Two

The next day at school everyone is avoiding me. What's up with them? Oh well not like they were my friends anyway.

"You filthy mutt!" Jack pins me to the wall outside the cafeteria after lunch.

"Hello Jack." I say as he scowls.

"Why would you do that!?" He asks. I push him off of me.

"You started this! Stay off our land!" I tell him and head to my next class.

I looked for the girl from last night all day but didn't see her or smell her. After school I went to meet up with Devon in the library.

"Thanks for this." I say sitting across from her.

"No problem... so do you know what happened with Stacy?" She asks as I pull out my book.

"Stacy?" I ask.

"Yea Jack's sister... she wasn't at school today. Someone said she was sick and would be out today and tomorrow." Devon explains. "She seemed fine yesterday and I know they went to that beach you always go to so I thought maybe you might know something."

Crap! I didn't mean to hurt her Tray said she'd be fine!

"Don't know... actually Devon I can't do this." I say.

"Of course you can it's just math." She laughs.

"No... you see... man I'm a jerk... one of my boys bet me I couldn't get you to go out with me... I shouldn't have taken the bet it's not fair to you." I tell her. I already hurt one person unintentionally I wasn't going to hurt her too.

"Did you lie about needing help?" Devon shocks me with her question.

"Ummm... no I am nearly failing... but my motivation was all wrong and I'm sorry." I say.

"Do you still want help?" Is she really offering to help me? I just told her I am scum and she still wants to help me.

"Yes?" I answer still not sure why she is offering.

"Than as long as you don't hit on me we're good." She opens her book and my jaw drops. She's seriously ok with this?

"Look you told me the truth. It was a crummy thing to do but you didn't go through with it which means you just might not be as bad as people think. I'll help you if you still want it." This girl is amazing! The only thing that would make her better is if she were a wolf.

We spent hours studying and I honestly think I understand it better. Devon is extremely smart!

"Well I have to go... same time Friday?" She asks standing up. I start to laugh and she gives me a look.

"Sorry it's just funny... friday is when I was supposed to take you to the grill to show up my friends... yea friday is good same place same time?" I ask.

"Yup... see ya Friday." With that we both leave.

○●○●○

Friday morning I saw Stacy at school. She looked like normal. I guess I was freaking out for nothing. Tray did say it took a couple days for the mark to fade. She was probably just embarrassed and didn't want people to see. That was the point right? She gets embarrassed and they stop coming on our land. I guess we'll just have to see if it worked.

After my study session with Devon the boys picked me up for more beach time. I mean we only have a few months before the humans take it over so we make the most of the time we have.

"Dude you are so weak! I can't believe you told Devon about the bet!" Tray laughs at me.

"I like her man... I don't want to hurt her... plus she has been helping my grades alot!" I tell him.

"Awww my little Alpha book worm! You gonna just read poetry to the next rouge that attacks us?" I roll my eyes at him.

As soon as we get to the beach we see both the Sand Stone and the Ocean Spray packs teens lounging on our beach.

"Move it!" Tray yells at them as we approach.

"Not a chance runt!" Martin of Sand Stone says to him. He is only an inch taller than Tray but he is standing tall trying to look intimidating.

"My packs land! Move along trespassers! " I tell them. Wayne from Ocean Spray comes up next to him.

"Your dad let's us hang here you have no right to tell us to leave!" He says.

"We are going to swim now so yea I have every right it's my land!" I growl.

"We won't stop you swim away! But we're not leaving." Wayne says.

"Fine." I say and take off my shirt. "But I don't have shorts."

"Really dude! Come on! We got girls here!" Martin says.

"Not my problem you wanted to stay!" I shrug at him.

As soon as my hands reach my waistband Martin punches me in the nose and I fall back. I stand up and lunge for him. A pretty brunette girl jumps between us.

"I think we can settle this a better way!" She says then I hear a mind link from Tray.

"I think so too... I don't see Jack and his group here... our last strategy seems to work." He links and I know what he means.

I grab the girl's outstretched hand and pull her into me. I pin her back to the front of me, move her hair, and bite down in one fluid motion. I hear her whimper and I let her go pushing her into Martin.

"Let's go Ryan!" Tray calls. We run to the car with all the males hot on our heels. We dive in and drive off.

"That was awesome!" Tray says as we speed home. "They won't be coming back any time soon!"

"I still don't like this." Matt groans from the back seat.

○●○●○

"What happened to your face boy!" Dad asks as we get home.

"What are you guarding the front door or something?" I yell at him earning me a growl. He walks over to me and grabs my nose giving it a jerk. "Ahhh! What the crap dad!"

"Surprised one of these two didn't reset it for you." He says looking down at me. "What did you do now? And don't tell me it's about that beach again."

"It was... but I was going to ignore them and swim. When I went to strip to go swimming Martin punched me!" I explain.

"Seriously Ryan stop fighting with the other young Alphas! You will want them as allies later. If you keep this up you will ruin this pack!" Dad scolds me.

"Sorry." I murmur looking at my shoes.

"Just go to bed." He says and goes back to his office.

"Are you ever going to stop getting in trouble?" I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Ruby!" I yell. My cousin runs up to me giving me a hug.

"You look like crap... come on let's get you cleaned up." She leads me into the kitchen and starts wiping up my blood.

"When did you get in?" I ask.

"A few hours ago." She replies.

Ruby lives in a large pack that covers a few states in the center of the country. Her mom was my dads sister. She and her brother Alic visited every summer since she and I were 13.

"Why are you here so early?" I ask.

"Uncle Rhy didn't tell you?... I'm gonna go to college here." She tells me.

"Thought you had a boy back home... what found out you weren't mates?" I tease her but she gets a serious look.

"I turn 18 next week so I don't know yet." Her tone tells me not to push.

"So birthday... we're having a party right?" I smile trying to lighten the mood.

"What ever idiot!" She says. I got my smile tho. She laughs and punches my arm.

"You just need to chill out or that pretty face of yours won't be pretty to much longer... and I'd hate to have an ugly cousin." She plays with my hair then smacks me on the back of the head. "Shape up boy!" She yells.

Just then my dad walks in.

"I thought I told you to go to bed." He says eyeing me.

"My fault Uncle Rhy. Didn't want him bloodying up his pillow. No one wants to clean that... Can't I hang with my little cousin for a bit?" She gives him the biggest puppy dog eyes.

"Hay you know I'm older than you right?!" I argue her 'little cousin' remark. Dad just rolls his eyes.

"Tomorrow." He says hugging her. "Tonight your 'little cousin' needs to go to bed before he gets himself into any more trouble." This time I roll my eyes. I am NOT little! "Bed now Ryan." He orders and I turn and leave.

I'm glad Ruby's here. Shes always been a friend. I hope she gets over calling me idiot soon if she stays tho. That's been her name for me since we met. If shes gonna be here all year for four years that will need to stop.