Chapter 11
*****
*Jayden’s POV*
I chuckled listening to Kaden, Izabella and Hayley argue about why Hayley should sit in the middle while Trent kept muttering for them to be quiet. We were a couple of hours from the next rest station and had been driving for a while.
I was weighing whether I had to use the restroom enough to ask Trent to stop the car or if I could make my body wait until we arrived at the station. I was already struggling to hold it, but didn’t want to inconvenience everyone.
Corey was beside me with the basket between us again. Sleeping? I assumed he was, because he had his headphones on and hadn’t moved in the past hour.
He had not said a word to me since linking to me at the hotel. Part of me was hurt, but a more rational part realised that maybe it was for the best. It was not like he would say something I wanted him to; he wouldn’t start a normal conversation. He would probably just scowl at me and say things that would hurt more than the silence.
Trent was driving now while Sean sat in the passenger seat flipping through radio channels.
“Anyone’s phone not dead?” he asked.
“It’s a long ride, Sean,” Kaden replied. By that, he meant he didn’t want his phone to be used for audio and to die.
Since we left home in such a hurry, no one had thought to bring a car charger and Kaden’s power bank had died after being passed around. We had all forgotten to get a car charger before we left the previous town.
Sean sighed giving up on the radio and turning it off.
“Hey, Jay. Why not make some music for us?” Hayley asked.
I shook my head without turning around.
“Come on! You’ve been writing since we left Inferno, even before that. Let’s hear it!” Izabella said.
“You’re wasting your breath. He didn’t even sing when I begged him to while in the time-out corner. Just let me be bored out of my mind for fifteen minutes,” Kaden said.
“We were six,” I frowned over at him.
On that day, we kept getting minutes added to our initial five-minute time out because he insisted on annoying me and we ended up fighting.
“Yeah, and two weeks ago we were locked in the basement. What’s the difference?” he asked.
It was an interesting story. There had been some renovations at the pack house, and we went into the basement to grab some board games without realising the code on the door had been changed. Our phones had been in Kaden’s room at the time.
Well…
“Layla and Bentley were in the basement with us.” I shrugged.
Kaden rolled his eyes, and I smirked leaning back in my seat.
“I need a bed!” he whined.
“I need the bathroom!” I groaned, realising there was no way I could wait.
“Trent, pull over before I kill him and he never gets to the ladies’ room,” Corey hissed, sounding completely annoyed as he sat up and pulled the headphones off. So, he hadn’t been asleep?
I bit my lip. Kaden had repeated the bed thing three times without a complaint and the moment I said something, it pissed Corey off.
“Fine. We’ll just stay in this city. One night. How the hell are we supposed to make a three-day trip to the Peaks when you guys stop as much as you can?! We’re never going to get there!” Trent said as he stopped at a hotel.
“The stores are still open! Let’s buy some proper food.” Izabella got out of the car.
“Izzy, wait –” before Sean could finish, Hayley and Izabella were gone.
He let out a sigh through his nose as he shook his head.
“You’ll get used to it eventually. They do that a lot,” Corey said.
“I doubt I will,” Sean muttered. “At least they went together.”
I hopped out of the car.
“Where are you going?” Corey followed me out.
“Uh… The bathroom…” I said, carefully. The tone seemed to be automatic when I spoke to him since his fuse seemed so short.
“Alone? So, you can get into trouble again?” he frowned.
I lowered my head, feeling bad. I had apologised to everyone for the Brent thing, they insisted it wasn’t necessary and asked if I was okay, but Corey was still upset.
It made sense, he had killed someone because of what I had gotten myself into. And then there was the drink fiasco at the mall… If I had just paid attention to where I was stepping, I wouldn’t have fallen. I couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble and always ended up dragging other people into it with me. At the hotel and just like I had almost gotten that woman at the store in trouble.
“I’m sorry…” was all I could think to say, again.
Corey gave an irritated breath as he shook his head.
“Fucking lay off, Corey,” Trent hissed.
“Whatever. I’ll get the rooms,” Corey announced, climbing out of the car and walking away.
Sean gave me a sympathetic stare.
“I promise he’s not always like this… He’s usually… better…” Sean muttered.
I just nodded before I left for the bathroom.
Obviously, just by learning about how much his pack admired him and looking at the way Corey treated Hayley and Izabella – even Trent, Kaden and Sean – I knew he was a nice person, just not to me.
Given my history and lack of friends though, that seemed to be more on me.
—–
“Sean, I’m getting worried,” Izabella mumbled, tossing her phone onto the bed.
She looked concerned and had been pacing for the past few minutes after trying to call her best friend several times.
Corey had booked two rooms, four beds each, but right now we were all in one room.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Kaden frowned, glancing at the clock, it was almost twelve.
“No, he’s been pretty reckless lately. I’m almost certain he’s drunk and passed out somewhere,” Trent said.
“He drinks that much, huh?” Kaden asked, his face twisted in unimpressed disgust.
“Not usually. Which is why he probably can’t handle it,” Trent frowned.
I glanced at the window feeling the ever-present pull towards Corey strengthen slightly. It felt like he was nearby or already inside the building.
“He’s close…” I mumbled as I drove by Kaden on the screen.
He let out a frustrated cry and I laughed. I could feel Corey’s pull getting closer, until –
“Shh! Be quiet.” That was him.
I heard a light giggle and felt instantly sick as my stomach turned, my chest tightening.
“I’m supposed to be working –” more giggling. “Stop it! It’s ticklish!” the soft, feminine giggles turned into laughter.
“That’s the point,” Corey chuckled, slurring a little.
I felt a ball begin to grow in my throat, closing it up but didn’t clear the suffocating knob or move as my stomach and chest felt more and more uncomfortable, beginning to ache slightly. I didn’t want to draw anyone’s attention to my reaction to the sounds.
“He’s drunk. I can’t believe he really got drunk! He’s going to have a hangover tomorrow and I swear I’m going to blast music just so his head will hurt more,” Izabella said.
“You’re so evil sometimes,” Trent grimaced.
“I like it,” Sean smiled at his mate.
“If this is where you attack her, I suggest you move to the empty room next door,” Hayley teased.
“Shut up!” Sean and Izabella snapped, their cheeks reddening.
They laughed, and I attempted to join in but stopped when I heard more giggling.
I was trying hard to hide how uncomfortable I felt, my heart was pounding so hard in my chest that it made me want to throw up as my wolf whimpered in my head, the pain of imagining what was just outside the door causing my body to feel slightly numb.
“Jay, you okay?” Kaden frowned.
I hated that he noticed that I wasn’t. It made everyone look at me. He seemed to realise that and regret asking out loud as his brows knitted into deeper concern.
“Fine. Tired,” I lied.
He opened his mouth but then shut it, deciding against speaking. I was quite grateful for that. I didn’t want to be questioned.
I was getting pretty close to breaking. Was that what he wanted? Of course. He hated me. I knew that and yet no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t hate him as much as he did me. I couldn’t stop hoping things would change.
It hurt so badly.
Every day, I would see Sean doing anything possible to make Izabella happy while Corey absolutely despised me. He checked up on her constantly, he was worried about where she was and even when they sat apart in the car, I saw them glancing over at each other as they had silent conversations through their links.
I wasn’t going to have what they had. We weren’t going to be like Alexis and Tyler, ever. He was never going to accept me. I knew why, I just didn’t understand it because this wasn’t how mates were supposed to be.
For the longest time, the only thing that made me feel better was knowing that somewhere, no matter how much everyone hated me, my mate was hoping to meet me too. No matter how much my dad had said no one wanted me around, my mate did. We’d find each other… and things would be okay. I didn’t need everyone to like me. I needed them to.
And then we met.
My father was right.
“Isn’t he with Sam?” Trent’s voice drew me from my thoughts.
The screen was beginning to blur. I felt like swallowing to push the pressure down my throat but knew it would force the tears out.
“It’s… It’s not official… Jayden, are you –?” Hayley was saying.
“I’m okay. Really.” I needed to get out of there. “I uh… I’ll go to bed.”
I got up and walked out, hoping to escape everyone’s pity, which I found to be the worst thing I could do because as the door shut behind me, I caught sight of Corey basically dry-humping in the hallway with one of the hotel restaurant waitresses.
They still had their clothes on. Well, most of it. Corey’s shirt was on the floor beside them, leaving his toned torso exposed. His Beta and pack tattoos were spread across most of his left arm and then ran across his chest.
I stepped back trying not to be heard and feeling completely sick as a harsh ache filled my chest. Tears burned my eyes, blurring the image in front of me as it became harder to breathe.
I was so upset with myself. My mate couldn’t be the one thing I got right?
I turned and walked down the hall away from them and our rooms without a plan of where I was headed.
There was no chance I was staying in the hotel. I’d only end up crying in front of them and that would be the worst thing possible for me because I knew none of the others would be quiet about it and they would confront him. He’d be angry at me and would snap about why everything was my fault and that was why we were on the trip.
I sighed as I got outside, wiping my eyes as my phone began blaring loudly. I answered it without checking the screen, assuming it was either my mother or Joe because no one else called me and my friends would have texted.
“Hello?” I choked out the word before clearing my throat.
“You better have a hell of a great explanation of where you’ve been, why you left without telling your mother or me – or anyone else in the pack – and are the rest of them with you? Izabella better be with you because Ian is pretty much going crazy.”
I was quite happy to hear from Joe, his voice was calming despite how pissed he sounded.
We hadn’t told them we left. I planned to, but I wasn’t sure how to explain it to him.
“Uhm… Izabella’s fine. We’re all fine.” I was very close to our Alpha; he checked up on my more than anyone else. It was probably because I was the weakest member of his pack.
“Great, now where the are you, Jayden? Why haven’t I been able to reach you for the past two days? Also, what’s wrong with your voice?”
Maybe a little too close…
“Uh… we’re… Well… You see, we… We’re… Uh…” I drifted, not too keen on telling him where we were headed because I knew he would not be happy about it. Our destination wasn’t exactly known for being safe.
“Jayden,” his voice was stern as he repeated my name.
“On our way to the Apocalypse Peaks,” I said quickly, hoping he wouldn’t hear me and just drop it.
“Did he say what I think I heard? Are they crazy?!” That was Alpha Ian, Izabella’s father.
“The Peaks?! Why the hell, Jayden?” Joe asked, sounding outraged.
“Oh no…” I heard Marcus whisper before he spoke up. “I-I might have told them about it. Though, I had no idea Corey was serious. I thought he would come to his senses if he realised how ridiculous going there would be.”
“Serious about what?” Joe asked.
“Uh, I-I have to go –” I began, not wanting to listen as Marcus explained to Joe that Corey wanted our mates to be changed.
“Jayden, hang up and you’re going to be grounded for literally the rest of your life.”
Well, he was going to ground me for leaving without his permission and ignoring his and my mom’s calls for two days anyway, so…
“Tell my mom I’m fine and I love her. See you in about four or five days, Alpha,” I said.
“Jay –” I hung up, biting my lip and immediately turning my phone off.
He was going to call back. Now Joe would be pissed at me too.
*****
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