
At Werewolf Row, as Dorian liked to call it, the others dissipated, leaving Victor and me to contend with the crowd outside of Perdita’s house. A gaggle of women of all ages had gathered, none of them with empty hands.
“She’s not even a werewolf,” Victor complained. “How do they expect her to eat all of that food? I suppose I’ll have to help.”
