Page 30 of Pack Nightmare

His soulful brown eyes are filled with sadness. “Layla, you know I want more than anything for it to be true. But it’s just hard to trust it right now. There’s no need for us to decide anything today. We can take our time and figure it all out, right?”

I nod in agreement, sighing. I’d been so excited, talking with Derrek, about the prospect of breaking the curse. Even though everyone was resistant to the idea that it could be done, it pisses me off that they just straight up believe it’s impossible. Even my fated mates, who are meant to support me in every endeavor, talk around it. Like it’s so cute that I believe this fairy tale, but I’m living in a fantasy world and I need to grow up.

“Come on.” Milo throws a comforting arm around me and pokes me in the ribs, drawing a surprised laugh from my lips. “Tonight is about having fun and reclaiming our lost youth.”

“Hey speak for yourself, old man. I very much still consider myself youth,” Jared retorts.

“By all means, Homecoming King,” Landon snorts. “Let’s go visit the site of your crowning glory.”

The guys convinced me to go to the local high school football game tonight—they have their homecoming festivities the week before the college holds theirs. Even though it all bleeds into a giant town celebration, Smoky Falls at least tries to give the high schoolers as normal of an experience as they can. They’ll apparently have a dance tomorrow in the school gym.

I’m looking forward to the game. Now that I understand the rules a little better, of course. And Jared will be with us in the stands, so it’s more time with him, too. Plus, the weather is much cooler and I don’t have to worry about dying of heat stroke.

Jared assures me the entire town will be out for the game, and he’s not wrong. We leave Landon’s SUV parked at the restaurant and join the mass of people walking down the main strip toward the high school.

Of course, we have to stop at the Painted Moose because Milo needs his java fix, and he picks up hot cocoa for the rest of us from a tent set up outside for the very purpose. True to my fated’s assurances, there’s a festive atmosphere running through the entire town. Everyone is bundled in jeans and fall jackets, cheeks rosy from the cool breeze, and the crisp scent of apples and bonfire floats in the air.

And everywhere I look, people are beaming in my direction. They catch my eye and wave like they just spotted a celebrity. At first it’s a little disconcerting, but as I tap into my alpha senses, I start to see what Roxanne means. They’re genuinely happy to see me; the smiles aren’t duplicitous, and I feel almost buoyed up by the wave of excitement. If my fated give me electric tingles from contact, it almost feels like just being around the pack is a subtle source of power to me.

We follow the crowd flooding into the high school football field and claim seats a few rows up from the grass. I’m surrounded by my fated—Landon even brought a blanket to warm our laps—and I’m cozy despite the chill.

And I get it. I really, truly get it. The pack is one giant family of sorts, they’ve got this little piece here of the good life, the apple cider and fall bonfires, the joy of knowing your kids will stay and raise their families just down the street, sending their kids to the same schools you went to, and the cycle will continue.

My presence, my family and our sacrifice, ensures that. The guys, taking their places as my mates and future alphas, ensure that. It’s one driving purpose that keeps the entire world (as they see it) spinning.

But I didn’t grow up in this world. The world I know is different, and yes, perhaps some of it was pretty terrible, but this safe little existence is rife with a very small town attitude. One that screams, this is the best we’re going to get, so we’ll make the most of it and hold on like hell to every little scrap of happy we can get.

And a fierce, fiery little part of me shouts to be heard inside my mind. What if I’m here to break the cycle? What if my purpose here is to break the curse, and free them all from the oppression they’ve accepted, to believe is something they want?

I smile and sip my cocoa, watching the band play and the cheerleaders cheer. When Jared is called to crown the new homecoming king along with Amber, who crowns the queen, I stand and cheer with the rest of them. We watch the game together, and Jared slips me laffy taffy’s from a giant bag in his coat pocket. I do my part and return the wrappers to him so he can record the jokes.

But beneath the surface, I’m chewing over everything I’ve been told since arriving at Smoky Falls, and wondering just how deep their innate bias colors their ‘truth’.

Chapter Sixteen

Layla

Saturday, Jared has an out-of-town football game, and I tell Landon and Milo that I need time to catch up on my homework.

In reality, I spend the entire day pouring through volumes in the library, trying to find more information about my ancestors and the curse. I locate my great grandmother’s diaries, and I even find the one that begins with her taking over as alpha at fifteen and being forced to claim two more mates.

It’s not what I hoped for, but probably about as much as I expected.

She was angry; resentful at having to take on a responsibility she didn’t believe was hers, furious at the separatists who left and killed her sister.

I skim through several books, but they mostly detailed her extreme reactions to shoring up what she saw as weaknesses in their defenses.

And so it all came down to the Harridans, once again. Because my great grandmother became a fearful, bitter woman, and she shaped the pack to be fearful and bitter as well.

Following in her footsteps, my grandmother held the same policies, the same beliefs, the same iron grip on the pack.

And then there was my mom, who refused. She left, forcing my uncle to take on the role when he was too weak to hold it, and things began crumbling around the edges.

Which leads us to me.

By the early evening, I’m exhausted and re-shelving dozens of books. I don’t want to leave the mess for someone else to clean up, and I certainly don’t want them to suspect my motives.

The last thing I need tonight is another lecture from Mr. Carson about my duties to the pack.

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