Alpha Knight (Wolf Ridge High 2)

“None of your business.”

Yeah, I know. Real quick. And mature.

But the truth is, it’s not. I don’t owe him any explanations. I’m sorry his brother got caught, but if Winslow would’ve let me sell the thing, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.

Then again, maybe I’d be sitting in juvie right now, and my innocent cousin would be on her way to fulfill some disgusting pedophile’s horrific fantasies.

“I’m gonna find out, Legs. All your secrets. You can’t hide them from me.”

“You’re not.”

Even if I wanted to tell him, I wouldn’t. Not even if we were besties, and I trusted him with my life. My shit is too dangerous.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

There’s more silence. I think maybe he’s going to let it go, but he says, “Are you in some kind of trouble, Sloane?”

I think it’s the first time he’s used my real name. I can’t decide if I like it or not. It definitely does something to my chest. Shoots straight in like a dart. Tries to crack me open. There’s a sincerity to the way he asked the question, to his use of my name that makes it extra personal. Almost sympathetic.

But I’m not dumb enough to fall into that trap.

Bo Fenton is not my friend.

He’s not here to shoulder my burdens. He’s not my white knight.

“None of your business, Bo.” I repeat in that overly patient sing-song voice.

“Keep it up, and I’m going to climb my giant ass up to that bed and steal all the mattress space, so you’re sleeping on the edge with no pillow.”

It’s a goofy visual and such a soft threat that I chuckle.

I can’t see in the dark, but I imagine Bo smiling back. For a guy who hates me, he’s starting to get downright flirty.

Can’t say I mind it, either.

God help me.

I cannot fall for this guy. Not even for a minute. Not even for pretend.

He doesn’t care about me. He’s just here to make my life difficult. And even if he did care—and again, he doesn’t—I’m not at liberty to form friendships or relationships or any kind of bond that could be exploited by the mafia.

I need to figure out how to get rid of Bo, so I can get on with solving my very serious shit problems.

I need to steal another car and fence it by Monday, or I’m fucked.

Chapter 6

Bo

I’m up before the Cave Hills princess, but I hear movement in the house. Her aunt has already showered and is moving around downstairs.

No sound from the cousin’s room.

I get up and quietly pad to the bathroom to pee.

I hardly slept last night because of my raging case of blue balls.

I swear, I almost got up to jack off in the bathroom twenty times, but I suffered through it. I probably should’ve just let off some steam.

Because now, just the thought of Sloane being in the shower beside me has me harder than stone.

I flush the toilet, and I'm washing my hands when the doorknob from the other bedroom door twists.

Fuck! The cousin!

In a mad scramble, I leap into the bathtub and hide behind the curtain.

A door shuts— the one to Sloane's room.

Fuck.

I hear the sound of her peeing. Then her hand reaches behind the shower curtain and turns the shower on full blast.

I bite down on my yelp of dismay as cold water drenches me. I slept in my jeans and tshirt last night, and now they’re getting soaked. Dammit!

I’m holding my breath, trying to figure out if it’s better to rip my clothes and shift into wolf form, so the kid finds a wolf in her shower instead of a very large male stranger when I hear a knock on the door to Sloane’s bedroom.

“Rikki?” The door opens and a frantic Sloane peeks behind the curtain on the other side of the shower. She disappears again. “Hey, would you mind if I took a shower first this morning? I promise I’ll be super fast. I just feel so gross, I can’t stand to wait another minute.”

“Uh...okay.” Rikki sounds doubtful.

“Thanks. Five minutes—I promise.”

“All right.”

I hear the door shut, and Sloane rips the curtain back.

I grin at her. The water is warm by now, so not so bad, other than the wet clothes sticking to my body.

Sloane reaches in and grabs a fistful of my t-shirt. “Get out!” she mouths, pulling me forward.

I grin as I allow her to tug me out. I fucking love her getting physical with me. Alpha female all the way. She really shoulda been a wolf.

She yanks a fluffy pink towel from the rack and shoves it at me, then points urgently toward her bedroom.

I laugh silently, walking backward in case she’s going to start stripping to get in the shower. Wouldn’t want to miss that shit.

She’s onto me, though. She flexes her foot and uses it to push me the rest of the way out, then shuts the door in my face.