Avoiding Alpha

She turned the page, this time more gently. “I don’t want to talk about it.”



Here we go again. She always made me talk about things that I didn’t want to, but when the time came for her to spill, she didn’t. The girl was a closed book.



“Do you think Dastien is going to come by tonight?” She asked, changing the subject right back to what I didn’t want to talk about.



I went easy on her and let the Donovan topic go for now, but I wasn’t forgetting about it. “Probably.” I thought about Dastien. His dark hair, amber eyes, and wicked smile. The little bit of cockiness to it, plus the sincerity and dimples…it melted me every damned time. The past few weeks, we’d grown closer, moving beyond our initial attraction. It’d been a little all consuming at first, but beyond that, we had a lot of the same interests. Books. Music. Dancing. And no one could make me laugh like he did.



I hoped he’d come by tonight.



“Well, just remember protection.”



I gasped. “Meredith!” Why was she bringing this up now?



“I’m being serious. I’m not ready to be an auntie yet.”



My cheeks were burning. “We’re so not even there yet.” Thank God I had the latest DJ Tiesto mix playing from my laptop. I didn’t want anyone overhearing this conversation. Werewolves’ ears were extremely sensitive.



“But you have to swear to spill when you do.” She put the magazine down and grinned at me.



“Oh my God.” I put my hand over her mouth. “Stop before someone hears,” I whisper shouted at her.



Meredith reached across me for my laptop remote on my nightstand, turning up the volume. “The Full Moon Ceremony is as good as a wedding. We should talk about what you’re going to do after, if you know what I mean.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.



“Shut up.” I leaned back on my pillow and closed my eyes. “I’m nervous. About it all. Shifting. Being with him. Am I supposed to live in the dorms still? I know he’s got a cabin somewhere on campus, but I haven’t been there yet. Plus, I’m turning eighteen the same day. That’s entirely way too young to be married. It all seems so weird and I feel awkward bringing it up with him. I don’t really know what to say.”



“Just talk to him. He’ll understand.”



“I don’t know. I think bringing it up might hurt his feelings, but taking such a huge step right now is crazy…but then I think about Dastien, and maybe it’s not so crazy. But that could be the hormones talking.” I groaned. “I’ve lost my mind. I’m rambling. Say something, please. Make me feel better about this whole thing.”



“You haven’t lost your mind,” a low gravelly voice said beside me.



I squealed and opened my eyes. Dastien was crouched beside my bed, his eyes level with mine. “Oh my God. How long were you listening?”



“Right as she was advising you on taking precautions.”



I hit Meredith. “You knew he was there, didn’t you?” I threw the covers over my head as they started to laugh. “You both suck and I hate you.”



Dastien pulled the covers down a little. His smile was big, showing his dimples. “Je t’aime, cherie.”



God. He just killed me with that look. And then telling me that he loved me in French…



He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.



“That’s my cue to leave, but think about what I asked.” Meredith stood, but stumbled on her first step.



I leapt across the bed. Thanks to my quick werewolf reflexes, I caught her before she hit the ground. “What was that?”



Meredith looked a little pale. “I don’t know. The room spun. That usually only happens on the full moon days.”



This was so not good. Werewolves were graceful at all times. They never tripped, stumbled, or got sick. I pushed her back on my bed. “Sit.” I grabbed a Coke from my mini fridge. “Drink this. Maybe you’re hungry?” Whenever my wolf was getting control, I felt a little out of sorts. Food usually helped.



Meredith downed the drink, and I looked over at Dastien. “Is this normal?”



He shook his head. “None of what Meredith has gone through is normal.”



“If you talk about me like I’m not here, I’m going to flip out,” Meredith said.



Ignoring her, I pulled out a chilled Snickers bar from my mini fridge. “Eat.” Her color looked a little better once she was done. “How do you feel now?”



“Fine. I get a little off around the full moon. Must have started a little early this month or something. Nothing to worry about.”