Page 57 of Fallout
Parker may be an alpha, but he’s also my mate. I know he only wants what’s best for me. If our roles were reversed, I’d probably be just as protective as him.
Parker puts my backpack over his shoulder and holds my hand as we head toward the front of the school. Others still turn to look at us though nobody is surprised to see us holding hands. They’ve seen us kiss in the hallway too many times to be shocked. All the humans know that Parker and I are dating. If only they knew that we’re more than just ‘dating.’ We’re forever.
A wolf sees us coming, so they hold the door open for us. The younger guy bows at Parker and Parker nods back.
The humans refer to the wolves as the ‘Beautiful Clique.’ They’ve long since gotten used to the weirdness of the pack, especially considering the pack has gone to school with the humans since kindergarten. But it doesn’t stop the humans from wishing they could be a part of the group. They don’t realize that we’re different in more ways than they can imagine.
“Why don’t supernaturals tell the humans the truth?” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear with my free hand as Parker leads me toward my locker.
Parker shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess because humans would likely panic. And even though supernaturals are numerous, humans still outnumber us.”
“How many supernaturals are there?” I ask, curious.
“A lot. Probably a few hundred million, but compared to the billions of humans, it’s minuscule.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “And other supernaturals don’t come back to life.”
But we don’t know how many times I can come back to life before I won’t anymore. We don’t know much about me or my species. It’s not something I wish to test either.
When we get to my locker, Will is waiting for us. Since I have my first two classes with him, he always meets up with Parker before class begins to get updates from him. For the first time in a long time, Will smiles when he sees me. I let out a breath of relief when I see that he’s not scowling. I guess our talk yesterday really did help.
“Hey, Will.” I lift my free hand to wave at him.
Parker eyes him warily. “You’re smiling. Should I be worried?”
Will rolls his eyes at Parker. “You’re paranoid.”
“Sure.” Parker narrows his eyes but nods. “I don’t care why you’re in a good mood. It’s a nice change. Henley doesn’t need your snark, especially today.”
Will squares his shoulders. “Why especially today?”
“She was overwhelmed even from my Jeep.” Parker frowns. “I’d take her home now, but she’s being stubborn.”
Will turns to me, looking like he wants to argue for me to go home.
I shake my head. “I can’t just skip. Besides, how am I supposed to learn how to block the voices if I stay home?”
Parker narrows his eyes. “I hate when your argument makes sense.”
I beam up at him. “Get used to it. I plan on winning lots of arguments.”
Will laughs. “Good luck with having her as your mate.”
But even I can see the amused light in Parker’s eyes. He grins as he looks down at me. “Come on. I’ll walk you to class.”
I don’t argue because I’ll take any excuse I can to spend more time with Parker.
Will is behind us as we walk to class. I soak in the feel of my hand in Parker’s. His hand is so much larger than mine and my fingers feel so small laced between his. The contentment that I feel in my chest when we touch will never get old. I imagine when we’re old, it’ll still feel exactly like this. Better, even. Because then, we will have years of memories to go with the feelings.
I almost feel bad for supernaturals who don’t meet their soulmates in high school. We may have longer to wait until we can complete our mate bond than older supernaturals do, but we also get to have memories of high school together.
When we get to class, Parker bends down and kisses me softly on the lips. Will sighs heavily behind me, but I ignore him as I kiss my soulmate.
“If you need me, I will come. Just tell Will, okay? Don’t try to hide anything.” Parker gently touches me. He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, making me shiver.
The feelings I have for this guy…
He turns to leave, so Will steps up beside me. The voices are loud, but I’m prepared for the loss of contact.
“You okay?” Will inquires, watching me carefully.