Change of Plans (7 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Pair
Problems

Allie

These
pancakes were really good, but they still couldn’t take my mind off of what
Matt said. Caleb and Brody decided it would be best if I didn’t go to school
while my emotions were still not under control, and I didn’t even think to tell
Matt about it. I had a fair point not to tell him, the last time we talked, he
told me he was in love with me and kissed me. Also, he would wonder why I
wasn’t at school and I couldn’t tell him. Could I?

It
sucked, all of this. I didn’t want to be some weird Wolf person. I just wanted
to be Allie. I think Caleb knew that, but he didn’t say anything. He’s been
really supportive through everything, answering all my questions and comforting
me. Intact, he was really good about comforting me. I guess it made sense since
I was his pair. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was starting to feel the pull
to him too.

Caleb
sat across from me, scarfing down chocolate chip pancakes. His hair was
disheveled from sleeping on the couch. I
kinda
felt bad for making him sleep on the couch, but he refused to go home and I’m
Brody would kill him if he found him sleeping in my bed.
Alpha
or not.
I guess I could see Caleb as
a
alpha,
but definitely not me. The “pack hierarchy” was the one of the first things
that Caleb and Brody explained to me after they told me. Two alphas: one
female, one male, they must be a pair, and they run the pack. Then, there were
two betas, Brody and Sierra, who were the alpha’s right hand man/female. And
then, there were the rest.

Yet,
I still couldn’t accept the concept that I was an alpha and I had a pack to
look after, or that Sierra of all people would be my partner.

“Let’s
go out tonight, maybe see a movie,” Caleb said halfway through lunch, which was
technically breakfast for us. It was a random suggestion, but perfect. I nodded
and Caleb smiled, his green eyes shining. I placed my plate in the sink and
turned to face Caleb who was still seated at the table. He was silently
watching me, probably waiting for me to break, but I wasn’t going to. There was
nothing I could do to change this, just like when Mom died, so I just have to
take it day by day.

“I’m
going to go shower, so you can umm… just hang out, I guess.” Wow, I don’t think
I could be any more awkward if I tried. Caleb was always at my house, but right
now he was here for me, not Brody. There was an awkward tension between us now
that I knew he was my pair. I wasn’t fully sure of how to approach him, did I
just jump into a relationship or did I go back to hating him? Ugh, this is why
I hated dating.

First
thing first though, shower. I left Caleb where he was and went upstairs to my
shower. I turned the dial to as hot as it could go and jumped in. The steaming
water helped me clear my head. When the water went from hot to lukewarm, I
turned it off and got out. Once my towel was securely around me, I opened the
door to my room.

“Caleb!”
What was he doing in my room? He knew I was showering, and when I said hang out
I didn’t mean in my room! He turned to look at me from where he was laying with
his arms behind his head on my bed. His eyes trailed me up and down and he
popped a lazy grin.

“Enjoy
your shower?” Comforting Caleb was gone and in his place was Cocky Caleb. I was
so going to kill him.

“Out!
Now!”

“Nope,
I’m pretty cozy here, but you’re welcome to join me.” He patted the spot next to
him. I glared at him and his smile just grew bigger. I went to my dresser
across from the bed and grabbed some clothes. As I went back in my bathroom to
change, I could feel his eyes on me the entire way.

I
stayed in the bathroom longer than necessary. I knew I shouldn’t have been, but
I was nervous to go back out there. Everything was so different now that I
knew, especially hanging around Caleb. I tried to occupy myself by brushing
through my hair and even went as far as rearranging my cabinet. I knew I
couldn’t stay in here all day, but I sure could try.

His
knock came a couple of minutes later. “Allie…? I’m sorry, that was stupid. I
was just messing around. I shouldn’t have been in here. I didn’t mean to make
you uncomfortable.”

He
stayed by the door and I couldn’t help but feel bad. I yanked open the door and
ended up being very close to him. If I tilted my head up, our noses would
probably hit. “No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable. I promise, it’s just…
different and confusing. I feel like all these emotions for you, emotions that
I didn’t even know I had, just came rushing out, and I don’t know what to do
with them. It’s like one moment I’m hating you and the next all I want to do is
kiss you.” I was rambling, but that didn’t stop me. “And you're you, Caleb
Winter, all-American quarterback, and I’m just me. I don’t understand any of
this, and it’s just a lot to take on.”

He
took a step closer, “Hate me or kiss me? And what do you want to do right now?”

I
sighed, I knew I probably sounded crazy, but I didn’t care. “Kiss you,
definitely kiss you.” I so did not just say that, but his chuckle proved that I
did. I probably sounded like one of those girls who
was
desperate for their boyfriend to pay them attention. Oh god, I probably sounded
like Sierra. I wanted to run away, but his body blocked my only escape.

We
started a little game, he took a step forward,
I
took
a step back. Too bad the game ended when I had nowhere else to go and my back
hit the wall. He took the last step forward and moved his hands to cup my face.
I felt my knees buckle as his face neared mine. His eyes wandered my face and
his breath was tickling my lips. I wanted to kiss him so
badly,
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something so much. I was so close to getting my
wish when the downstairs front door slammed shut.

Brody’s voice came loud and clear, “Hey! I’m
home.”

Chapter Sixteen

Mine

Caleb

You’ve
got to be kidding me. Again. I don’t know how many times someone was going to
stop me from kissing Allie. This was Brody’s second time, and it better be his
last. I pulled slightly away from Allie and dropped my head so it
laid
close to her ear. I could hear her breathing heavily
and I knew her heart was beating faster than normal. I gently placed my lips on
the spot right above her collarbone and felt her sigh against me. At least she
felt the pull too. She hasn’t mentioned our relationship once before her little
rant, and it had me worrying. Denying your pair was rare, but it happened. Just
like Brody and Sierra.

“Come
on,” I wrapped my hand around hers and pulled her downstairs before I changed
my mind and locked us in her room. Downstairs, Brody was eating take out from
The Grill. Two other bags were set on the table for Allie and me. She went to
take a seat next to Brody, but I pulled her down onto my seat with me, which
earned me a glare from Brody. Whatever, he deserved it.

I
opened my bag to find two burgers and I was grateful. Even though I had just
ate
, I was starving. Allie looked at all the food with a
bewildered expression, but didn’t complain as she dug into a burger. When all
the food was gone, I sat back satisfied, pulling Allie with me until her back
was against my chest. “Did we really eat all that food?” she asked, peering
around the table.

I
chuckled, “How many times am I going to have to tell you before it gets into
your head that werewolves eat a lot more than humans?”

She
turned in my lap and glared at me. “Apparently a lot more,” she snapped. There
goes her good mood. I pulled my arms tighter around her and concentrated on her
emotions, imaging them drawing away. As the electricity shot through us, she
sagged with relief against me and put her head against my chest. “Sorry,” she
muttered, her voice muffled against my shirt.

Brody
slurped his near empty drink. “Can you two please wait till I’m out of the
house to get all gooey,
”

I
glared and kissed the top of Allie’s head purposefully trying to annoy him.
“Nope.”

Brody
only had a couple of minutes before he had to leave for school again. He had
come during his lunch break. Allie was eager to learn more about changing. I
expected her to continue her questions about life in the pack, or if there were
any other mythical creature out there, but the questions shifted into something
more serious. Shifting.

I
let Brody handle this question because my first change was painful, thanks to
my old man. He told her how it’s not painful, if it’s not forced on you or if
you try to resist it and that you don’t really feel it. That was the best way
to put it, one second you’re human, the next you're Wolf. As a werewolf, all
your emotions are heightened, and in Wolf form they’re heightened even more. So
a good person equals a happy Wolf, but a bad person, when they become a Wolf
can be dangerous to everyone. Once you shift, you don’t have control, the Wolf
does. They do as they please, but they aren’t ravage beasts. Well, at least I
think they aren’t. I don’t remember anything from when I am in Wolf form,
nobody does. The only reason I know we aren’t monsters is because I don’t see
news articles about animal attacks killing innocent people.

When
Brody was done explaining, he picked up the leftovers from lunch and threw them
away. “I have to stay late at school today, so I’ll see y’all around six,” he
said as he open the cabinet to the trashcan.

I
stepped in, “Actually I was going to take Al to a movie tonight, so it might
not be till later.”

Brody’s
head shot up from his spot behind the breakfast bar. His eyes shot between
me and Allie
. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Her senses
aren’t under control yet.”

Did
he think I didn’t know that? “I know, I’ll teach her some stuff before we
leave. She’s been cooped up in the house for too long.”

Brody
still argued, “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Good
thing I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I snapped.

Allie
spoke up from where she sat on my lap, “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“No!”
Brody and I snapped at the same time, not taking our eyes off one another. My
anger was rising. I narrowed my eyes at him, challenging him. It might be his
sister, but she was my pair, and he knew he wouldn’t win this fight.

He
turned his head to the side, submitting. “Fine,” he snapped. “But it’s not my
fault if she goes furry on everyone.” He grabbed his backpack and headed toward
the door, letting it slam behind him.

Allie
stood up, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at me. “Really?”

“What?”
I asked, still frustrated with Brody.

“I
may be a couple weeks before my transition, but I can still make my own
decisions, thank you very much.” Great. Now she was angry with me. She turned
toward the stairs, intending to head back up to her room. I sighed and stood up
to follow her room.

She
was crawled in her bed when I reached her room. I crossed my arms and leaned
against the doorframe. “What are you doing?”

She
pouted, “I’m tired. Is that because of the transition?”

I
nodded and stood up straight. My shoes were kicked off and I made my way to the
opposite side of the bed where she wasn’t sleeping. I pulled back the covers
and crawled in. Allie rolled over to face me, “What are you doing?”

“I’m
tired too. You aren’t going to deprive a man from sleep, are you Allie?”

Her
eyes narrowed. “No, I would never. Good thing that there’s a perfectly
comfortable couch downstairs.” She pulled back the covers that covered me.

I
pulled them back over me. She pouted, and I wrapped my arm around her waist to
pull her closer until we were nearly touching noses. “Al, I’ve been waiting a
year and a half to tell you that you’re mine. I’m not going to wait another
year and a half to have a relationship with you,” I sighed. She was mine, and I
didn’t want to leave. I liked being this close to her, but I would if she
didn’t want me here. “If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll go back
downstairs.”

Her
eyes widened, probably because I was finally giving her a say. She shook her
head. “No, you can stay.”

I
smiled, relieved. “Good. Now sleep, the movie’s at six.”

“What
movie are we seeing?” she mumbled, half asleep.

“Don’t worry you’ll like it.”

Chapter Seventeen

Popcorn
with Butter

Allie

The
frigid air whistling through Caleb's open door Jeep was welcomed compared to
the stifling heat I felt earlier. I knew werewolves’ blood ran hotter than
normal, but I never expected to wake up with a sweat. When the alarm set for
5:30 P.M. went off, I woke up to Caleb wrapped around me like a vine. His body
temperature combined with mine had me throwing off the comforter.

Before
we left, Caleb taught me a couple tricks to keep my mood and senses under
control. Most of it contained breathing exercises, and blocking out the excess.
I was aware that he could always take away excess emotions, but the feeling was
still foreign. It felt like being shocked by an outlet and it left me drained,
but I didn’t mind.

So
far, Caleb has been nothing but a perfect gentleman for our first date. Holding
the door for me, helping me into the Jeep and making sure I was buckled, but he
still refused to tell me what movie we were going to see. As we pulled into the
theater, my hand still tucked safely in
Caleb’s,
I saw
a huge influx of girls pouring in. Automatically I knew he was taking me to a
chick-flick. I laughed internally. At least he was being thoughtful, but I
hated chick-flicks. I’d rather have a Fast & Furious marathon than sit
through a Nicholas Sparks movie. But if he was willing to watch this for me,
who was I to complain?

I
crawled out of the Jeep and joined Caleb, who took my hand in his once again.
We entered as Mike, another football player exited with his crying girlfriend,
Katie. He whispered to Caleb a good luck thinking I wouldn’t hear. I smirked.
Good, because he was going to need it.

Caleb
and his one tracked mind went straight to the concession stand, hungry again.
We waited in the brief line until we reached the counter. A small blonde around
my age stood, waiting to take our order, or should I say Caleb’s order. Her
eyes trailed him up and down, obviously affected with his good looks just like
every other girl in the school. I couldn’t blame
her,
he was wearing a tight blue shirt and jeans that could affect any girl. Luckily,
his eyes stayed preoccupied with the menu above her head. “What can I get for
you?” she purred her eyes only on Caleb. God, she was almost as bad as Sierra.

A small growl escaped my lips
,
he was mine
. Caleb quickly
pulled me against him, his arm around my waist, before I grew claws. I could
tell that he was delighted that I was jealous, but it only made me angrier. He
leaned until his lips were pressed against my ear, “Don’t worry, I only have a
thing for
fiesty
brunettes named Allison.” I smiled,
my temper disappearing. He turned back toward the counter. “Can we get a
popcorn with jalapeño seasoning?”

I
loved jalapeño seasoning, but a plan formed in my head.
A
plan that I probably shouldn’t follow through with but was going to anyway.
“No, can we actually get butter on that?” I asked sweetly.

Caleb’s
brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything. “Okay, can we also get a Coke and
Skittles.
”

I
smiled at Blondie behind the counter whose eyes were still on Caleb. “Make that
a Dr. Pepper and M&M’s”

“Really,
Al, you like M&M’s?”

No.
“Yes.”

He
sighed but once again said nothing. He let go of my waist to fish out his
wallet and handed a credit card to Blondie. “Is that all,” she glanced down at
his card. “Caleb?” He nodded and signed the receipt. I would offer to pay, but
he already shut me down at the ticket counter.

I
took the M&M’s and drink, and brushed past him to the movie theater,
purposefully pressing my body against his. “Thanks,” I said sweetly. For the
cherry on top, I stood on my
tip toes
and kissed him
on the cheek. Unlike the hallway at school, this time I actually wanted to kiss
him.

The
lights in the theater were already turned down when we walked in. Most of the
seat were
full and Caleb pulled me into a seat near the top
row. I settled under the crook of his arm and waited for the movie to begin.

———————————

Who
knew I could be such a good fake crier? When the lights turned back on, tears
were streaming down my face along with all the other girls in the theater. Only
mine weren’t due to the sappy movie. Caleb automatically comforted me, tucking
me under his arm as we walked out the theater. I nearly couldn’t contain my
laugh. My body shook as I tried to hold them in, and I guess it appeared as
sobs to Caleb. He kissed the top of my head.

In
front of us, I recognized a very familiar blonde head, and my
light hearted
mood disappeared. Sierra. I would rather have
Blondie from behind the concession stand. Samantha and Chloe stood with her,
all sobbing from the movie, which by the
way,
was God
awful. I never understood why people watched those movies by choice.

Sierra
sensed our presence (I guess it was a Wolf thing), and turned around toward us.
She immediately started talking to Samantha and Chloe about me, knowing full
well that I could hear her, even though she was across the room. Caleb steered
me away, but not before I caught Sierra’s glare. I glared right back. Samantha
and Chloe ducked their heads quickly as Brody did to Caleb earlier, but Sierra
took a little longer. Eventually, she bowed her head, much to my joy. Caleb,
well aware of what was going on, chuckled.

We
walked back to the car in silence, my fake tears dried by the crisp October
air. Caleb offered me a hand to climb in the Jeep, and then walked around to
the driver’s side. He started the engine, kicking up the heat, but didn’t pull
out of the parking spot yet. “You know my favorite thing about being a Wolf,
Al?”

I
smiled, “No, what?”

He
looked straight at me. “Well, when people are feeling strong emotions, they
give off a scent. After a while, you begin to identify scents with emotions.
Strangely enough, during the movie you gave off maple syrup. Do you know what
maple syrup means?” I shook my head no. “Well, maple syrup is sticky, so it
usually means mischievous behavior.
Such a strange scent for
a girl crying in a Nicholas Sparks movie.
But, then again, it may just
be messed up since you're a couple weeks away from the transition.” He smirked
and twisted in his seat to check our surroundings before backing out of the
parking lot.

I didn’t bother answering
,
I was totally busted
. My face
burned with embarrassment. Well maybe not the concession stand part, all I had
to do was kiss his cheek and he rolled over like a dog.
Yeah,
alpha my butt.
Caleb didn’t seem mad though, only amused, but I was
humiliated. I reached forward and turned on the radio, needing a distraction.
The Black Keys blared through the speakers, not allowing me to hear my own
thoughts. Caleb reached over and grasped my hand, bringing it to his lips and
kissing my knuckles.

When
we pulled into the driveway he turned off the engine and turned toward me.
“I’ll give you an A for effort with your prank, but next time you might be
better off taping a dollar to a fishing rod or tickling me.”

I
pouted, it wasn’t that bad. “Tickling, really?”

“Yeah,
tickling always works,” he laughed and quickly lunged for my ribcage, the only
place where I was ticklish.

I
squealed and tried to jump out of his reach but it was no good. I even reached
behind me and tried to open the door, forgetting that the doors weren’t on the
Jeep. My weight being thrown back caused me to slide out and land right on my
butt. Ouch! Caleb leaned over and started laughing hysterically at the sight of
me on the ground. I stuck my tongue out at him and his head disappeared from
sight. He soon reappeared around the side of the car.

He
helped me up and pulled me into his arms. “How did you know I was ticklish
there?”

He
smirked, “I know everything about you.” I looked up at him and his eyes were
sparkling. I guess I wasn’t the only one who had fun tonight.

I
muttered something under my breath about him being a know-it-all but it was cut
short by Caleb reaching down and cupping my face. His hands were warm and
calloused against my skin. They were so big that they almost covered my entire
cheek. He slowly pulled me closer until my face was right in front of his. I
knew he was going to kiss me and it was about time he did. His lips curved up
in a smile and he lowered his head to close the last inch that separated us.
His lips had barely brushed mine when a voice called out, “Allison?”

I pulled away, “Dad?”