City Alpha

Chapter Four - Impossible

∎Zoey∎

She threw her phone against the sofa and watched as it bounced a bit before finally landing on the floor. Zoey heard the c***k, but she couldn’t be bothered. Her situation had gone from good to bad to worse. She had been on the phone for more than an hour trying to find another place to live and it was impossible. Not only didn’t she have the funds for it, but she also didn’t know anyone yet and that meant she didn’t have a potential roommate to room with. The dorms were full and although the dean promised to keep an eye out for an opening, he had pointed out that it wasn’t likely. Zoey looked around the sitting room and sighed. She had been staying with Marvin, Justin, and Cane for the last week and a half, but she knew she couldn’t impose on them for much longer. Each night, Justin would be on the sofa and she would retire to his bedroom. Although she appreciated the gesture, her friendship with Justin was extremely awkward. He barely noticed her, barely spoke to her, and always did so in a cold tone when he did. That in itself made her wonder if she had imagined his kiss that first night.

“How’s it going?” Marvin questioned as he came into the sitting room. He spotted her phone laying on the floor but with a quick shake of her head, he ignored it and sat down on the pouf.

“Bad,” Zoey finally said as she sighed loudly. “Everything is so expensive and I’m starting to remember why I was relieved with Cassy had agreed to hold that room for me,”

“Only, she didn’t,” Marvin remarked, and she nodded. “And the dorms?”

“The dean promised to put me at the top of the list, but he did mention that I shouldn’t get my hopes up,” Zoey informed him just as Cane came in through the front door.

“You know you can just stay here,” Cane commented before heading off to his bedroom. Zoey enjoyed the company of both guys but her friendship with Marvin was comfortable.

“You could,” Marvin added but Zoey quickly shook her head. She wasn’t sure if Cane and Marvin were aware that Justin gave up his room each night, but she figured that now was the best time to bring it up.

“I could…but…” her voice trailed off as she glanced down at her hands.

“But the sofa isn’t as comfortable as it looks?” he suggested, and she giggled as she leaned back.

“I’m guessing…judging by that comments, that you aren’t aware that I’ve been sleeping in Justin’s room,” she said. Marvin smiled and she knew that he had gotten the wrong idea. “No, no, he has been sleeping here, on the sofa,” she corrected.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Marvin said as he got up. His whole attitude had changed, and she wondered why. “Yeah, that’s no good,” she heard him mutter, causing her to be even more confused than before. “Not good at all,” Marvin hurried out of the sitting room and she heard his door close. Zoey got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen to start with dinner. That was one thing she loved doing and she didn’t mind cooking for the guys. They weren’t at all what she had been expecting and aside from Cane going out, Marvin and Justin spent a lot of their time at the house. She even got used to traveling with them to college and back. When one of her classes ran late, Zoey had been worried that the guys wouldn’t wait for her, but to her delightful surprise, Justin and Marvin had waited for her. In fact, the more Zoey thought about it, the more she realized just how well the guys took care of her and did their best to make her feel at home and comfortable. Cane had even gone so far as to give up his time in the bathroom. The only time her bathroom was used by one of the guys was if their bathroom was currently occupied. On top of that, whoever it was, would first ask her if it was alright. Zoey felt like they had truly accepted her and although she was trying to find another place, she knew that she would gladly accept living with them permanently. However, she knew that she couldn’t expect Justin to sleep on the sofa forever and she even waited for the day he would bring home a girl. As it was, none of the guys showed any interest in dating, with the exception of Cane. Even then, the guys mostly hung out in the house or went out for a hike. Zoey smiled as she put on a pot of water, remembering the first time Cane had announced that they were going out. Of course, she hadn’t wanted to impose but the thought of going for a walk had sounded wonderful. When she had said that she would just change her shoes, all three guys paled and started making excuses. Although she still wondered why she wasn’t welcome to join them, she was a lot more curious as to what they truly did during that time. They weren’t gone long, and she didn’t mind being alone in the house for an hour or two.

“Hey,” Zoey looked up from the vegetables she had been cutting to see Justin standing on the other side of the island. She had been so caught up with her own thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come in.

“Hey, Justin,” she greeted him politely before she went back to preparing dinner. “Food should be ready in about an hour,” she then informed him.

“Oh, great,” he said. “I heard that you’ve been looking for another place to stay?” he casually asked. Zoey hummed in response, as she silently wished he would leave her alone. Things between them were rather awkward and when they did enter a conversation, it made things even weirder. Zoey continued making her version of a cottage pie and as she placed the dish into the oven, she wasn’t surprised to see that she was all alone. She sighed as she then realized that the guys weren’t even home and so she got comfortable on the sofa, switched on the tv, and started watching her favorite tv show while she waited for the pie to finish.

∎Justin∎

“What did your father say?” Marvin asked and Justin smiled as he stopped the car. He had deliberately parked the car in their usual spot, but the truth was he hadn’t brought them here for a quick run.

“Well, that’s why we are here,” he said as he got out of the truck. Cane and Marvin quickly followed as he led them along the road to the turn-off.

“Is this what I think it is?” Cane questioned as they walked along the dirt road. Up ahead was the cabin they had originally wanted to move into. However, due to its size, Justin’s father had said no.

“Yeah,” Justin said as he took out the key to his newly owned home. “After I spoke to you, I called my father and he gave me the go-ahead to buy it,” Justin hopped up the few steps and stopped in front of the door. “When picking out your rooms, just keep in mind that I’ll take the main and that Zoey will get the one directly next to mine,” he informed them before he unlocked the front door. The three of them entered the cabin and Justin couldn’t help but admire the décor. The high ceiling made the place seem spacious and he loved the wooden floors that gleamed in the natural sunlight that shone through the large windows. Justin stood back and let his friends explore the place first. He had already seen it before buying it and he looked forward to bringing Zoey here.

“Dibbs!” Justin heard Marvin yell out and he chuckled as he went over to the sitting room and sat down on the large sofa. “Cane!” Marvin then screamed. “Check out our backyard!” Justin leaned back against the sofa as he listened to them run around the house like little pups. The backyard was the best part of the cabin and it would allow them the freedom to shift into their wolves whenever they felt like it. Of course, they would still have to be careful with Zoey around, but he wasn’t too worried about that. Zoey enjoyed watching her favorite tv show and reading. When she wasn’t in front of the tv, she would be studying or reading. It was one thing that he truly admired about her. When Marvin and Cane came back into the cabin, Justin got up and went over to them.

“Are you sure this is alright with you two?” he asked them. It wasn’t in his nature to assume anything and although he would one day be an Alpha, he didn’t consider himself above his friends.

“Yeah!” Cane yelled as he fists pumped the air. Marvin slapped his shoulder lightly.

“This is great,” he said. “I’m pretty sure Zoey will love it too,” he added. Justin nodded as he thought about how he would tell her or ask her.

“We should get back, Zoey was making dinner when we left,” Justin said as he turned around to leave. Cane called out shotgun and Marvin groaned as the three of them left.

“When can we move in?” Marvin asked once they were back in the truck.

“I’ll bring Zoey here after dinner and talk to her first,” Justin replied as he turned on the ignition. “We’ll see how things go from there,”

∎Zoey∎

When the guys had returned from their hike, Zoey hurried to the kitchen to dish up for them. They didn’t always eat together, so it was no surprise when Cane and Marvin grabbed their plates and rushed off to their room. What did surprise her was that Justin stayed. They awkwardly ate their dinner together as Zoey did her best to concentrate on the news they were supposedly watching. Zoey finished off the last bite and smiled at Justin. The torment was finally over, and she knew she could go and take a bath and relax before going to bed. A stab of guilt tore at her heart knowing that Justin would once again give up his bed for her, but she quickly pushed it aside. When Justin didn’t immediately leave, Zoey was curious as to why he was still hanging around.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked him as she packed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. She normally did these things alone but there he was, standing awkwardly on the other side of the island.

“No, nothing is wrong,” he said. “I just wanted to take you somewhere,” Zoey stared at him as she tried to figure out what his motives were. Was he going to take her to the woods and end her life for sleeping in his bed? Had she been a disappointment when he had kissed her, and this was his way of chasing her away? Zoey began to panic as she nodded and went to retrieve her coat from her bag. She hadn’t quite settled in and she wondered if this was his way of wanting to talk to her about it. He had asked her earlier about her looking for another place. Was it possible he had found a place and was going to take her there? Zoey desperately pushed aside her overactive imagination and got into the truck with Justin. The drive wasn’t too long but she soon realized he was taking her out of town. When he turned onto a dirt road, she really started to panic. “Please, calm down,” he said as he pulled up to a lovely-looking cabin. Zoey had no idea what was happening, and she watched as he got out and headed over to the house. When he turned back to look at her, she knew he was waiting for her.

“Oh, boy,” she whispered before she climbed out.