Phase (21 page)

“Sophie.” Ezra stood in front of me. “I have to go.”

I nodded, numb even with the tears still streaming down my face.

He opened his mouth again. A howl covered his words, and he sprinted after them, leaving me alone.

* * *

“Honey?” Mom called when I came in after school. She sat at the kitchen table, papers stacked on either side of her.

“I don’t feel good.” My voice broke.

She got up. “You look like you’ve been crying.” She tucked my hair behind my ears, placing her hand against my cheek. “You’re warm.”

“I had a fight with Jules.”

“Oh, sweetie, that’s been happening a lot. Maybe you guys just need some time away from each other.” She drew me into her arms and all the tears I’d been holding back just burst forth. Mom held me, stroking my hair, not saying anything.

I don’t know how long I cried, but eventually I stopped and pulled out of her arms. “I’m gonna go lie down.”

“You want to talk about it?” Her eyes were full of concern and sympathy.

I did want to talk about it. So much, but I couldn’t. I shook my head. “I’m sure it’ll be better tomorrow.”

I doubted it.

Sometime before dinner, I heard the doorbell ring, but I didn’t leave my room. I had no more tears to cry. I hadn’t known I could cry them all.

“Sophie?” Mom called.

It was Jules! I jumped off my bed and hurried down the stairs. Slightly, who’d been trying to comfort me while I cried, scampered behind me. I skidded to a stop when I saw the open door.

Ezra.

And I’d been crying and wiping my eyes and nose. I was sure I looked wretched.

He gave me a small smile. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

Mom looked at me then back at Ezra. “I’ll leave you two.” She mouthed, “Are you OK?” to me, and I nodded. She left and walked back into the kitchen.

“Wanna go for a walk?” he asked softly.

Slightly came trotting up to him.

“Hey there.” His voice was tender.

I swallowed.

Ezra squatted and put out his hand. “It’s OK. What’s her name?”

“Slightly.”

“Slightly, it’s all right. I’m a friend,” he cooed.

Slightly wagged her tail and cozied up to him quick. She even rolled onto her back, and he rubbed her belly.

“She was wary of Jules when they first met,” I said, my mouth having a hard time saying her name. I hurt so much.

“Makes sense. Jules is dominant. She doesn’t exactly fall in line. Comes from being on your own.” Ezra patted Slightly again and stood, keeping his voice soft. “I’m not dominant. Not with Micah being…being Micah. She’s cute though. She loves you.”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice wobbly again. I didn’t ask how he knew that. It was just nice to know someone cared, even if it was only a dog who did. I slipped on my shoes and rubbed Slightly’s head. “You wanted to go for a walk?”

“Sure.”

I stepped outside and shut the door behind me. We walked down the driveway toward the nearby park. “So, what’s the verdict?” I tried to sound lighthearted. So didn’t work.

“They don’t know I’m here.”

“What?”

He lifted up a low tree branch for me. I ducked under it.

“I left for a bit.” He cleared his throat. “I still believe you.”

My heart jumped. “You do?”

I saw little kids playing on the merry-go-round and envied them. It had been so much easier to be a kid. When Santa existed and the Tooth Fairy left oodles of change. I missed that fantasy. People turning into wolves was not something I’d ever considered.

He paused as we got close to the swings. “You’re a lot of things, human. But you wouldn’t hurt Jules. Or consequently, us.”

My eyes filled, and I turned my face away so he wouldn’t see me cry. Guess I still had tears. I sat on one of the swings. “That’s nice to hear. Really. But Jules hates me.”

Ezra took the swing next to me. “She’s confused, I think. Why did you look at her journal?”

I shrugged. “Curiosity about her past, I guess. It was really stupid. I felt so guilty about it. Serves me right for even glancing at it. There wasn’t anything about wolves… Just, well, your family and a bit about me. So stupid.” I looked at him. “The whole pack, Ez. Hates me. It’s the worst thing… I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

“Don’t worry about me. We just have to prove that it wasn’t you.”

“How do we do that?”

He started rocking his feet so he swung a little. “I don’t know. Logically it sounds like pack, but I just can’t believe anyone would do that. I know Aidan’s pissed off about more than just all this.”

“Why?”

He turned toward me. “’Cause I’m second. He thought he’d be. Since he’s best friends with Micah.”

“Why did Micah pick you?”

Ezra shrugged. “I’m older and my dad was the former Alpha. Maybe he felt sorry for me because he beat me.”

“Beat you?”

He shook his head, smiling. “It’s easy to tell you everything. We have to fight to be Alpha. It’s a brawn thing. Obviously, Micah has more brawn, and that’s fine. Don’t think I’d want to be Alpha. But, I don’t think Aidan would be smart enough to pull all this off.”

“So it’s a human?” I grasped at anything.

“Seems likely, but who would know? Other than you, everyone who knows is a mate or family.”

“A mate. You mean like your mom?”

He nodded. “It’s a weird term, but yeah, mate.” His eyes lingered on my face for a long second.

I dropped my head, embarrassed. “Could it be another pack?” As soon as I offered the idea, I remembered what Jules had told me. The dead shifter. I took a few breaths quickly.

Ezra looked at me strangely. Right, he could smell I was freaked out.

“We’d be able to smell them. If they were in our territory. It’d be war.” He wrapped his hands around the chains, letting out a sigh. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” If he agreed with what Micah had done, how could I share my fears with him?

He was quiet for a second. “You mentioned other packs.”

I saw the dead wolf inside my mind and shook my head to clear it.

“Jules told you.” He looked straight ahead. “How much did she tell you?”

“That Micah…” I couldn’t even say it. “Um, took care of it.”

“Micah didn’t have choice. The outsider tried to attack Gil. It’s common to attack the weakest first.” He touched my arm. “Sophie, it’s survival.”

What had Jules said? If it was to protect me, she’d kill someone. Had Micah done the same? I shivered as though a cold wind had blown right through me.

Ezra’s hand tightened around my forearm. “Sophie?”

“I can’t…I don’t understand. I’m trying, but it’s…will they kill me?”

“No,” he answered too quickly. “It’s not… That can’t happen. You’re not a threat.”

I swallowed, noticing his hand hadn’t moved.

“Ezra…” I took a deep breath. I really wanted to know something and perhaps I’d just ask it. “Why are you doing this?”

“Swinging?”

I shook my head. “Sticking up for me. I mean, I really appreciate it, truly, but it seems like an awful lot of stuff to deal with for me. I’m not pack.”

He laughed loudly, making me jump. His mood change confused me.

“What?” I was nervous enough already. I didn’t want to be laughed at.

He half smiled and moved closer to me. “You’re not pack, but you don’t think we’re friends?”

“I thought so, but…” Just stop talking. I was embarrassing myself. “We’re friends, sure. But they’re your family.”

“They are. Doesn’t mean they can’t be wrong.” He watched me for a second and swallowed hard. “You know, it’s not unheard of for one of us to like a human. Gil did.”

I grimaced. “Not anymore.”

“Are you sad about that?”

“I like Gil. I mean, as a friend, not…” I sighed. “You know. He’s sweet.”

“But you don’t
like
him.”

“No.” My face was hot.

“Didn’t think so. Gil’s a pup. He doesn’t know how to pick up the signs.”

“Signs?”

“We can smell when someone’s interested. Going to high school is like walking into a bad perfume store.” He grinned.

My cheeks burned.

“You never liked him like that.”

I shook my head.

“Yeah. I could have whupped him for what he did.”

“For liking me?” I swore Ezra talked in riddles. “Why? It’s not a crime.” I was on the verge of going from embarrassed to annoyed. Guys
never
liked me, and it was nice that Gil had…however short-term, he’d liked me. “Guys can like me.” I lifted my chin stubbornly.

A smirk appeared on his lips. “’Course they can.” His eyes darkened. “You know how wolves are territorial?”

I nodded, not sure where this was going. He grabbed the chain of my swing and pulled me closer. My heart started pounding.

“We’re that way too.” He cocked his head to the side, regarding me. “I should have told him you’re mine.”

The world stopped. I couldn’t hear the wind blowing through the trees or the kids on the monkey bars. I couldn’t hear anything except his last sentence, over and over again.

“What?”

He tugged on the chain some more, bringing me even closer. “I like you, Sophie Todd.”

“You like me.”

“Yeah.” And he covered the distance between us to kiss me.

I closed my eyes. Eyelashes still wet from tears brushed my cheek. Ezra’s kiss was a breath of wind on my lips…nothing like Gil’s.

He softened the kiss and drew back. I opened my eyes. He wasn’t far away, but looked like he wasn’t sure how I would respond.

“I’ve liked you for forever,” I blurted out. I covered my mouth with my hand.

He chuckled, sounding confident. “I knew that.”

My face would be permanently red for the rest of my life. “You could smell it?”

“And I can hear your heart speed up.”

“Jeez, there’s no point in trying to be subtle.”

He took my hand. “Sophie, it’s OK. Really.”

“You’ve known all this time?” I wanted to hide in a cave.

“I thought it was cute. You never did anything about it, so it was just flattering.” He pressed his lips together. “I never thought much about it, actually.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know how to take that. “OK.”

“No…I mean.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think about girls that much. Not specifically…” He glanced away, apparently unable to explain. He snapped his eyes back to me. “Can I, just, kiss you again?”

My mouth dropped open. He grinned and got out of his swing.

“Ezra…”

“Hmm?” He leaned down, his lips just inches from mine. “Kiss me, human.”

I was beginning to like it when he called me “human.” It was the most unromantic nickname of all time, but every time he said it, I melted.

“I’m not very good.”

His eyes widened. “Say what?”

“I mean, other than Gil that one time…”

He growled.

“I, um, I have no experience.”

“Don’t think that matters.”

“Yeah, but—”

He cut me off, kissing me again. My mouth opened without me thinking about it, and I forgot that my best friend hated me and even that wolf-people existed. The world was just Ezra and me. His fingers brushed along my jaw as he drew back, a contented grin dancing on his lips.

“You’re plenty good.” He pulled me out of the swing.

I was just breaths away from him. I didn’t think my heart would ever slow down.

“You’re quiet. For you.”

I just smiled weakly. My brain couldn’t comprehend anything. I had to be dreaming. A really, really good dream.

“We gotta figure out who did it,” he said, his hands on my waist. “Who would hate you enough to frame you?”

I swallowed, still staring into his eyes.

He half smiled. “Are you even hearing me?”

I nodded, reaching out to do what I’d wanted to since freshman year. I touched his hair. I let it slide though my fingers. So soft.

“Damn, Soph, you keep looking at me like that and we won’t come up with any sort of plan.” His voice was rough.

I met his eyes. “Sorry, just, I’m in shock. You like me.”

“You make it sound I climbed Mount Everest. You’re not that hard to like.” He kissed me again and pulled away quickly. “Right, we’re focusing here.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, almost like a blockade. “I’ve never had anyone hate me. I mean, there’s Summer.” I paused. “She has been getting both me and Jules into trouble lately. But…she wouldn’t know about the pack, would she?”

Ezra shook his head. “No way. Aidan went out with her once and that was enough even for him. None of us like her, let alone trust her.”

“Can’t you smell who did it?”

He shook his head again. “There wasn’t a scent other than Naomi’s on the card. And the nail polish and paint is too overpowering to pick anything up.” He paced a few steps, thinking.

“Oh.” I rubbed my eyes, half wanting to despair. “Ezra?”

“Hmm? You look tired. I should walk you back,” he said softly. “I have to get home anyway.

“Ez,” I tried again, desperately wanting to find the answer.

He took my hand in his, shutting down my brain in the process. I smiled at him, glancing over to see that the kids that had been playing earlier had left. We were alone.

“Man, if I don’t want to just stay here.” He leaned in and sniffed my hair.

“Will they know you’ve seen me?” I asked, worried.

He shrugged. “They’ll smell you. I’ll take the long way home, maybe roll in some leaves to cover it up.” He shoved his other hand deep into his pocket. “Don’t worry. They know where I stand.”

I’d never felt so close to him. He was sticking his neck out. For me. I felt like a damsel about to be rescued.

He walked me home, pausing across the street from my house. I stopped and looked at him in question.

“I should go.” He shifted his weight, meeting my eyes. “I’ll see you at school?”

“Yeah. Sure.” I smoothed down my hair. “I wish…”

“Yeah, I wish too.” He cupped my chin in his hand, warming my already hot face. “It’ll work out.”

“Hope so.”

“Has to,” he murmured before pressing his lips on mine. His other hand took mine and curled around it, bringing it to rest on his chest. He drew back much too soon for me. “Later.”

“Later.”

He grinned at me before starting to run off. I realized he didn’t have his car. He’d run here. He disappeared faster than any human should from my eyesight, and I remembered that I had a wolf pack that thought the worst and a best friend who hated the sight of me. My heart weighed heavily in my chest.