Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I appreciate that she doesn’t ask what I’m doing in Arizona. I imagine word has already traveled to every citizen of this small town.
“Three hamburgers and a plate of fries,” I order. “And a chocolate shake.”
“Same for me but iced tea instead of the shake,” Coach orders. When she leaves, he says, “Duke was too far from home.”
Fuck, I must be the biggest pansy on Earth because something shifts in my chest, almost breaking me.
I expected a rebuke. Understanding is almost too hard to bear.
“We should have worked to get you connected with a pack out there.”
I shake my head. I know why that didn’t happen. My glory was supposed to be for this pack. Alpha Green, Coach Jamison, and my father didn’t want another pack to try to claim my success. To get me to mate one of their she-wolves and settle there. I was supposed to be moving on to the NFL, getting rich, and infusing that money back into Wolf Ridge.
“You were homesick, so you purposely fucked up.”
“I wouldn't say purposely.”
“You subconsciously sabotaged yourself, then.”
I lift my shoulders in misery. “I guess.”
“So. What are your options now?”
I’m stunned. I kind of can’t believe he’s not going to read me the riot act. He can be tough on his players, holding us to a higher standard than most anyone else in our lives. The fact that he’s skipping the big shaming and going straight to a solution makes it easier for me to breathe.
I lift my heavy head to look him in the eye. “I don’t want to go back, Coach.”
“Valid.” He surprises me a second time. “Clearly you were miserable, or you wouldn’t have fucked yourself this badly.”
Now, perhaps because he didn’t shame me, actual regret soaks through to the bone. I didn’t need to cock things up so horribly. To ruin my reputation and risk prison-time in the process. I didn’t need to bring shame on my father’s head.
Pain makes it hard to speak. I settle for bobbing my head in agreement.
“So let’s look at how to get you out of this mess for now. You don’t have to go back. You don’t have to play football. Wilde, I think the hardest thing for a young alpha wolf to arrive at is knowing the balance between what’s good for you and what’s good for the pack.”
The waitress brings our food, and I pick up the first hamburger, demolishing it in four bites.
“We’re warriors. We’re wired to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. You’ve always been that guy. That’s why I made you captain of the team. You understand teamwork, you understand taking one for the team. You understand that it’s not all about you.”
My eyes get hot. With his praise comes the sharper knowledge of how this drug charge affects the pack. For a guy who prided himself on team before individual, I made a strange choice. Of course, I did actually choose for my team. Just the wrong one. The human one.
“Garrett Green’s wife is a lawyer. Obviously, she’s not licensed to practice in South Carolina, but I thought you could call her for advice today.”
Garrett Green is the alpha’s son. He was banished from Wolf Ridge for marijuana use when he was eighteen, but he’s now alpha of a growing pack in Tucson. His wife is human, but they say she’s special. She has some psychic abilities, I guess.
I nod as I pick up the second burger. “Do you have her number?”
“No, and I’m not going to get it for you. You’re going to figure out who you need to call to get it.”
Ah, there’s the coach I know. Tough love all the way.
“You’re smart and resourceful. I’m sure you can figure it out.”
I scoff lightly around a mouthful of burger, and he cocks a brow. “What?”
I swallow down the food. “I’m not that smart. I was barely getting C’s in my classes, and even those might have been because the coaches put pressure on the professors to keep me passing.” Another bite and I’ve finished the second burger.
“Duke is a tough school. Wolf Ridge High didn’t prepare you properly. I also suspect you had very little time to study, am I right?”
I shrug. “We had no time at all.”
“So it had nothing to do with how smart you are. Let it go. Can you drop out of your classes this semester before you fail them or finish online?”
I shrug.
“Find out.”
There’s alpha command in his words. He must be annoyed with my shrugs. I feel it like a blast to the chest, freezing me in place. When it passes, I straighten in my booth seat. “Yes, sir.”
“What else?”
I stop with the third burger halfway to my mouth. “What do you mean?”
“What else are you going to do to get on top of this situation?”
I think of my dad’s dictates and set the hamburger back down on the plate. I don’t want to go back to Wolf Ridge high to train with children. Seriously, I’d rather punch my own face in. But I guess I should stay in shape to keep my options open.