Discovered, p.4
Discovered, page 4
I’d meant to say it to myself, but Carter caught it and asked, “Ray?”
Shit. What excuse had I given him again? “Oh… he’s Henry’s… uncle. He was the one who asked me to come pick him up.”
Carter nodded, accepting my explanation before he gestured towards the house. Then he crossed the lawn to the front door, which was standing open. I could see before even stepping inside that the house was way more packed than it looked from the street. I paused in the hallway, all the noise dizzying my head again. The music, the sounds of a game of Beer Pong taking place in some other room, girls giggling flirtatiously and boys cheering, no doubt because someone had just done a keg stand.
The worst thing was the smell. That was one reason I didn’t really hang out with people so much since I got my enhanced senses. At school it was different; I could keep a distance from people, by choosing seats near open windows or just taking longer journeys to classes that took me down mostly disused corridors. Inside the house, though… people had crammed themselves everywhere. The stench of alcohol mixed with sweat and the copious amounts of aftershave and perfume, which people had doused themselves in like some sort of strange mating pheromone, as if half a bottle of Dolce & Gabanna was all they needed to guarantee the night would end in sex. Although, judging by the sights even just in the hallway, it worked. More couples were making out, and I blushed as I saw another pair, who I didn’t recognise, heading up the stairs together. They were acting like dogs, picking up the scent of a bitch in heat, and it was nauseating.
I wasn’t usually one to judge. Live and let live was my motto. But tonight, I just wanted to find Henry and get out of there. And everyone in the house was getting in the way of that.
I inhaled deeply through my mouth, trying to ground myself and steady my senses, pressing my palm against the closest wall when another dizzy spell reared its head. Carter turned then, a concerned look on his face.
“Maddie, you okay?” He asked.
I forced a smile. “Yeah. Just getting a headache… it’s hot in here, right?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, and they flitted over my face like he was searching for something, unconvinced by my explanation. Finally, he nodded, a reassuring smile spreading across his face. “Yeah… just follow me. We’ll find Henry and get out of here, okay?”
He held his hand out, and I looked down at it, confused for a moment. Then I placed mine tentatively in his, and his grip tightened around my fingers. He pushed his way through the crowd, although he was stopped occasionally by claps on the back and calls of ‘Yo Johnson, you made it!’
After about the fifth time someone stopped Carter, trying to pull him away to some activity or another, he put his arm around my waist, pulling me up beside him as we stepped into the kitchen, like he was afraid I might get lost in the crowd. Or maybe I was the anchor, and he was using me to keep himself from being spirited away into the sea of people. Whatever his motive, I didn’t care. The weight of his arm around me was comforting.
Somehow, the kitchen was even more packed than the rest of the house. A group of guys crowded around a huge fridge, which, far as I could tell, had no food inside. Instead, it was filled from top to bottom with beer bottles. More empty bottles and solo cups lay abandoned on every surface in the room, and some sort of drinking game was being played around the kitchen island.
The smell of vomit floated through the room, and my nose pinpointed the source to be the large inset sink. I made a mental note to not get too close.
Finally, I saw Henry. He was leaning against the kitchen counter, a red cup in hand, and one of those big smiles on his face that almost reached his eyes. My stomach somersaulted at the sight of it. I wasn’t sure if that was because of how gorgeous that smile made him look, or whether it was jealousy. Because that smile was trained on the petite, gorgeous blonde beside him.
Sophia.
My heart sank. Hadn’t he said, just a couple of hours ago, that he and Sophia had broken up? It didn’t look that way, and nausea swirled in my stomach at the thought that he’d lied to me. We weren’t close anymore, sure, but we didn’t lie to each other. Ever. Why would he lie to me about that?
I swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in my mouth and painted a false smile on my face. Because at that moment he spun away from Sophia, his nose in the air. He’d caught my scent, and a puzzled look spread across his face as he searched the room for me. When he finally spotted me, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, only deepening as he looked from me to Carter, still beside me, with his hand resting on the small of my back. Henry’s mouth pressed into a thin line, his head tilted to the side and his bangs falling into his eyes as he stared at us.
Swallowing back the disappointment of seeing him with Sophia again, I raised both eyebrows while dipping my head in a gesture for him to come over. He just turned his attention back to Sophia, whispering something that I couldn’t hear over all the noise in the kitchen.
What the hell? Was he seriously just going to ignore me?
“Hey,” Carter said, leaning down to my ear so I could hear him over the music. I jumped slightly at the sensation of his breath on my neck. “There’s Barton over there.” He said, thinking I hadn’t yet spotted him, since I was just standing frozen in the middle of the room.
I nodded. I didn’t dare speak in case my voice shook and gave away my emotion. I’d come on Ray’s orders to find Henry, and he’d just ignored me. For Sophia? He had to have known I wouldn’t be there for no reason. I gritted my teeth as my sadness quickly progressed to anger, and then I forced myself to step forward and head across the kitchen in his direction.
Henry might not want me there, but I had a job to do, and it was more important than him getting laid.
I kept my head down, not making eye contact with anyone. Few people knew me, but a couple were beginning to recognise me the longer I was there. I could hear my name being tossed around the room with surprise.
When I finally looked up again to draw breath, he’d stepped away from Sophia and was walking towards us.
“Maddie?” He said when he reached us. He said my name like a question, and then looked at Carter. “And Johnson…”
“Hey man!” Carter smiled and held his hand up for a high five. “How’s it going?”
Henry high-fived him, but there was no enthusiasm behind the gesture, and he glanced back at me, waiting for my explanation.
“Your um… Uncle… um, Uncle Ray sent me. Cady is sick.” I looked into his eyes, hoping he would realise the lie. That he would read in my expression the thing that I couldn’t say – that it was an order from the Alpha. “And, um… you have to go home to help.” Henry still looked confused, his eyebrows drawn tightly together as his gaze flicked momentarily back to Carter. “Carter drove me here… in his truck…” I added.
He nodded curtly, understanding that I couldn’t explain further in front of Carter. His face was taut, though, and I could tell that I’d pissed him off somehow.
But of course I had. I’d forced him to acknowledge me in public.
“I’ll go say goodbye to everyone and meet you outside.” Then he turned and walked away.
Fifteen minutes later, I was leaning against Carter’s truck, my arms pulled around me as a shield against the cold. I didn’t take my eyes off the door, staring like I could make the guys hurry by sheer force of will.
Some of the basketball team had stopped Carter again on the way out, insisting they wouldn’t let him go until he played at least one game of beer pong with them. I knew their faces from watching the games, but they weren’t anyone I spoke to. Not that it was surprising; I didn’t speak to many people. But Carter was a lot more popular than I’d realised. He’d tried to get away, arguing he was driving, and he had to get me home. But they were relentless, and eventually he threw me an apologetic look before allowing himself to be dragged over to the dining table. I excused myself and made my way outside.
Henry emerged from the house first. He spotted me and headed over to the truck, a thunderous look, somewhere between anger and worry, on his face. It wasn’t much of a change to his usual sullen expression, and most people probably wouldn’t have even noticed the way his eyebrows drew slightly tighter together, or that he was blinking more than usual as he fixed me with an intense stare. I noticed, though. I always noticed.
“What’s going on, Madison?” He asked in a hushed tone, even though no one was around to overhear us.
I shrugged. “I genuinely don’t know. Ray got a call, and then he called a pack meeting and sent me to pick you up.”
“And you thought it was a good idea to bring Carter Johnson along, on pack business?” His tone was irritated, and I felt a prickle of anger run through me to match it.
“I tried to call you.” I said, glaring, as he took his phone from his jacket pocket, as if he didn’t believe me, and then grumbled when he saw the notifications. “He offered to direct me, since I didn’t know where you were. And I’m not a confident driver, Henry. What difference does it make, anyway? We’re only taking you home. That was the order. It’s not like we’re going to get attacked by some rogue on the drive back and have to explain what we are to him. You’re overreacting, as usual.”
He clenched his jaw as he matched my glare. What the hell was his problem? Was it really that big of a deal that I’d brought Carter along?
But Carter wasn’t really the problem, I realised. He’d been talking to Sophia when we turned up, and he was still pissed that I interrupted them – that I’d ruined his chance at sex tonight. Earlier, he’d suggested he at least missed that since their breakup.
Well, boo for him.
That stung more than I cared to admit, and I swallowed back the bile that threatened in my throat as we continued to stare at each other. Both of our eyes were burning with anger towards the other, and normally I’d be the first to crack, desperate to avoid any sort of confrontation. But I was tired of it.
Silence fell between us like a wall, with both of us firmly on opposite sides of it. And I wanted to climb that wall. I wanted to smash it to pieces and run over the rubble and grab him, and get my best friend back. But I wouldn’t apologise for accepting Carter’s help. And I certainly wouldn’t apologise for following an order from my Alpha.
“Sorry about that, guys!”
Carter’s chipper voice sounded over the pounding of my blood in my ears as I seethed. It was like I was waking up from unconsciousness. I blinked, remembering that I was standing outside a strange house in Silveroak, on a freezing snowy night. Being with Henry did that to me sometimes; made me forget where I was. Sometimes even who I was.
I turned to look at Carter as he approached, and he raised his eyebrow at me, sensing the tension. I just forced a smile onto my lips. He pursed his, obviously wanting to say something, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he pressed the button on his keys to unlock the truck. I quickly grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, scrambling into the middle seat of the cab. Henry climbed in beside me while Carter headed around to the driver’s side.
The drive back home was not nearly as pleasant as the former.
Four
The next forty minutes were probably the most uncomfortable I’d ever experienced in my life.
Henry had the door open and was tumbling out before Carter had even applied the brakes after pulling into his driveway. He raised his eyebrow at Henry’s retreating form and shook his head. I just shrugged apologetically before thanking him and promising to keep in touch.
I didn’t really intend to. It was easier that way. But I appreciated his help.
The anxious knot in my stomach didn’t relax until Henry and I were alone in my dad’s car.
“So, what else did Ray say?” He demanded as soon as both our doors had slammed shut.
I sighed as I clicked my seatbelt into place and prepared to pull away. “I already told you… Ray got a call, he called a pack meeting and sent me to get you. I tried calling you.” I reminded him, my tone more curt than I intended, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or, if he did, he didn’t care. “I don’t know anything else. If I did, then I’d tell you.”
I glanced over at him again briefly, to see his mouth set in a thin line. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Henry was almost eighteen, and he thought that should mean he could be a more active member of the pack. He hated being treated like a child, and the thought of being excluded for another three years drove him crazy.
There was one major sticking point that was always brought up whenever he mentioned it to Dan and Sierra, though. He still spent too much time behaving like a teenager.
I bit my tongue, feeling a powerful urge to point out to him that, had he been at headquarters and not at yet another party, Ray may have included both of us in the meeting. But that would only cause an argument, and I just wanted to concentrate on driving us both home safely.
Thankfully, the Barton home was only a couple of streets over from Carter’s house. I didn’t think I could last any longer than that. Not trapped with Henry in such a small space. The pungent smell of whiskey clung to him and, judging by the strength of the odour, he’d been knocking them back with vigour to make up for his late arrival to the party. I sighed as the memory flashed of him, standing in the kitchen, holding a red cup. He’d been mixing his drinks, too. That explained why he was so tipsy when he usually handled his drink pretty well.
A tipsy Henry Barton was even more unpleasant than a sober one. He was cranky, and the silence between us was excruciating.
Like the Manor, the Barton house wasn’t flashy, but it was clear from the first look that the owners were well off. I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the large, beige coloured building. The house was one of only two on the street, and it was set in almost eighteen acres of land. To the front there was a porch, with three steps leading to the front door, and off to the side sat a double garage. In front of the garage, the driveway was empty, so I pulled on to it, slowly, taking care not to skid out on the ice that had settled.
There was a light on downstairs, shining through the closed blinds of the living room, which faced the street. Sierra was home. I expected nothing different, since Dad had told me to take Henry home and wait for him there, but it was still reassuring to see, considering Ray’s reaction to that phone call…
I reached for the door, but Henry didn’t move, and I turned to him quizzically as my hand hovered over the handle. He didn’t look at me, instead keeping his gaze fixed forward through the windshield for a few seconds before he spoke. “I’m sorry.”
I glanced at him with surprise. “What for?”
“Being a jackass to you… and Johnson.” He sighed. “I just wish Ray would let me help with all this shit, y’know? He pulls me away from my life, from my friends, from…” He trailed off then, and I felt a sharp stab in my gut.
“Sophia?” I finished for him.
He didn’t deny it. “Fuck, I just wish he’d trust me more. I’m not some stupid kid. And I hate the idea of my dad going out there to fight or whatever shit, while I’m stuck at home. He’s got Cady to think about.”
“It might be nothing, H.” I reasoned, although I didn’t believe it. That Ray sent me to collect Henry suggested there was something serious going on; either it was an excuse to get me out of the way so they could talk without me overhearing, or he was genuinely concerned about Henry being out alone. Probably both. Either way, something had Ray worried. “Besides, you seriously think your dad would just stay home changing diapers while you go out on pack duties? Henry, you know as well as I do. If he had to choose between himself and you, your life comes first every time. Your mom would say the same.”
He sighed again, heavier this time, and then shook his head as if that would clear the thoughts from his mind. He reached out to brush the door handle, although he didn’t open it. But the conversation was over. His wall was back up and who knew when I’d get another peek over the top again. The ache in my gut intensified at the thought.
Sure, we still spent time together in the forest, and that was great. But without the pack? I couldn’t help but think there would be no me and Henry at all. We used to talk all the time, about anything or nothing, sharing our deepest secrets with each other. That stopped a while ago. These days, every conversation we had felt superficial or forced. It was easier when we were in wolf form and couldn’t speak.
So, when I got these brief glimpses of him, and the relationship we used to have… I wanted to cling to them so tight that I risked suffocating us both.
“Anyway,” He said as he sank back into his seat, his hand falling away from the handle to thump into his lap. “You and Johnson? I didn’t think you guys hung out anymore.”
I bit back a sigh at the sharp turn of conversation. He hated being the centre of attention, especially with anything involving his emotions, so he was pushing me to a topic he could control. Or one he could snipe at.
“We don’t, really. I just thought he might have been with you… since you weren’t answering your cell. Remind me again why your parents even pay for your bill?”
He chuckled lightly. “Sorry about that. I was busy. Sophia was telling me…” He trailed off, and I cursed myself, my hand flying to my mouth as I realised the groan I’d meant to be just in my head had actually been audible. “You really don’t like Sophia very much, do you?” He asked.
“It’s not that, it’s just…” My words faded away to an incoherent murmur as I watched his face. His eyebrow had pulled up and the corners of his mouth were teasing into a smirk. “Okay, it is that. I just think you can do better, that’s all. She’s so superficial, and you’re so…”
“What?” He prompted as the smirk formed across his mouth.
My breath caught slightly, and I felt my cheeks heat from sitting so close to him. He was barely even blinking; his eyes locked on mine with such an intensity that it was mesmerising. I felt like, if he had asked me anything, I would have told him at that moment. Like I was under some kind of trance cast by the deep pools of his eyes, and I couldn’t tear myself away. I didn’t want to. But he just waited, and all I could do was stare. What the hell was wrong with me?
