Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 61

"You'd just have to tell me anyway," she says. "You'd have to trust me to understand, or at least try to."

I don't look away from her for a second. I don't know how, but I have to tell. I pray that the warning not to reveal the werewolf secret was a precaution. "Mom, there are werewolves that are trying to kill me."

She looks petrified. Not a bit of suspicion or confusion crosses her face. Just downright fear. "Oh honey... oh no."

"You believe me?" I ask. "You know?"

"I mean, I've never heard that word used for a gang before, but yeah. I have some ideas," her brow furrows.

Wait, what? "Did you say a gang?"

She nods. "I can't keep up with the terminology these days, but isn't that a new term for gangs now?"

I look at her incredulously. "No."

She looks even more worried. "Well what then, are you in some kind of trouble? This isn't about those boys from the backyard is it?" She looks really upset. "Your father was right. We should've-"

"No," I wave my hands. I don't even want to know where she's going with that. "I was just... it's a prank going on around the internet."

She looks at me suspiciously. I nod, knowing that this lie will work.

"A prank?" she asks. "Like that asking your parents whether hell is a bad word or not?"

I nod.

She gives me a look. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I smile, waving her off. "Werewolves. It's kind of weird, right?"

She looks around the room. "You didn't record me again did you?"

I laugh. "No, Mom. I just wanted to try it."

"Okay," she keeps staring at me and gets up. "Well, if that's all, I'm gonna go back to doing some paperwork. You wouldn't imagine the amount of people around here who need counseling. They're afraid... I don't know. It must be a cultural thing. They think the town is doomed for some reason because of new management. It's so ominous."

My blood runs cold.

She looks back at me before she closes the door. "If there was something though, you'd tell me right?" even though she's smiling, she looks really worried.

I know I'll get a talk from my father later about how we should handle horrible things like emotions together. I just smile back at her and nod. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too honey," she leans her head against the door. "I'm calling mandatory family time in five minutes though, to make sure you don't try to hurt yourself or anything." She throws my door wide open and leaves. "I better not hear that door close."

The next day comes sooner than I would've liked for it to, and like always, I'm dying in gym. To be fair, I'm on my last lap, but even though everyone else had four times as much as me, they're all already done and playing games now.

I want to give up, but Coach Kenet is hot on my tail. It's her new method of making sure I'm "properly motivated."

"Keep it moving, Jones," she screams while doing high knees around me. "Pick up those legs."

Coach Kenet stands my limp body up firmly on the track. "You better begin your cool down young lady. That's why you can't breath. Do you know what recovery is?"

I want to cry. I pull myself back up and slowly trot around the gym.

Brittany races in front of me and starts jogging backwards, showing off. "Come on. The faster you start, the faster you finish."

I point towards my clearly moving legs. "I have started."

"Start better I mean," Brittany smirks.

Krys laughs. I look at her.

"What?" she asks.

"Whose side are you on?" I grumble.

Krys shrugs. "The right side, unless the wrong side is funnier."

I shake my head. They stay at my side until Krys tags Brittany and they start barreling after each other. They're just as aggressive, reckless, and impulsive as the guys. In fact, sometimes I think roughhousing between female wolves is worse.

They're lapping me now. So much for cool down.

I pass Suzie and Juliet leaning on the railing, staring down at the second level. A bunch of people are playing sports down there. Mainly basketball.