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“But you care about how I would feel if something bad happens to Keith, enough to keep him safe. I still care about Aera too, even if you won’t admit your own feelings. Rainer knows we grew up with her, Gray.”
I stopped on the curb, my fear surfacing. “What are you trying to say?”
Cole shuffled next to me, his laser beam eyes making me shudder. “Gray, Rainer is no longer in your pack. You can’t possibly still trust him to keep his claws in. What if he ends up hurting someone?”
I looked away briefly, still in denial about the entire situation. “He won’t.”
“You’re lying to yourself.”
“Look—just because we fight, doesn’t mean it’s the end,” I argued.
“You shot him with wolfsbane. It was attempted murder.”
“I just wanted to warn him,” I retorted. “I never meant for him to leave.”
Cole huffed. “You warn people all the time, but this … it’s worse. Your soft spot for him is a little bit disorienting,” he stated. “I may not be a part of a pack, but I know enough to know that when a wolf chooses to leave a pack, it’s not just some argument. It’s war. I heard what he said.”
I breathed softly, practically giving up. “Just give me more time. I’ll take care of this, I promise. This isn’t just about Rainer or Keith or you. I have the rest of my pack to worry about too. I need to consider everyone’s opinion. I need to try and understand the difference between how they would feel and how you would feel—”
“For God’s sake, Gray. Stop trying so hard to please everybody. Especially not the wrong people,” Cole cut me off. “You can’t protect or save everyone. Even superheroes can’t do that. If you want to protect someone, you gotta stick to one side. It’s either your pack or your family. And just so you know, choosing your family means caring about what or who they care about too.”
“That’s funny coming from you.” I didn’t want to say it, but I felt like I had to as the pain in the right side of my chest surged, metaphorically. “My pack is my family too, Cole. In fact …” I exhaled with a short pause. “They’re more of a family to me than you are.” Those were the last words I said to him before taking off toward Aera, who was already talking to herself—orthinkingout loud (her bad habit)—about our first kiss.
Shoving my guilt aside, I focused on Aera Song. Everything she said, all the dangers I might’ve put her in. I used my feelings of remorse over her to forget I was already regretting whatever I had said to my cousin. Then I offered Aera the kiss of life (according to her clearly audible mumblings), asked her if she wanted to do it herself, and if she even liked me. It wasn’t my intention to put her on the spot or confuse myself with the truth, but it was worth the shot to ask her, “Do you like me?”
“Of course, I like you,” replied Aera, her eyebrows raised and jaw dropping in unison with her ice cream. I watched it melt into the ground. “You’re a funny guy,” she added, avoiding eye contact, “and apparently, you’re the only friend I have. Which is awesome, because you’re very funny. Being funny is important—”
“Okay,” I chimed in. “Is that a compliment or an insult? Like, do I look funny to you?”
“No, you look fine.Andfunny.” She gave me a puzzled look as if she knew she wasn’t making any sense either, and all I could do at the moment was mirror her reaction. “I should probably go,” she announced. “Goodbye.”
“Goodb—we’re not even done yet!” I bellowed as she advanced across the street. “Fine and funny? Totally vague and easily misunderstood. Why not vibrant and endearing? Aera? Do you just run away when nothing makes sense?” I called out and ran after her. “Because nothing is making sense to me right now,” I went on. “I am majorly confused and I need a mountain of answers to ease this perplexity. Aera? Ple—” and then everything else happened at the speed of a hypersonic missile.
A Ferrari hit me on the side, sent me flying to the ground head first, as the supercar screeched to a halt. The intense pain took the air out of my lungs. However, the agony and shortness of breath subsided rather quickly. I was healing. In front of ordinary people. “Oh, fuck.”
Play dead!
Between all the clamor that racked my brain, I thought I heard someone call my name.
I groaned, hoping Cole would find me first. I didn’t want to have to explain the supernatural thing going on with me.
Not yet.
A pair of bulky arms lifted my body from the ground. My nostrils recognized the scent closing in on me—Cole, coming to my rescue, carrying me like a bride, and yelling at the driver’s carelessness.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry!” the male driver exclaimed. “I didn’t realize there was someone on the road.” I could sense his feelings of remorse and the fear that he’d rot in jail, both loud and clear.
I could’ve gotten back on my feet, reassured him for the sake of his sanity, but I didn’t want to double anyone’s fear. Besides, there could be hunters out there, waiting for me to reveal myself. I had no choice. I played the unconscious victim who was, in reality, at fault for jaywalking but nobody would admit that since I supposedly almost died.
I sneaked a peek from the corner of my eye.
The hood of the driver’s car looked like it just slammed itself into a bus instead of me. No wonder it ended with me soaring about twenty feet or so to the ground. The impact seemed to have broken my ribs, at least temporarily. I would still feel it for a while until the initial shock wears off.
Everyone on the street panicked, one random woman managed to call 911, and Aera was crying over my not-so-dead body.
God, the noises only made it worse.
Not long after that, I blacked out.
