Part Two

I watched Travis for about a week and during that time I found out everything I could about Samantha Cartwright. He hadn’t made his move yet although I saw that he started being nice to her friend, Jennifer.

Samantha walked to and from school every day and they lived in the lower class area of Newport. She always had a book with her and she was one of the top academic students of the school. She never wore revealing clothes and opted for jeans, sneakers and hoodies in the winter and jeans and modest tops in the summer.

She didn’t partake in sports although she did go for long walks, sometimes only returning after dark. Her parents didn’t seem to be in the picture and she lived with her older sister who was rarely home, which meant she was basically by herself.

“What’s going on with you?” Damon asked me one night after dinner.

“Just school stuff,” I said.

Damon had brought me into his office because my father really knew me too well. He was an expert in reading people but with the familial link we shared, I was an easier target than other people.

“Talk to me, maybe I can help you hash it out,” he suggested.

“You know about our history with the preps,” I said to him.

“His dad’s an even bigger asshole,” Damon said.

“Yeah well, Travis has these parties and there are rumours, nice girls go to them and then they become not so nice, they become Travis groupies,” I said to him.

“Okay,” Damon said. I knew he was waiting for the punch line from me.

“He’s recently set his sights on another girl,” I said and looked at him.

“Do you like this girl?” he asked me.

“I don’t know her. I just know I can’t let him ruin her,” I said to him.

“Griff, there’s only three people that know the true extent of the Oracle’s prediction for you. If you feel you need to intervene without revealing our existence, I’m behind you all the way,” he said.

“I just don’t really know what to do,” I admitted to him.

“You’re going to have to go deep on this one,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked him frowning.

“You obviously want him to know that he can’t have her, that it’s you doing this to him,” he said and I smiled.

“Obviously. I hate his guts,” I said as he chuckled.

“Do what feels right,” he said and stood up from behind his desk.

“That’s it?” I asked him.

“You’ll know what to do Griff. You’re not an idiot, you’re a good kid actually aside from this whole persona at school that you’ve adopted and I understand why. I’m not going to tell you what to do, figure it out, do what you have to do without losing your soul,” he said.

“You do realize she’s human right,” I said.

“So’s your mother,” he said and I smiled.

“That’s not what I meant, she’s your bonded half,” I said.

“You’ll figure it out,” he said.

His phone rang and that meant our conversation was over. I thought back to my tenth birthday when the Oracle appeared again. She had already told my parents that I would either be a destroyer or a guardian when I was around one, but her prediction on my tenth year blew me out of the water.

I’d never meet my true bonded half. She existed but I would just never find her and she warned me to be careful with my feelings because one day I’d have to choose my mate. Nobody else knew this except me, Damon and Finley.

That part sucked but she gave me a glimmer of hope, saying that if I chose the right one, she would be faithful, honorable and she’d love me completely. Our bond would be unbreakable and just as strong as fated bond halves. That just meant that I’d have to choose the right one.

Kane didn’t talk a lot, but when he did, he didn’t shut up. He was cocky and somewhat rude but I loved him like I loved myself. Kane’s my jaguar and literally my other half and on a good day he’d laze around and flick his tail as he watched me.

“Kane!” I said loudly in my head for the third time.

“What?” he asked me with a lazy flick of his tail.

“Any thoughts on what to do?” I asked him.

“Aren’t you always telling me you’re the brains and I’m just the muscle?” he asked me.

“Don’t be like that,” I said to him.

“Like what?” he asked me.

“You know what, never mind, go lick yourself or something,” I said as he chuckled and turned his back on me.

On my sixteenth birthday when I shifted for the first time, I held Kane in awe, he was powerful, sleek and then he told me I was a loser, laughed and shut me out for three days. He liked pissing me off for some reason and during one ceremony when we went on a hunt, I had to beg him to shift as the whole clowder watched me. He thought it was really funny but when it came to training or fighting, he’s never let me down and I knew he never would in a life or death situation but until then he was going to give me shit all the time.

The following day started out just like any other except that Travis Scott and his preps were walking towards us and not looking where they were going. The hallways were filled with students and as Travis neared us I stepped into his path and hit him with my shoulder.

“Watch where you’re going, idiot,” he said without looking up.

I pushed him against the lockers and his eyes widened slightly as he looked at me. He was a head shorter than me and I had a lot more bulk. I looked him in the eye as the halls went silent and everybody watched us.

“I think you need a lesson in manners Morris,” I said as I tightened my hold on him slightly.

“Why don’t you go back to the trailer park,” he hissed at me.

“I’m going to enjoy taking what you want,” I said to him and let him go.

“What the hell does that mean?” he asked me as I walked away flanked by Mac and Jett.

“Don’t get comfortable, Morris,” I said as the whispers started.

“I’m untouchable, Woods!” he yelled after me.

“Idiot has a point,” Mac said as we headed to the cafeteria.

“I’m going to piss him off in another way,” I said.

“Yeah you already said you’re going to take what’s his, and all I can think about it is his football crown,” Jett said as I gave him a rare smile.

“Don’t be an idiot,” I said to Jett as Mac laughed.

“Oh! You’re going after the girl!” he said as Mac lifted his hand to smack him again. “Don’t you dare!”

“Go sit at our table, I’ll be there in a bit,” I said.

I watched Mac and Jett as they took their normal spots at our table and I headed over to where Samantha and Jennifer were already seated. A few students had noticed that I wasn’t going to my usual table. Samantha and Jennifer hadn’t noticed yet and they were talking to each other with their heads bent as I sat down opposite them.

“Oh shit,” Jennifer whispered as her face paled and Samantha looked up.

“I’m sorry,” Samantha said and looked down.

“Sorry for what?” I asked her folding my arms on the table.

“Whatever it is we did, please don’t kill us,” she said as she looked up and I could see the visible fear in her eyes.

“You’ll have to make it up to me in another way then,” I said as her friend glanced at her.

“I don’t even know what I did,” she said.

“Just shut up and do whatever he says before he kills you,” Jennifer hissed at her and I almost laughed.

“From now on you sit at my table, every day, you wait for me after each class and no more walking to school or walking home,” I said to her as I shifted in my seat.

“Why?” she asked me.

“Because you’re my girlfriend now,” I said and I saw her gulp.

“I am?” she asked me.

“Yes, don’t make me come look for you,” I said and stood up.

“Holy shit Sam, what did you do?” Jennifer asked her as I walked away to my table.

Mac and Jett were trying very hard to hold in their laughter as I sat down and once I did their shoulders started to shake and I shook my head as I glared at them.

“From now on you’re my girlfriend,” Mac said as Jett started to laugh and lowered his head to his arms on the table.

“Piss off, what else was I supposed to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know, maybe try being friends, but now the mighty Griffin Woods jumps right into it. I’m surprised you haven’t moved in and put a ring on her finger,” Jett said.

“Don’t be stupid, we’re still underage,” I said as Mac laughed.

“Griff finally has a girlfriend,” Jett mused as I glared at him.

“This is like one of those arranged marriages,” Mac said.

“Piss off both of you,” I said and stood up when the bell rang.

They both kept mumbling retorts as I followed Samantha down the hallway to her locker and then to her class which made me late for mine, not that the teacher said anything. This was the easiest way to keep an eye on her and her friend, not that Mac or Jett saw it that way.

After school I waited in the parking lot but Samantha never showed and her friend, Jennifer, hurried to her car when she saw us waiting. Mac and Jett laughed as I cursed and climbed into my truck. I pulled my phone out and called Samantha’s number.

“Hello?” she answered questioningly.

“Where are you?” I asked her.

“I’m at home…” she said quickly realizing who was on the other end.

“Did I or did I not tell you to wait for me?” I asked her angrily as Mac and Jett raised their eyebrows at me.

“I wasn’t feeling well, I left early,” she said and then the call was disconnected.

“You won’t be telling her what to do,” Mac said as he laughed.

“Yes I will,” I said.