Chapter 10
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*Corey’s POV*
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After what happened in the hotel, everyone thought it would be a good idea to do something that would get our minds off it and set everyone at ease. Once receiving the car, we drove to a mall in town and spent some time at an indoor trampoline park.
It was fun even though we had to hold back our strength and speed because we were in a human city. We ended up in a game of dodgeball. I spent most of the time teaming up with Trent and trying to hit Sean. The girls thought it was unfair and teamed up with him.
Jayden and Kaden sided with us solely because they wanted to be on the same team and the numbers were fairer with them on ours. Kaden was a good partner while Jayden was basically invisible throughout the game.
It was obvious from the way he threw the ball that he had terrible hand-eye coordination. I wanted to find it annoying, but found myself laughing instead. That seemed to upset him anyway, which I was happy about because it meant he couldn’t tell that my stupid wolf thought it was cute.
He wasn’t great at dodging either, so to save our team I had to keep blocking the ball. It wasn’t just that, my body instinctively moved when the ball flew in his direction. It worked out well, we weren’t losing. I tried not to think about why it was so easy catching the ball to save him.
I had not acknowledged him since the elevator incident. I refused to even talk to anyone about it, pretending it never happened.
It was easy to do so when everyone stopped pestering me and got distracted by playing in the park.
When we finished, we all decided to get lunch in the food court. There were lots of places to eat, but I wanted pizza and the only other two people that happened to want the same were Kaden and Jayden.
Since everyone still insisted on trying to make me acknowledge the ridiculous mating, they refused to help me carry things, so I took a walk to the stand with Jayden and Kaden, staying silent and keeping a distance from them while they talked about the park we had just visited.
I got a silent annoyance from listening to them talk and realising how much Jayden touched Kaden. They always stood weirdly close to each other. He was so clingy, it irked me. I wondered if they were friends because Jayden knew he needed someone powerful around as he had no strength of his own. That was something weaker wolves seemed to do; cling to more powerful friends hoping for protection instead of working on their own. Kaden didn’t seem to mind.
I kept my distance even in the restaurant, their voices making my head hurt with annoyance. Finally receiving our order, I took the pizza while Jayden carried the drinks and Kaden held dessert doughnuts he and Jayden had decided to buy.
From what I heard from their conversation – because their pair spoke non-stop – it was a cheat day for Kaden who usually stuck to a strict, healthy diet while Jayden just always had sweet things.
We turned from the counter and began to head to the door, but right before we could step out, Jayden slipped, letting out a cry as he tumbled onto his back, the drinks instantly spilling all over him.
My visceral, mate-induced, reaction was to reach out and help him before my rational mind could stop me, but Kaden had shoved the doughnuts onto the box I was holding and had grabbed Jayden’s arm before I could. I stepped back, hoping they had not noticed my immediate reaction.
They were too distracted to notice as Kaden asked if his friend was okay. I looked at his ankle feeling a slight sting in my own and almost rolled my eyes at how easily he got hurt.
Jayden cringed, causing an involuntary whimper in my head from my wolf as he moved his foot a few times, having twisted his ankle a little.
Jesus, it was just a little twist. Anyone but an Omega would have healed before they had even landed on the ground. He was so dramatic.
“Is it bad?” Kaden asked.
Before Jayden could answer, someone spoke.
“Oh my gosh. Are you okay?”
“No, he fell because the floor is wet,” Kaden said.
“I’m so sorry – I was – I was going to get the sign but someone – someone called me over,” the woman tried to explain. “I’m so sorry –”
“No, it’s fine… Just a fall,” Jayden mumbled as Kaden helped him to his feet. “I’m okay.”
Despite how annoyed I was, my eyes trailed on his ankle as he put his weight on it, a slight ache pounding through my own. Why could I still feel that? Why had he not healed from a simple fall yet? He couldn’t have fractured it, and it didn’t feel like he had so he should already have healed.
“You’re soaked –” the waitress seemed to be panicking as she tried to reach for Jayden, but he stepped back into Kaden to avoid her hands.
“It’s just juice. Really, it’s fine,” Jayden insisted.
“I’m so sorry –”
“What happened here?”
My head turned as an older man walked up to us, the tag on his shirt displaying that he was the manager.
I was about to point out that there had been no sign on the wet floor, but Jayden spoke up.
“I spilt my drink and slipped on it. I’m sorry,” he said.
I raised my brows at his immediate answer.
“Just miss-stepped.”
The worker was shocked, and I tilted my head at Jayden as the manager stepped up to him.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, fine.” Jayden hopped a little to prove it.
I opened my mouth to say something about his careless movement on the still-wet floor, but Kaden started before a sound left my mouth.
“Jay –”
Kaden and the manager simultaneously caught Jayden’s arms when he almost slipped again, steadying him. Idiot. I bit my lip holding back a scolding at how stupid that was.
Jayden laughed after being steadied.
“This is quite a mess. Sorry about that,” he said to the waitress.
“I…” she drifted.
I realised he didn’t want her to get in trouble for not putting the sign there or drying the floor fast enough. He wasn’t at all upset about the fall or how sticky his clothing was.
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to brush away the thoughts in my brain about how kind he seemed, instead replacing them with annoyance about how he could not have noticed the floor was wet, to begin with. I refused to start thinking of him as anything but the worst person, the worst thing that happened to me.
Looking at his ankle, I could no longer feel an ache and he seemed to be stepping in it fine. Took him long enough to heal.
“We apologise. Please let us replace your drinks free of charge. Rachel, can you get this cleaned up?”
“Of course!”
“You get the drinks, we’ll meet you at the tables.” Kaden didn’t wait for my response as he led Jayden out of the restaurant.
I looked after them confused at being left there, but also at Jayden’s reaction to what happened and still trying to fight the automatic, tiny amount of admiration that had sparked. He hadn’t been upset, not for a second. I would have understood initial anger and embarrassment at getting drinks all over him, at hurting his ankle or falling, but he showed none at all.
It was astonishing how calm he was. Was it an omega thing? Maybe he had learned not to react angrily because starting a fight would put him in danger. I wanted to believe it was that, because the alternative of him just being that calm and kind made me feel like shit about how much I disliked him. How could anyone hate someone so kind and considerate?
He wasn’t. I was sure of that. Maybe he was just putting on an appearance. He wanted to seem meek and kind. He was probably very upset. He was probably glad he came out of that looking as good as he did.
It seems far-fetched, but I was going to stick to that thought. Whatever kept me from seeing him as anything but a mistake to me. It was so hard to keep hating him.
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