Chapter 210
HANNAH
The haunted look was gone from Willa's eyes, I was glad to see. During the ride home she didn't speak at all, just grunted answers to questions that were thrown at her.
I really couldn't tell if she was still mad at me for telling her brothers. Though I supposed if she still was, she would get over it soon. My approach had solved the problem after all.
But as she followed me into my room she smiled a little. It was not a full blown Willa smile yet but it was something. Something good.
"I'm relieved," she said plopping down on my bed and setting her bag between her feet.
"And so am I," I said. "I thought you were still mad at me."
Willa frowned. "Mad at you?"
"You weren't talking to me. Or anyone."
Willa gave a shaky little laugh.
"Oh that," she said. "My imagination was all over the place. I couldn't stop thinking about all the possible outcomes. I wondered what would have happened if Devin had carried out his threat before you found out he was hiding something." Willa's face suddenly tightened. "Did you know the asshole once threatened to play a clip of one of the videos on the projectors during the next football game at school?"
She shuddered. I patted her arm.
"It didn't happen," I said. "You heard him. He won't bother you again."
"Thanks, Hannah for handling it the way you did." She let herself fall back on my bed, her arms spread out. "Gosh! It feels like a weight I've been lugging around just got rolled off my shoulders."
"I'm glad you're happy now. But seriously Willa, I'm still surprised at you. How could you keep something that serious away from me that long? I thought we told each other everything."
"I was ashamed. You warned me about him. I didn't listen. How could I unload all my problems at you after that? Also Devin kept telling me that he would find out if I told any of you about it and he would accidentally leak the videos. Like a fool I believed him. I guess most of it was just bluff though."
My hands curled into fists and I felt like punching Devin in the face myself. Too bad my mates had gotten all the fun rearranging his face.
"You did nothing wrong," I said, dumping my bag on the chair and lying beside Willa. "You didn't even send him the videos. What he did was even criminal, you know. And Willa please if anything else happens, and I don't care how bad you think it is, tell me about it. We've been through a lot together. With me, there's nothing to be ashamed of with me, okay?"
She nodded.
"All this wouldn't have happened if I already had a mate," she mused. "I wish I could just find him already and be done with it! Why you do think I haven't met him yet? Are there she-wolves destined never to meet their mates? Could I be one of them?" With a sigh she rolled over on her stomach. "Maybe I'm destined to spend my life alone."
"Don't be so melodramatic, Willa," I said. "I told you before that there is no rush. When the time is right, you'll find-" I made quotation marks in the air. "-the one. Also take this from me for free. Mates can be a pain in the ass sometimes."
"Are we talking about Asher?" she asked.
"Not really." I lowered my voice to a confidential whisper though there was no one to overhear us. "I'm talking about your brothers. They annoy and drive me crazy sometimes. Remember the Cade and Sophie episode? I really wanted to slap some sense into him that time."
"Tell me about it," Willa said, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep in a loud giggle that escaped anyway. "They are my brothers but sometimes I just want to-"
She made punching motions in the air. I burst out laughing.
Just then Jace came in.
"What are you two laughing about?" he said.
"Here comes one of them," Willa whispered and we began giggling again, clutching each other.
Jace stood in the middle of the room, smiling his I've-got-no-clue-what-this-is-about smile that made us laugh even harder.
"Now that you girls are done," he said when we only kept grinning. "I've come to take Hannah away," he said. "I want to talk to her."
"Nothing serious, I hope," I said, searching Jace's face.
His shrug said plainly that I would find out.
Willa frowned and pouted.
"Why now?" she said. "Sometimes I think the three of you must have an inner alarm that tells you when Hannah and I are having a serious conversation so you can butt in, just to annoy me."
"What serious conversation?" Jace asked curiously.
"None of your business, brother. It's girl's talk."
"Girls talk," he said slowly and nodded. "Right."
He held out his hand. "Hannah?"
"You don't ever let us have quality girl's time," Willa said, throwing a pillow in his direction.
Jace dodged it easily. He chuckled. "If that's meant to guilt trip me, sister, it's not going to work. I know you girls will always find quality time to gossip."
"Why do boys always assume girls spend all their time gossiping?" Willa called as we left the room.
"Because that's what you do, Willa," Jace called back.
A pillow hit the door with a soft thud just as Jace closed it.
"She'll trash your room before you get back," he said jokingly.
He led me to the garden, deserted at this time and sat beside me on one if the basket chairs. We sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the setting sun.
"What a day, huh?" he said.
"Yes," I said and grinned. "It did go well, thanks to you three."
We joked and laughed at Devin's going to pieces with Jace finishing up by saying, "I would never even have allowed a spineless idiot like that date my sister."
"For some reason you look serious," I remarked. "Something on your mind?"
He glanced at me fondly. "You know me too well."
"Yeah. We're mates, remember?"
"There's that," he allowed. "I'll be done with my final exams soon."
"Tough?" I asked softly.
He shook his head. "Not at all. I've got the Wallace brains, remember? I could write the exams with both eyes closed."
"Careful now so you don't get a big head," I teased.
He winked at me. "I'll still be twice as handsome and you know it."
I laughed, enjoying our light banter.
Jace grew serious again. "I thought you should be the first to know that the exams are where it ends for me. I am not going to college."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two.
"Are you sure?" I asked him.
A little smile curved his lips. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while now and yes, I'm sure. I know my father would have wanted me to go, like he would want my brothers to, but I know he will understand when I tell him."
I nodded. He didn't have to spell everything out for me.
"I understand," I said. "I know you have a lot to do at the pack. Packs," I amended.
There were two packs merged into one now. That meant more responsibility for Wallace and his sons.
I had overheard my mates discussing once about all that added responsibility. With Dawson gone, a lot had come to light about his rule. Turned out he wasn't only a traitor and a murderer. He was a terrible leader.
Breakstone's finances were in shambles. The pack was owing money everywhere. It was now up to Wallace as the new Alpha to fix years of Dawson's mistakes.
"You need to repair Breakstone's finances for one," I said.
Jace's head snapped up. "You know about that." I said I did know a little bit. "Yeah. I want to stay around and help my father. He may not say it out loud but he needs all the help he can get, especially at this time."
"So... apart from helping out with the packs what else would you do since you're not going to college?"
He looked down at his fingers. "I have my art. I'll improve on it. Maybe even really get into sculpting. I've been goofing around with it lately. Some of my professors at school think my artwork is at least okay."
I gaped at him. "Okay? Are you kidding? You're a freaking genius, Jace. I've seen your art- the one's you'll let me see anyway. I don't know why you keep hiding most of them away-"
"It's an artistic thing, I guess," he said, shrugging.
"Anyway you're damn good. I'll have a problem with anyone who says your work is just... good."
Jace grinned and I could tell he was pleased.
"Hold on, tigress," he said. "Don't get all worked up. Amazing is the word I believe they used. I was just trying to be modest."
"Well it doesn't suit you," I said with a laugh.
"So what do you think... about my decision?" he asked.
"I think you made the right one. I support you."
He reached over the intervening space and squeezed my hand gently.
"What about you?" he said. "Are you going to college or are there any other interests you would like to pursue?"
"I don't know," I confessed. "With all that has been happening lately, I really haven't given it much thought."
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