Talons

Chapter 42: The Used

Rhea’s POV

Gaining my last ten pounds was beyond difficult, but I managed to do it, and now Sylvia and I are slowly working to use my excess weight to my benefit. Like a hamster, we have stored fat for our body to use, and while unconfirmed, our theory is that we will have more fuel for our body to mature now that I should be hitting puberty.

I found out that Derick is an omega from a small distant pack within the alliance Claw belongs to. After he outed my past, Mike and the guys have been insisting that I give them names of the boys who bullied me, but we know they don’t stand a chance. 

Derrick claims not to remember the guys, saying he thinks they dropped out after the incident with me, and I make up an excuse about not wanting to live in the past. Brent, whose mother is a personal defense instructor, tells me that she said she will train me for free.

I take him up on his offer because Robin cannot always leave pack grounds to come work with me, and my fighting skills have become stagnant. In fact, everything has come to a standstill. 

I am slower, I get fatigued easily and Sylvia tells me it's because I am not used to carrying my added weight. I used to wonder why people who struggled with their weight didn't just work out, and I now know it's because it's hard.

Fortunately, I have never been the sort to care about a person's physical appearance and even if I never shed my pounds, as long as my wolf is healthy, I will be happy.

I head home and start to make myself dinner. Today is Tucker’s day off and he is sitting in the living room flipping through cable channels. We make small talk as I cook, but nothing too deep.

I haven’t quite gotten over my parents smelling a human male on me, but Raven said that it likely came from the car. She never lets Tucker drive, so his scent is likely embedded in the passenger seat, which she promised to shampoo thoroughly.

Raven’s explanation is not only plausible, but it also makes the most sense. Still, I have been cautious, if I bring Tucker's scent home with me again, I have no doubts that my brother will send a scout to our apartment. 

“Why have you been more distant than usual?” Tucker asks, and I am taken aback by the fact that he has somehow made his way behind me, and he is closer than I feel is necessary. I jump, and move away from him, making the man frown. “Why did you let yourself go?” he asks, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“I don’t see why that is any of your concern,” I reply, and he holds his hands up in surrender. 

“B,” he says, “I see you as a friend and from one friend to another, you have always been a beautiful girl. I don’t know what is going on, but please don’t let it change how perfect you are.” I would have been touched by Tucker’s words if he didn’t have a look in his eyes that frightened me.

“I haven’t changed,” I tell him. “But you are not behaving like yourself.” Tucker sighs loudly.

“I hate my life right now; that's all. You and your sister are the only people keeping me sane.” I am put off by the fact that he put me before my sister, but he realizes his mistake and corrects himself. “I mean, you take care of the rent, so I don’t have to worry about keeping a roof over your sister's head, and she really is working hard to meet my parents’ standards.”

“What standards?” I ask, a little annoyed that my sister might be jumping through hoops for Tucker and hasn’t even told me.

“Forget I said anything,” Tucker says. “I’m just depressed and needed a friend to talk to.” I almost feel as if I am reading too deeply into Tucker’s actions, but Raven enters the kitchen, and the look she gives us tells me that she didn’t like what she saw. I am grateful that Tucker was several feet away by that time because if he had been as close as he started, I am sure there would have been a fight.

“What’s going on? Why do you two look like that?” I point to Tucker who pulls Raven into a hug. “I was just telling B how hard my job is. I feel guilty unloading on you all the time, but I think I made your sister feel uncomfortable.” Raven smiles at Tucker, kissing him deeply which prompts me to turn away.

“B is a very sympathetic girl. You shouldn’t bother her with our problems because she will make them hers.”

“I think I just noticed,” Tucker responds. “Anyway, what are you making for dinner?” he asks my sister, who frowns guiltily with his question. 

I quickly round up my meal preparations to give the couple some space. I set a timer and head into my room, where my sister follows shortly. She asks me the truth of what happened in the kitchen, and I repeat the conversation verbatim. 

“I know you think I am being selfish toward Tucker, but I really love him.” I don’t understand why my sister is telling me this. I have never brought up Dolton, and my guess is that she and Robin must have had their own discussions.

“I will never meddle in your relationship,” I say, hoping that she catches the double meaning in my words. “As for my discomfort,” I point to my nose and Raven sighs.

“I’m really sorry about that, and thank you for not telling our parents about him.” I nod and she closes my door.

"She isn’t happy," Sylvia says. I can also tell that my sister is downcast and I’m almost positive it has something to do with Tucker’s parents’ ‘standards’.

Colton’s POV

B finally gave me an answer, and it wasn’t exactly the answer I wanted, but then again, I don’t know what I want. She told me that I should stick with girl A, the code name I gave Jessica. When I asked her why, she said that girl A is ‘wife material', which made me roll my eyes. 

For some reason, her words mirror my father’s. As soon as he found out that Jessica’s father was a well-respected doctor in the human world, he suddenly fell in love with the girl as a potential mate. Before then he had been leaning toward Gale, whose father is a pack warrior, while her mother is a business attorney. 

I have no doubts in my mind that if Gale's parents made more money, he would be pushing me toward their daughter, but the truth is, I don’t feel anything for either of them. I tried to do the whole date thing with Jessica, but she was so Jealous of every girl we passed that I ended up sending her home early. 

We had our first real argument that day as well. I made the ‘mistake’ of trying to explain to her that I cannot control the eyes of the people around me, especially those of human women. She asked me if I was jealous of the men who looked at her, and when I said no, she broke down into tears. 

I couldn’t take it, so I walked away from her, only stopping when I reached my car. I know what can happen to a lone female out late at night, so I waited for her. Not because I wanted to, but because I texted B and she told me it was the right thing to do. She also told me that I need to get better with communicating.

Apparently, saying ‘no’ to Jessica’s question was almost the same thing as telling her I didn’t care. In reality, I wasn’t jealous because I saw no reason to be. She was with me, everyone else could only stare. In my mind, there is no need to start a fight over something that belongs to me already.

It was during that same conversation that B told me why she did not pick girl B. She said that any woman who would knowingly make herself the other party had self-esteem issues that might later present itself in ways unknown. I know that B has no ulterior motive, and her reasoning makes sense.

I really enjoy speaking with B, and with her advice, I start to lean heavily into Jessica, but not to the point of cutting off Gale completely or having her sleep in my room. I likely do not have a mate, but I’m not going to give up on the prospect until after I am satisfied that I have waited long enough for her. I really want what Mandy and Carter have.

Rhea’s POV

I enter the gym and overhear some of the guys talking about me. They are expecting me later, but I finished with my side project early, so I got to the gym while they are still working out as a team. They are commenting on my weight gain and making jokes I can’t understand without context.

I hear Mike tell them to shut up and one of the guys calls him a pervert. They tell him that he is gross for liking a girl like me and I hear him laugh at the insults. He tells the guys that he doesn't care how big I’ve gotten, and he goes into detail about the ‘bright prospects’ of my future.

“If football doesn’t work out for me, I refuse to end up as a college educated gas station clerk. We already know that her family runs a successful farm. I wouldn’t even have to worry about other men while I’m away at camps, and if worse comes to worse, I can put her on a diet. I guess you could say that I wouldn’t mind shoveling sh*t with her.”

“Her or her sister?” One of the guys asks, and I find myself holding my breath. 

“Would you rather a used condom or a fresh one?” Mike asks disgustingly. I know what he is trying to get at, but his analogy is so foul that I can’t even be happy.

"He doesn’t know you are listening. You know how they speak; I’m sure he doesn’t mean it in a bad way," Sylvia says, and I purposefully make a loud noise to announce my presence. The guys are staring at me with worried expressions that I respond to with a confused ‘what?’ I can see Mike relax as he waves me over.