Alpha Obsession

Chapter 38

I underestimated the danger of a smile

"Are you going to school today?" my mother asked as I came down for breakfast. She should have already left for work, but she must have called out in case I'd need her around. My dad was in the kitchen putting together a family breakfast. The buttery scent of pancakes invaded my mind as I sat down at the table. A perfect family morning.

I considered going to school for a moment before answering. "Can I go tomorrow instead? I'm still not feeling too hot right now." My mother walked over to me and put a hand on my forehead.

"You may not feel it, but you've got a temperature. I can call the school if you want me to," she said with genuine concern. I shook my head and tried to change the subject once my plate was covered by pancakes. The combined power of the warm buttermilk and the sweet steaming syrup was almost too much for my hungry senses to bear.

"These look amazing, father," I said when he took his seat at the head of the table. We started eating, but I soon realized that the silence was forced. My parents had questions, but they were waiting for me to be ready for them. I sighed, "I know you have questions. Can I answer them one at a time?"

My father didn't miss a beat, "are you a werewolf?"

"No."

"Are you pregnant?" my mom and I both recoiled in shock. She answered before I could.

"Adrian! Of course not," she barked, but then doubted flashed over her facial features and she turned to face me. "Of course not, right?"

"Mom!" my father erupted into a laughing fit that nearly had tipped him off his chair. "How could you ask that?"

"Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean it that way. You haven't 'gotten anyone else pregnant,' is what I meant to ask. You've been taking much more care of your appearance recently after all."

I shook my head and waited for their next questions. They asked me about my feelings and school first to get an idea of how damaged I was. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't feeling so damaged after sleeping.

Demons incoming. Brace yourself and take any red meat out of your freezer to distract them. Hunter's voice sounded so clear that he must still have been roaming in my bedroom.

Before I could question his message, there was a soft knock on our door. The pieces immediately put themselves together, and by the time my father rose to get the door, I had a solid vision of how the morning would go from here.

"Hi there, my name is Emilia Blake. Is this the Kent household?" I didn't have to hear her name or see her face to recognize the sweetness in her voice. That much innocence couldn't be faked by anyone else.

"Yes it is, are you looking for Jake?"

The girl has a serrated metal string hidden underneath her skirt. I'm too disgusted to look at the male. I suddenly got a flash of Hunter's view and saw the Blake twins from 15 feet in the air. Nicholas was standing by their car with his arms crossed and an arctic scowl on his face. Emilia was entering the house with my father. I realized that Hunter' head must have been leaning outside from my window to get that view.

Dang it, Wolfe. Pull your head back inside before they see you, I scolded him mentally.

They already know I'm here, Jake. I flipped them off as soon as they drove up.

"Jakey!" Emilia beamed at me like a long-lost friend and I couldn't help but return the smile. "Nicholas and I thought we could drive you to school today. With all those dangerous animals in town, it's probably better to carpool more from now on. I know I may not look like much, but trust me when I say that I'll have your back," Her words made my smile falter.

Like HELL she will! Hunter's rage was like a kettle full of molten lava.

I needed to get them out of the house before things escalated, but my options were limited. I turned to my father for aid. Luckily, he got the message.

"I'm sorry Emily, but Jake isn't going to school today. Maybe next time?" he proposed. Emilia didn't look troubled by him getting her name wrong. Maybe, because she had no intention of backing down.

"But what about midterms? You didn't forget about those, did you? If you miss school this week, you might really fall behind on the material we're going over." Her smile suddenly seemed a lot less sweet in my eyes. it was as if the air in the room had grown heavier and harder to breathe in. My mother- who had been casually observing the interaction- yawned and leaned back into her seat.

I glanced up and caught a shift in my father's eyes. He looked more...compliant.

"I really think it'd be for the best if you come to school with us. It's for the best." The muscles in my head and neck strained as I tried to put together a better way to decline. I struggled for a moment, but when my father put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle push, I knew it was over.

"Why not, give school a chance today? Your fever doesn't seem too severe, and you have such a sweet girl to give you a ride. Go on, son."

That was what she's capable of. I underestimated the danger of a smile.

So, I've made a couple temporary decisions! You may have already noticed, but I've decided to both italicize and underline the mental conversations that go on between Jake and Hunter. I feel as though leaving it in only italics makes it harder to tell the difference, so from now on it will be underlined as well. i'll be changing the format of all the previous chapters too once I upload the last chapter of this book and do an edit overhaul, so let me know what you think :3

Also, What did you think of Jake's parents in this chapter? I try to show how hard they try to be considerate parents, but did I lay it on too think? or did you think that Jake just has an awesome family ;)