Inevitably Yours

QUINN

I let my head flop to the table. I had redone the same problem six times in the past three hours, each time getting a different result. When our teacher said this would be the most challenging class we had ever taken, I didn’t take him seriously enough. I should have known when all the homework problems came with answers.

“Doing okay in there, Quinny?” my dad called from the living room. It was well past dinner, and my mom was already in bed.

“No,” I g*****d.

“Surely you have gotten through some of that homework by now. You’ve been working for like five hours,” he said, turning around a little. I lifted my head and gave him a tight smile.

“I’ll figure it out,” I sighed.

“Okay, well, it’s about bedtime. The mechanic called before dinner; your car will be ready on Friday. Maybe Jaxx can pick you up and take you there after school to get it,” he suggested.

“Uh, maybe,” I said, piling all my papers. “Can you drop me off early again tomorrow? I think I need to ask my teacher which ones of these are the least wrong.”

“You’ve been at school at least an hour early for most of the semester,” he frowned.

“Yea, well, maybe I’m not as good at this as I thought,” I muttered.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said, sliding out of my chair. “I’m just really tired. Night.” I headed up the stairs and closed my bedroom door when I got inside. I tossed my Calculus book on the bed and went to my closet for something more comfortable. Sapphire disappeared after school when Jaxx called, trying to make plans for the weekend.

Between AP classes, my awful English teacher, tutoring, wrestling, and him, I was going to break out in hives from stress alone. More and more Sapphire was going silent on me, and it was causing even more problems. One day, I fell asleep in English and woke up at the end of class when my teacher slammed a ruler down on the desk only inches from my face. Carl had tried to wake me up but couldn’t, apologizing profusely after class.

JAXX

| i can come get you after jazz band tomorrow

| ill take you to dinner

My shoulders slumped, reading his message. I was running out of ways to dodge him. Carl was busy the rest of the week, and if he showed up, my parents would happily invite him in and stay for dinner.

MEContent (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

| cant

| library for study group

What Jaxx didn’t know was my study group was actually meeting in the mornings before class. I watched my ceiling fan spin round and round. I knew I wouldn’t sleep anytime soon, even though my eyes burned from exhaustion. I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my eye drops, letting a few drops of the cool, moisturizing liquid sting as I blinked in the hydration.

I sat up and pulled my book toward me, thinking I could at least figure out one of the eight problems for the night. The only saving grace I had in this class was that our teacher let us choose the grades.

For each big assignment or test, he wrote the grades in descending order on the board, and we as a class voted on which ones got what grade, with the only rule being each letter grade had to be represented. Homework was graded by completion. Answer 25% or more of the assignments correctly throughout the entire semester, and you were given a complete.

–

I put my saxophone away in my locker, tucking my jazz music into the back. I rubbed my eyes, tiredness weighing me down.

“Hey, Q,” Carl said, coming into the storage room. “Want to come over tonight?”

“I can’t,” I told him. “If I don’t get some calculus homework figured out before Friday, I’ll be in trouble for the tournament.”

“When is the last time you had a real night’s sleep?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. It was starting to feel like Sapphire was gone more than she was around. “Once wrestling season is over, I’ll have more time. I just gotta get through it.” I loosed a giant yawn.

“I’m getting worried about you,” Carl said.

“I’m okay, promise,” I said, giving him my best smile. He gave me a skeptical look.

“Alright, well, your boyfriend is waiting in the hall for you,” he said, turning to leave.

“What?” I asked loudly. I dashed after, pushing out of the band room doors. Jaxx was leaning against the opposite wall. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Let’s go,” he said. His voice was low and sounded angry.

“I need my stuff,” I said.

“Then get it,” he said. I backed into the doors, walking right into Carl as I passed through them. He caught me around the waist.

“Q, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. I just need to go,” I told him quickly. I had no idea why Jaxx had shown up or why he might be mad, but I knew I didn’t want to make him angrier. I just needed to get him out of my school before anything happened.

Carl let me go, and I rushed back to the storage room to grab my bag and coat. When I came out, Carl was gone. I went back out to the hall to find Jaxx impatiently waiting. He grabbed my hand and yanked to make me go with him. I hurried alongside him, trying to figure out what was going on.

We got out to the parking lot, and he pulled me all the way to his truck, making me stumble as I tried to keep up. He threw open the passenger door and pulled my arm forward to push me inside. I hastily climbed into the truck.

“Jaxx, what-” I tried to ask before he slammed the door. He stormed around the truck and got in on the other side. I swallowed, trying not to panic as he jammed his key in the ignition and tore out of the parking lot.

“W-what is going on?” I asked quietly.

“Where’s your phone, Quinn?” he asked darkly. I blanched.

“My phone?” I repeated.

“Yes, damnit. Where. Is. Your. Phone!” he shouted.

“In my bag,” I squeaked.

“I want to see it,” he demanded. He was driving way too fast toward my house.

“But w-why?” I asked.

“Because I know you are a cheating w***e!” I shrank back in my seat, away from him. He was breathing hard. “I know you are sending him photos of yourself, talking to him all the time. Did you think I would never find out?”

“It’s not…. I didn’t….” What was I supposed to say? It wasn’t a lie. I had just gotten caught, and this was the result. Jaxx pulled into my driveway and threw the car in park. I was too scared to open the door.

“Give me your phone,” he said one more time, more calmly now. “Give me your phone, or I swear to the Goddess I will mark you right here.”

“You wouldn’t….” I said. “W-we aren’t mates. Jaxx, please.” My voice was so quiet. When did I get so quiet? When did I start begging?

“Quinn, I am so serious. I won’t tolerate my girlfriend f*****g around on me. Show me your phone,” he said.

“Jaxx, please…” I whispered. The door behind me opened, and I started to fall out. Someone caught me before I went far.

“Who the f**k are you?” Jaxx yelled.

I looked up to see Carl. “You aren’t going to yell at her,” he growled. “She’s coming with me.”

“Carl, no, don’t,” I said quickly.

“This doesn’t involve you,” Jaxx said. “Let go of my girlfriend.”

“She isn’t your girlfriend anymore,” Carl told Jaxx. I tried to get out of his grip.

“Carl, it’s fine. Just go,” I said panickedly. He didn’t need to be pulled into my mess. “Please.”

“No, Quinn,” he said firmly. “A real wolf doesn’t need to yell and scream at his girlfriend. I knew something was up the minute you rushed out to see that he was really there.”

“Unhand her,” Jaxx said, leaning forward across the cab.

Carl stepped back, pulling me away from the truck with him. “She’s staying with me. We have a study group tonight. I suggest you return to where you came from,” Carl said.

“Quinn,” Jaxx growled. Automatically I breathed in sharply. Carl pushed me behind him.

“I’m going to close this door, and you are going to back out of this driveway and forget this address,” Carl said. I grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Carl, please don’t,” I linked him. “It’s fine. I can calm him down.”

“And if I don’t?” Jaxx asked.

“I’m sure there are a few Alphas that could weigh in here,” Carl threatened.

They stared each other down for a minute. Carl pushed the door of Jaxx’s truck closed. With a growl, he reversed out of the driveway and drove off. I watched him from behind Carl, everything inside of me numbing.

Carl was quiet for a second. I stepped back and covered my face in my hands. Tears poured from my eyes. What just happened? Why did that just happen? Carl reached forward and touched my shoulder, and I jumped back.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said.

“No, it isn’t!” I yelled at him.

“Why are you yelling at me?” he asked, irritation registering on his face. “I just stopped all of that!”

“I didn’t ask you to get involved!” I yelled back.

“Quinn, do not tell me you were okay with that?” he asked. I couldn’t answer him. It couldn’t be that easy. My phone rang with a message. I hastily dug into my bag to get it.

JAXX

| f**k the bastard slut

| were done

I gaped at the screen. Carl looked down at my phone. “Quinn, someone who loves you doesn’t do that,” he said. More tears fell, and I couldn’t talk. I was too scared to feel relieved. It didn’t seem like it was true.

Carl looked around. “Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s go inside.”

I nodded my head. He grabbed my keys from the front pocket of my backpack and let us in the house. He held my hand and pulled me toward the basement with him. “I think it’s best we hide out down here for a little while,” he said softly. I just nodded my head and followed.

When we got downstairs, I collapsed onto the couch, tears endlessly pouring from my eyes. I couldn’t even focus on what was going through me. Carl sat down and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s okay. Just cry. I’m here when you are ready to talk,” he whispered.

We didn’t talk, though. I kept crying for a while, going from elated relief to numbing fear and back again. Eventually, the tears dried up, and I fell asleep.

–

I woke up with a blanket over me. Carl sat on the floor, eating something from a plate, and the TV was on. I sat up slowly.

“Oh, there you are,” he said.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Pretty late. I got us dinner, so your mom didn’t come asking questions. Just told her we were studying for the King Leer test,” Carl answered. He handed back a plate of food.

I took it, feeling odd. “So earlier…” I said.

“We don’t have to talk about it. But Q, you have to promise me something,” he said quietly. He stopped eating and set his plate down. Turning around, he gave me a serious look. “You can’t contact him again. If he tries to contact you, you tell me or someone, anyone. You have to stay away from him.”

My lips wobbled, but I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He shook his head. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything. But I’m not going to let it go on, okay?” I nodded. He stood up, taking his plate with him. “I have to get home, or my mom will beat me with a shoe. She didn’t believe I was here because I wouldn’t let her talk to you. Are you going to be okay?”

I nodded. “Thanks,” I said.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?” he confirmed.

“Yea, tomorrow,” I said.

Carl headed up the stairs, leaving me alone. My backpack was lying next to the couch, and my phone was next to it. I grabbed it and checked it. I had missed messages from Christy and Michael. Of course, Christy’s were about Jaxx, but Michael’s were normal.

“You can be his now,” Sapphire said.

“Oh, Goddess. You’re back!” I exclaimed.

“Tell him. Be his,” she urged.

I dialed his number quickly. It rang for a few minutes, then a girl answered. “Michael’s phone,” she said in a cheerful voice.

“Oh, um, is he there?” I asked.

“IS THIS QUINN?” she yelled excitedly.

“Uh, yea, but I really need to talk to M right now. Is he around?” I asked her. I could hear someone else in the background.

“Oh, you call him M. So cute. You’re so cute! I’ve seen your picture-” she got cut off.

“Um, hello?” I said.

“Sorry, Blue,” Michael’s voice came through. Calm washed through me. Maybe it was really over. “Nic got my phone before I could. What’s going on?”

“M, I just needed to tell you something,” I said, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Panic flickered in me. I still couldn’t tell him everything; he wouldn’t want me if he knew.

“Anything, Blue,” he said cautiously.

“Do you remember my birthday? You said I’m your only option?” I said quietly.

“You are,” he answered. “Since the day I met you.”

“You’re mine. My only option. I want to be yours. Just yours, even if we aren’t mates,” I blurted out.

“Baby, I guarantee we are mates,” he said, his voice full of warmth.