Read Online Deadly Mates (Deadly Trilogy) by Ashley Stoyanoff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashley Stoyanoff
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afternoon. She should have been accessible. She should have been by my side through that meeting. Erika answered immediately. At home s tudying.
I stared at the message for a long moment. Had Jared even tried to find her or was she lying to me? I wasn’t sure. Jared didn’t like Erika, like at all, and she loathed him. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d simply ignored his calls and at the same time it wouldn’t have shocked me if he hadn’t even tried to reach her.
God, I hated feeling like this. Lost and confused and sad. Really, really sad. The pack had always seemed so close from the outside looking in. A tight -knit group. But the reality was so different. It was like living in a constant power struggle, never knowing who you could trust and who wanted to watch you crash and burn. I was certain Aidan was up to something with his little plan of spending time with Jared and me, and I knew Jared was up to something. He always was. And I was stuck in the middle, wanting someone I shouldn’t want, and with someone I didn’t want. On top of all that, if Aidan’s plan worked the way he wanted, I would be forced to pass judgment on my dad. As a friend of the pack his betrayal meant I would be issuing a death sentence. The thought of sentencing my father to death was just too much, way too much. No matter how evil he was, he was still my dad. I was still his little girl. Was it completely wrong that I didn’t want to be part of the hunt? Most likely.
Another twenty minutes passed by and the front door finally opened and closed. I heard Jared’s whispered conversation with my mom, too low to really make out what was said. Then his footsteps, clunking up the steps. A knock on a door. “Trevor knows you’re staying here?” Jared asked.
“Um, yeah, you want me to call him?” Marcy asked. She sounded nervous.
“Yes.” Jared didn’t sound happy. I squeezed my eyes shut, pulled in a deep breath, and pushed myself up. Jared didn’t turn around when I opened the door. He stiffened, his neck tensed. “Jade, go wash that smell off of you,” he said, the words clipped, brisk.
I felt sick. Hot and cold and sick. “Is everything okay?” I asked, looking at Marcy. I took a step, and placed a hand on Jared’s back. He flinched and I let my hand fall away. I’m such an ass-hat. “She can stay here if she wants, Jared.”
“Not if her mate hasn’t okayed it, she can’t. I’m not housing her without speaking to him. Jade, go.” His tone was cold, challenging even.
Marcy smiled. It was forced, a little shaky. She mouthed It’s okay and made a shooing gesture at me.
I hesitated for a second, staring at his back, willing him to turn around, but he didn’t. Marcy scrolled through her contacts, and gave me a pointed look before thumbing the screen and bringing the phone to her ear.
I turned away, took the few steps to the bathroom, and let the door click shut behind me, sinking to the floor. In that moment, I hated, hated , being at home. It didn’t feel like home, not anymore. It just felt like one big lie.
I hugged my knees to my chest. I hated feeling like this. Since taking over as alpha female, I’d spent the last few days doing what I thought was right. I had stayed away from everyone, the pack, Aidan … I’d been convincing myself that working with the team was the right thing to do, pretending to be with Jared was the right thing to do. Stay away. Keep them safe. But as I sat in Aidan’s house, listening to his plan, realizing that he needed help, something had dawned on me. I was no better than him. I had condemned him for lying to me, for manipulating me, but really, I was just as guilty. And watching him glare at Jared made me realize that I was hurting him just as badly as he had hurt me.
God, I suck!
By the time I finished scrubbing Aidan’s scent from my body, Marcy
I stared at the message for a long moment. Had Jared even tried to find her or was she lying to me? I wasn’t sure. Jared didn’t like Erika, like at all, and she loathed him. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d simply ignored his calls and at the same time it wouldn’t have shocked me if he hadn’t even tried to reach her.
God, I hated feeling like this. Lost and confused and sad. Really, really sad. The pack had always seemed so close from the outside looking in. A tight -knit group. But the reality was so different. It was like living in a constant power struggle, never knowing who you could trust and who wanted to watch you crash and burn. I was certain Aidan was up to something with his little plan of spending time with Jared and me, and I knew Jared was up to something. He always was. And I was stuck in the middle, wanting someone I shouldn’t want, and with someone I didn’t want. On top of all that, if Aidan’s plan worked the way he wanted, I would be forced to pass judgment on my dad. As a friend of the pack his betrayal meant I would be issuing a death sentence. The thought of sentencing my father to death was just too much, way too much. No matter how evil he was, he was still my dad. I was still his little girl. Was it completely wrong that I didn’t want to be part of the hunt? Most likely.
Another twenty minutes passed by and the front door finally opened and closed. I heard Jared’s whispered conversation with my mom, too low to really make out what was said. Then his footsteps, clunking up the steps. A knock on a door. “Trevor knows you’re staying here?” Jared asked.
“Um, yeah, you want me to call him?” Marcy asked. She sounded nervous.
“Yes.” Jared didn’t sound happy. I squeezed my eyes shut, pulled in a deep breath, and pushed myself up. Jared didn’t turn around when I opened the door. He stiffened, his neck tensed. “Jade, go wash that smell off of you,” he said, the words clipped, brisk.
I felt sick. Hot and cold and sick. “Is everything okay?” I asked, looking at Marcy. I took a step, and placed a hand on Jared’s back. He flinched and I let my hand fall away. I’m such an ass-hat. “She can stay here if she wants, Jared.”
“Not if her mate hasn’t okayed it, she can’t. I’m not housing her without speaking to him. Jade, go.” His tone was cold, challenging even.
Marcy smiled. It was forced, a little shaky. She mouthed It’s okay and made a shooing gesture at me.
I hesitated for a second, staring at his back, willing him to turn around, but he didn’t. Marcy scrolled through her contacts, and gave me a pointed look before thumbing the screen and bringing the phone to her ear.
I turned away, took the few steps to the bathroom, and let the door click shut behind me, sinking to the floor. In that moment, I hated, hated , being at home. It didn’t feel like home, not anymore. It just felt like one big lie.
I hugged my knees to my chest. I hated feeling like this. Since taking over as alpha female, I’d spent the last few days doing what I thought was right. I had stayed away from everyone, the pack, Aidan … I’d been convincing myself that working with the team was the right thing to do, pretending to be with Jared was the right thing to do. Stay away. Keep them safe. But as I sat in Aidan’s house, listening to his plan, realizing that he needed help, something had dawned on me. I was no better than him. I had condemned him for lying to me, for manipulating me, but really, I was just as guilty. And watching him glare at Jared made me realize that I was hurting him just as badly as he had hurt me.
God, I suck!
By the time I finished scrubbing Aidan’s scent from my body, Marcy
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