Page 9 of A Chance at Redemption for the Alpha
Fuck it!
I stop running, noticing I’m in the middle of the forest. “Damn it,” I yell, punching the tree next to me until my knuckles turn bloody.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
A hand grabs my shoulder, but I twist around, pushing away the person who has just grabbed me. It’s Floyd, much to my surprise. The older man stumbles backward against a tree. “Well,” he says. “You bested me just now. I have to give you that.
I turn away from him. “What do you want?”
“You didn’t come to training,” he says. “It’s already afternoon, you know?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “And whatever you want me to do today, I won’t.”
Floyd doesn’t say anything for what feels like minutes. “That girl,” he says quietly. “Olive. She is your mate, isn’t she?”
I spin around again to look at him. “What?”
“I saw you at the party and how you left the podium immediately after your father finished his speech. Not trying to sound creepy, but I thought you were sick at first and followed you outside. I saw what happened.”
“I guess I should consider myself lucky that I have at least one witness to verify I didn’t assault my brother’s girlfriend.”
“So, Eugene really said that?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah, and that she is his mate,” I add bitterly. “Fuck!” I curse, brushing through my hair. “I know he loves her, and I know thisis messed up, but why did he have to go nuclear like that? We could have at least talked about it.”
“He is scared to lose her,” Floyd mutters.
“Yes, that makes my place in his life pretty obvious,” I snarl. “While I spent the remainder of the night and the early morning hours wondering what I could do not to hurt my brother.”
Floyd looks sad. “Come, boy, let’s go back. Your parents are worried. Your father already linked me ten times in the last fifteen minutes. I’m getting a headache.”
“Yeah, right,” I mutter. “Like I believe that.”
“I really have a headache,” Floyd jokes lamely. When I just stare at him, he sighs. “Your father doesn’t hate you, Marc. You are just very similar. He sees himself in you.”
“So, he dislikes himself?” I ask.
“No, that’s not what I mean,” he sighs again. “Let’s keep that talk for later. I mean, you can’t stay here.”
“I like the forest,” I point out stubbornly.
Floyd grabs me by my shoulders and pushes me forward. “You like your bed more,” he says. “And your food. Have you even eaten anything?”
“No,” I say shortly.
“Your mom’s worried sick, Marc, and we both hate seeing her distressed, don’t we?” he asks.
“Now you are not playing fair,” I mutter.
I know he is manipulating me, but he is right. I hate seeing my mother sad, not because I’m the biggest momma’s boy on the planet, but because she is such a genuinely nice person to everyone. She is always accepting, and just a couple of hours ago, she was the only one ready to hear my side of the story.
I guess I owe it to her. “Let’s go,” I say with a sigh.
four
The Crack
*MARCELLUS*
