The crowds part for us. People admire. Smile at me. Speak to me.
“Hi, Bailey.”
“Hi, Bailey.”
“Hey, Bailey.”
“Way to go, Bailey.” I get smiles, and waves and high-fives the whole way. Every single one of them rips down my walls even more. Today, I bared myself to the entire school.
And they received me.
I’m shaking by the time we reach my locker. Not out of fear. Just emotion.
Cole crowds behind me and wraps an arm around my waist, spreading his palm over my belly. “You’re trembling, Pink,” he murmurs. “Are you okay?”
I nod, a few tears leaking out. “It’s nice to be acknowledged,” I say, turning around to face him. “I guess that’s what happens when I’m escorted around by the king of the alpha-holes.”
He shakes his head. “No. That was all you. It was the article you wrote. You won their respect, no thanks to me.” He pulls me into his chest and wraps me up tight, pressing his lips to my hair. “Pretty soon, I’m going to be introduced as the journalist’s boyfriend.”
“Ha.” I laugh into his chest. It feels so good to touch him again. To feel his strength and solidity. To breathe in his scent and know he’s got my back. I bite his pectoral muscle through his shirt.
“Hey.” He laughs and pulls back. “I must be rubbing off on you. Are you trying to mark me?”
“I have no idea what that means, but it sounds fun.”
His eyes flash yellow for a moment and he crowds me back against the lockers. “Careful what you wish for, little human,” he rumbles in my ear right before he attacks me with his mouth.
Epilogue
Cole
Freshly showered and changed, pumped with post-game endorphins, the alpha-holes jog out of the locker room and push through the throng toward the parking lots.
We just trounced Cave Hills. They’re our biggest rival, not because they’re great ballers—at least not football. Rich humans’ parents don’t let them play the sport because of the concussion thing. No, the rivalry is more due to proximity and the economic disparity between our two communities.
Bo scans the crowd in the direction of the guest team parking lot.
“Who are you looking for? Gone in Sixty Seconds?”
“Shut up. Don’t call her that.”
“Is she here?” I start scanning, too, wanting to see the human who has Bo’s balls all twisted.
A moment later, he goes rigid. I follow his line of sight toward a tall, leggy human who stands a head above the other kids around her. She’s stunning just in sheer size, but also gorgeous, with long, caramel-colored hair.
“Catch you guys later,” Bo mutters, veering off.
“Sure you will,” I call back.
My own balls tighten in anticipation of finding Bailey in the crowd.
I find her standing by her car with Rayne, but the two aren’t alone. A group of girls is gathered around them talking and laughing. Over the last couple of weeks, Bailey’s been integrating more and more into the Wolf Ridge social structure. That means Rayne is, too, because Bailey isn’t the type to abandon a friend when her social status changes.
“Pinkalicious,” I call out as I approach and then run in to grab her waist and toss her up onto one shoulder.
She giggles, her thighs squeezing my chest and back as she rocks on her perch three feet above everyone else. “Show off.”
I bite her inner thigh and she creams her panties. The scent makes me growl. I fucking love handling her like a doll, showing her how much more powerful I am than she is. Giving her a reason to swoon over me.
I’ve been working my ass off to prove I’m worthy boyfriend material. I publicly stake my claim on her every chance I get: picking her up, carrying her, holding her hand, pulling her into my lap at lunch. She goes soft for all of it. Looks at me with those warm brown eyes and makes me feel like a hero.
There was one fight with my dad over it. A short one that involved me showing wolf eyes and fang and telling him he’d better goddamn respect her or we’re done and he backed down. It’s a work in progress. He’s been sober for two weeks, going to AA meetings every night and working at the convenience store every day. He’s depressed and defeated, but at least he’s not drunk.
He’s a smart, capable man. At least he used to be. He’ll figure his shit out.
“What’s up, Rayne-bow?” I fist-bump the runt, who was trying to fade into the background. “You hanging with us tonight?”
“Sure.” She shrugs like slumming with our group is normal and she didn’t just shoot from outcast sophomore to hanging with senior royalty.
“Put me down, Cole.” Bailey’s squirming. Riding my shoulder’s getting her too horny for her own comfort.
I swing her around and drop her down to straddle my waist, my forearm under her ass. She twines her arms around my neck and kisses me. I want to drag her out of here alone. Take her up to Austin’s cabin and fuck her blind.