Their Powerful Hybrid Mate

Chapter 4

Lorraine

"Good morning, Sarah!" I beamed as I strode into school, my hair neatly done showing off my soft natural curls.

I wore my favorite top. It was a black tang top with matching black sequences edging the top and bottom, paired with a black zip-up jacket that complemented it perfectly. I even wore my semi-uncomfortable gray skinny jeans that had just enough tears in them to not get me thrown into the office for inappropriate dress code.

"Goddess Lorraine, you look great!" Sarah smiled. "The doctor gave you something?"

"Sure did, and I slept like a baby." I smiled.

"Thank goddess, you needed a good night's sleep!" She beamed.

"Tell me about it." I snorted. "How was your lunch with Noah?"

"It was...casual." She frowned. "I don't think he is into me."

"Sorry to hear." I frowned.

"That's okay, there are still two other brothers I can try my luck with." She said, wiggling her eyebrows and laughing.

The bell rang and we were off to class. My day flew by. My teachers looked stunned to see that I looked alert, a few even asking me what had changed. I indulged them with as few details as possible, not that there was much to say. I was given a sleeping pill. End of story. When I got to gym class, still feeling great, Mr. Davis was there with Noah. They both looked like they had just been laughing about something, so I decided to try my luck.

"Mr. Davis?"

"What is it, Fuller?" He asked, his whistle between his lips ready to signal the start of class.

"I would like to do my mile run today, if that's alright."

No time like the present, and who knows how long I'll feel this good for. I seemed to always have a seed of doubt blooming inside me. I wouldn't consider myself a pessimist, but definitely a realist.

"Today?" He said with a sigh, looking at his watch and clipboard. "I don't think I'll have time today...plus the gym isn't setup for you to run the course." He added.

"I can take her to the outdoor field." Noah suggested, much to my shock.

"Yeah? That would free up my lesson plans for next week... Okay, go ahead. Thanks, Noah." He said, tossing him a stop watch.

I wasn't sure if I should thank Noah or not. It was a kind gesture, but coming from him, I felt my hackles rise, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I didn't say anything as we made our way to the outdoor field. It was a nice spring day thankfully, no breeze either. Perfect for a mile run.

"Alright, let's start with a warm-up." Noah said as we approached the field. He seemed relaxed, happy even. As if he actually wanted to do this. Maybe he wanted to see me suffer after all.

"It won't make much of a difference," I said. I sucked at running either way.

"Indulge me." He said, and began stretching.

I sighed but didn't argue, copying each of his moves. It did make me feel a bit better, but I doubted that it would make me any faster.

"Nice job. Now, just five laps, and you'll be done." Noah smiled.

"What is passing again?"

"For an un-shifted werewolf of your age, anything past seven minutes will be considered failing."

I swore under my breath, pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

"What was your time before?"

"Eleven." I grumbled, going to the starting line of the track that circled the soccer field.

I could see Noah wince at my admission. He paused before a wicked smile came over him.

"I guess I'll just have to give you some proper motivation then."

My eyes narrowed.

"Don't let me catch you." He smiled, holding out the stop watch. My eyes practically ignited with fire. "On your mark...get set...go!"

I took off like a bat out of hell. I didn't bother to look back, not until I rounded the first curve of the track and could see him standing there, at the starting line, taking his place. My lungs burned as I picked up my pace. I was screwed. Completely and utterly screwed. Rounding the second big curve, I looked at the starting line again. He was gone.

It was only a few seconds before I could hear his thudding footsteps quickly approaching.

"Come on Rainy!" He yelled, giving my ponytail a quick playful yank before running next to me - backwards. "You'll never pass at this rate."

"Tell me something I don't know asshole!" I yelled through gritted teeth.

"You need to control your breathing." He said, exaggerating his own breathing for me to mimic. "Your form too," he said, his hands adjusting my posture, making me slow to a stop. An unfamiliar heat spread through me at his touch. "Did coach help you at all?"

"He might have if I had ever bothered to show up." I said, gulping in air.

Noah frowned but didn't push the matter. Instead, he gave me a few more pointers, and restarted the clock. Again, and again, and again. He kept making me start over until he seemed content that my form and my breathing and my pace were all to his liking. I didn't know if I wanted to thank him or smack him for making me run so much.

It was only when I finished my first official mile run-Noah running by my side the entire time, pushing me to keep going-that I begged him to stop.

"I can't- I'm done-." I heaved, my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. "I don't care if I fail- I'm done-."

Noah nodded, a smile stretching across his face as he turned the stop watch around for me to see.

Six minutes and fifty-nine seconds. A passing score.

"Oh my goddess...are you serious?!" I chuckled, my laugh a bit crazed sounding.

"You did it." He smiled. "I'm proud of you."

That heat spread through me again, and I was thankful that my face was already red from running, otherwise my blush might have been noticeable. Something about the honesty in his words...it struck something down deep inside me. It almost reminded me of my own father, who I haven't seen in quite a while. Whose heart I broke when I basically renounced my title and moved into a new pack several hours away from home, claiming that my grandparents were my parents. I can't quite remember the last time my own father said he was proud of me...

"You'll let Mr. Davis know?" I asked, sadness quickly washing over me.

"Of course." Noah said, his smile faltering. "Is everything-?"

"I gotta go, thanks for the help!" I said, ghosting him once again.

I didn't want to stick around and explain myself to him. Or to anyone, for that matter. Instead, I grabbed my bags and went home. I ate dinner with my grandparents and as soon as it was deemed socially acceptable, I scrambled off to my room and took a sleeping pill, excited about another silent night.

- - - - - - - -

Mr. Davis was surprised at my passing grade, and honestly, so was I. He seemed so impressed, in fact, that he went easy on me when we had to do rope climbing the next day, today. I royally sucked, but Noah was there and helped me and a few others manage to get up further than we would have without his help.

Maybe Noah wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he felt like I did... It's hard being an alpha. Most everyone either fears you or is trying to buy your attention. It's lonely at the top. Perhaps I could be a bit nicer to him, less dismissive anyway.

"Good job today. Class dismissed!" Mr. Davis said with a blow of his whistle.

I took the opportunity to go over to Noah, who was busy cleaning up, a group of girls gawking over him from the far end of the gym.

"Hey Noah."

"Lorraine." He smiled, setting down the cones he had been stacking.

"I wanted to thank you, again, and apologies for being so...short and dismissive all the time." I said more awkwardly than I'd like to admit.

His face softened. And my heart warmed.

"I'm sorry if my behavior and my brothers caused you to feel that way towards us. All our games...they were never to hurt you." He said, flushing red.

"Can we start over?" I asked softly, keenly aware of all the eyes and ears around us.

"I would like that very much." He smiled.

And just like that, my week seemed to turn around.