I called out to mom that I was in my room, and that Frankie had to go back to school early as he needed to do something for class. She replied that she was happy he had gone. Of course she was.
I was all alone in this… wait. I had Vicki. She had called and wanted to speak with Frankie before all this happened. She wanted to speak to him badly. was she warning him. Did she know he wasn't a student? Oh god. She knew. The look. The look they gave each other, she knew he was a dealer on campus, she went to all the parties. That would be where she knew him.Fuck.She wasn’t my friend; a real friend would have said something. How did she know to warn him about Jett and Mekhi? Oh god… she knew about them too.
Another round of tears burst through, I suddenly realized I had no one to talk to about this.
I was all alone in the world.
Chapter24
Mekhi
We walked out of Clare’s house. Our tail between our legs. We hurt her, there was no one to blame but ourselves. How could we have ever thought that compelling her was the only way to make her happy.
We took all her memories. That’s what she said. She had been struggling this whole time.
Because of us.
Jett let out a snort when he heard Clare tell Frankie they were over and to leave. I turned to him, even my packmate was changing. This mess was all our own making and now everything had changed and no one was happy.
“This isn’t you.” I told him, but he was too focused on Frankie to hear me. He stopped just on the edge of the grass before it led into the woods behind her house. He was waiting for him.
“Come here, cat boy. I’m waiting for you.” Jett taunted him again. A wicked gleam in his eye. He paced back and forth watching the house.
I just shook my head and moved away from him. I dropped to the ground and leaned against a tree, the rough bark scratched at my back, but I didn’t care. At least it was a distraction for the heartbreak I felt inside. I placed my face in palms, not wanting to see this. not wanting to be here. I wanted to go back in time and beg her to stay. She could have moved in with me. My parents loved her and she was always welcome.
It didn’t take long for Frankie to get to us, dumping a bag on the damp earth with a thud. He watched Jett, I saw Frankie’s eye tick as he gritted his teeth.
“I might be adrug dealerbut I’m not an asshole. That title goes to you,Jett.What you did in there wasn’t going to hurt me, you knew that. You could call me any names you want. I don’t give a shit what you think of me. But you knew it was only going to hurt Clare, more than you already have.”
Frankie was right, what Jett said, he didn’t have too. He could have gone about that in a different way. Spoken to him and told him we knew about his lies. As much as I hated the guy for taking my mate. I didn’t see it that way anymore, he didn’t take what didn’t belong to us. He had every right to be with Clare. He didn’t know we had claimed her… was going to claim her. Marry her and raise our pups with her. He believed she was single, and she was the best person I knew, of course she was going to catch someone’s eye at college.
But Jett did say that to hurt Frankie, he wanted Clare to know about his lies as if it would make our own lies seem smaller. He knew it would have hurt her, everyone she loved had betrayed her. Even if he was angry at Frankie, Jett knew it was only going to hurt her more and he chose to do it.
Jett didn’t seem to see it that way as she shifted into his gray wolf form. I stood up and called out to him.
He growled baring his teeth at Frankie who didn’t move an inch. He didn’t even flinch at Jett’s wolf. He had bigger balls than I thought.
“Jett, cool down.” He just snapped his teeth at Frankie, and I shook my head.
“And you call Ranger the hot head. Look at you now. This isn’t you, you’re not like this and I don’t like the person you’re becoming.” It was breaking me too. Clare and now Jett. So much hurt and anger and it was killing me.
Frankie watched us closely, not moving. Slowly Jett sat and stopped his growling. But stayed in wolf form. It was better than nothing at least.
“Clare is amazing. She truly is.” Frankie started. He threw his hands up and paced a moment before stopping and turning to us again.
“You both know who I am, well you think you do. Sometimes life doesn’t give you hugs and kisses and food in your bellies. Have a family with your pack, looking out for one another, caring about each other.” Frankie shook his head and sighed. Running his hand over his short hair. I could see how much this troubled him.
“You might see a drug dealer when you look at me. I don’t care what you or anyone else saw. I only cared what she saw. Clare didn’t see a guy who has spent the last twelve years putting food on the table for his junkie mom and kid brother. The son who takes his mom to the hospital, yeah, human hospital because she has overdosed again.
“She saw me for who I wanted to be. Never pitied me or felt sorry for me, because I didn’t want her to see that other side of me. I wanted the life I dreamed of. I never had the chance of going to college. I never had the chance of a childhood. She never judged me for the way I looked, not once. She is the sweetest and most caring soul I have ever met. But you know that already.”
He paced again, running his hands down his face but I could tell he was on the verge of crying. He continued when neither of us spoke up.
“I know I don’t deserve her, she was too good for me, for my world…ourworld. She doesn’t deserve our shit, and I’m going to do what she asked me to.Leave. I never want her to feel that way again, and I know in my heart that with the three of us trying to be in her life. It will only break her.”
With that Frankie bent down and took his bag, swinging it over his shoulder he looked back at us. He spoke the truth. But it was hard to swallow.
I nodded to him, agreeing with what he said. He opened himself up to us, he told us his truths when he didn’t have too. He could have fought with Jett and not said a word. But he didn’t, he was a bigger person than Jett and the least I could do was acknowledge Frankie, for who he was and what he had said here today. We all seek love and happiness.
