Hudson slept through the rest of the day, waking up the next morning with a yawn. Glancing at his clock, his eyes widened when the illuminated numbers read eight fifteen.
‘Shit!’ he growled, leaping out of bed and running for his bathroom for the world’s shortest and coldest, due to being the last member in the pack house to wash, shower ever seen.
Towelling himself and his hair dry, he dragged a brush through it hastily and pulled some clothes on.
Racing down the stairs, Hudson skidded to a stop at the door just as Garrett stepped out of the dining room, a slice of toast still in his hand.
Snatching it, the teenage Alpha rammed it into his own mouth before hauling the front door open, ignoring his Beta’s complaints.
‘That was mine’ Garrett grumbled as he followed his Alpha out of the pack house and toward his car.
‘I got up late’ Hudson replied dismissively, clambering into the truck, ‘I doubt you went easy at the breakfast table’ he added accusingly.
Sliding in beside him, Garrett grinned as he patted his stomach, ‘it takes a lot of fuel to run an engine this hot’ he smirked.
‘And a lot of half blind girls to suck on the exhaust’ Hudson quipped back as he slammed the truck into drive and headed out of the driveway toward the edge of the territory.
Reaching school, they stepped out, the Alpha staring around at the swarm of students that were heading inside the building in front of them. He could still see the dead bodies, some of which had been his fellow students, members of the Shadow pack that hadn’t even graduated.
Shaking off the images from his dream, he shouldered his bag and walked beside Garrett toward the double doors that led inside the school.
‘So where shall we look first?’ the Beta asked as he scanned the faces around them.
‘What for?’ Hudson asked in confusion, frowning over at his best friend.
‘For the new student’ Garrett replied in surprise, ‘remember, we are supposed to be finding him for Alpha Carlton, making sure he isn’t a threat . . ‘
Hudson nodded quickly, ‘yeah, yep I remember, sorry I was thinking about something else, and you threw me for a second.’
The beta laughed as he slapped his best friend’s back, ‘thinking about anyone in particular? Or just any pretty face that runs in front of you?’ he teased.
Hudson snorted as he shoved the other werewolf, ‘please, you know I’m not interested’ he grouched as he headed toward the offices to begin their search for the elusive new student, determined to find him.
‘This is ridiculous’ the young Alpha growled as they stomped around the field again, ‘how can he not be here?’
He wasn’t here in your dream either a small voice whispered in his head, are you sure it was just a dream?
Frowning, he sped up his pace, Garrett breaking into a jog, ‘you got an idea where he might be?’ he asked, catching up.
‘No’ Hudson grumbled under his breath
‘Then why are we speed walking?’ his Beta asked with a laugh.
Slowing his pace, Hudson hid his face by turning to scour the field again, ‘I heard it was strawberry cheesecake for dessert in the cafeteria, I was hoping to get there before the rush’ he muttered.
‘Oh, good thinking’ the other werewolf replied, rubbing his hands together and quickening his own pace, 'lets go before class kicks out.’
Making their way toward the lunch hall, they grabbed trays just as the bell rang, moving along and picking up one of the burgers each that had just been put out in the heated cabinet. Moving to the desserts, Garrett pouted, ‘I thought you said it was strawberry cheesecake’ he asked sadly as he grabbed a large slice of apple pie and placed it on his tray.
‘Yeah, I thought it was, I heard someone mention it earlier, maybe they were talking about tomorrow’ the Alpha replied evasively, picking up his own slice of pie and moving down to the drinks where he helped himself to a soda.
After paying, they sat down at their usual table, biting into their food just as the rest of the students filed in.
He felt her before he saw her, the small hairs on his neck prickling, drawing his eyes up just as the long auburn hair of his ex mate was hidden by the tall warrior who was behind her in line.
Keeping his eyes on the line, Hudson barely tasted his food, waiting for her to come back into sight. Finally, Quinn reached the cashier, tapping her card before sliding it into the back pocket of her jeans and grabbing her tray.
Turning toward the room, she hesitated slightly before ducking her head and moving to a table at the back of the room, sitting down alone and pulling out a book that she disappeared behind.
‘What are you looking at?’ Garrett asked, breaking his attention as he swung his gaze back to his friend.
‘Nothing’ he replied quickly, grabbing a spoon and cutting a huge slice of pie, shoving it into his mouth to avoid having to say anything further.
As soon as he had eaten his last mouthful, he jumped up, grabbing his tray, striding toward the exit as his Beta muttered about not finishing his food again and followed him.
Tipping the rubbish from his tray into the trash can, he could feel her eyes on him, straightening his spine, he kept walking, refusing to look back at her, using the rest of the day to avoid her in any way he could.
The next day, he was awake on time, hitting the dining room with the rest of the pack house members where he piled his plate with as much food as it would hold.
Making his way toward the ranked table, he took a seat to the right of his father’s chair even though he and the Luna had yet to arrive. Floyd was already sat to the left of his mother’s seat, his mate Gillian beside him, smiling up at him as she wiped a crumb from his goatee with her thumb, giggling as he kissed it.
Looking away, he started to eat, grunting in reply when Garrett joined him with his own overflowing plate of food.
Just as they finished, Penelope walked in with her parents, Gamma Mitch and the female Gamma, Justine. Spotting Hudson, the teenage she wolf perked up, glancing up at her father before taking a step toward him.
‘Come on, we need to go now!’ Hudson growled, standing up and rushing for the door, leaving Penelope staring after him with a hurt expression.
Catching up with him moments later, Garrett grabbed his arm just as they reached his truck.
‘What the hell is going on with you?’ he demanded.
‘What? We’re going to be late’ Hudson replied, pulling his arm from his friend’s grip.
‘Nope’ Garrett growled, placing a hand on the centre of his best friend’s chest, ‘it’s only seven thirty, and this is the third time you’ve stopped me eating man.’ The Beta sighed, dropping his hand to his side, ‘it’s me, your best mate, I’ve seen you dressed in your underwear with a table cloth tied around your neck when you decided that you were secretly superman, we don’t have secrets.’
Hudson dragged his hand down his face nervously, ‘I’m just . . I feel a bit off’ he finished lamely.
His friend studied him for a minute before he nodded, ‘fine’ he muttered, ‘don’t tell me if you don’t want too, but remember I’m here when you decide you want to talk.’
Hudson nodded as he sidestepped the beta, ‘I will’ he promised, ‘though you’ll think I’m crazy if I did’ he added under his breath.
The morning passed uneventfully, with still no sign of the new student. Walking down the hall, heading toward his third class of the day, Hudson stumbled as a body slammed into him, his hands instinctively catching them as they wrapped their legs around his waist.
With a deep feeling of déjà vu, he pulled away to find Penelope gripping him tightly, smiling seductively at him.
‘Hudson, you didn’t reply to my text!’
The Alpha froze, that’s what she had said in his dream, he was sure of it, releasing the Gamma’s daughter, he barely noticed that she rubbed herself down his body as she slipped to the floor.
‘I wanted to know if you were going to the party at Clover pack this weekend’ she continued, pouting up at him. Daddy was happy to let me go as long as I went with someone who could protect me.’
Protect me, Clover pack, Party, the words, echoed in Hudson’s mind as his eyes flickered through the sea of people around them, searching for those expressive green eyes.
There she was, hiding in the crowd, her eyes haunted as she watched Penelope paw at him, annoyance in her voice when he still hadn’t answered her.
‘Hudson’ she hissed, tapping his shirt with her fingernail.
‘Yes?’ he asked stupidly, dragging his gaze back to the girl in front of him.
Penelope squealed, gripping his face and hauling it down to hers, pressing her lips to his firmly.
Pulling back, he blinked in shock, ‘oh daddy will be so happy to hear that’ she gushed, wrapping her arms around him possessively, ‘don’t worry about picking me up, I’ll meet you at the pack house.’
Looking back toward Quinn, he swallowed thickly when he found her missing, this didn’t feel good.
‘I’ll see you at seven on Saturday’ Penelope said loudly, eyeing the girls around them that were glaring at her with jealousy before trailing her fingers down his shirt and walking back to her friends.
‘well, looks like you have a date tomorrow’ Garrett chuckled
Hudson growled as he stomped toward his next class, the stupid she wolf had used up all his time and now he was going to be late.
He didn’t want to go to the damn party, especially not after his damn dream, and now he was stuck going anyway.
‘I always thought the great Alpha Hudson would only have his one true love as his Luna, no other she wolf will ever be able to take this mystery woman’s place’ the Beta continued to tease as they walked toward their classroom.
Suddenly, Garrett's back was against a locker, Hudson’s eyes black as he held him by the throat, ‘don’t talk about her’ he snarled dangerously.
Garrett held his hands up in surrender, ‘hey, no problem, I’m just playing’ he gasped out, scratching at the Alpha’s hand that held him in place. ‘You know I’m only messing about man, I’d never disrespect the future Luna whoever she is, I’ll be dedicating my life to her.’
Dropping him, Hudson backed up a few spaces, his expression stricken before turning and walking toward his class, leaving his best friend on the ground rubbing his throat as he stared after him in shock.