"You must trust and believe in people, or life becomes impossible."
~Anton Chekhov

Spencer

I heard her call out my name, but I didn't stop. Mad as I was, it was more at myself than at her. I was angry she made good points, which was completely stupid, but I was furious with myself for not listening to her when I asked her out. Because in the end, I knew she was right. In the end, we'd have to break up so I could be with a girl I didn't like, and she would end up with a guy she didn't like. It was total bullshit.

For the rest of the day, I stayed in a foul mood. My girlfriend, sensing my anger, didn't talk much to me in English. I figured even if we did speak, we'd end up arguing again.

When I arrived home, my siblings picked up on my emotions the moment I stepped foot into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you?" Dom asked, shutting the fridge door as he opened a can of soda.

"He's been like this ever since physiology," Jack stated, entering the room behind me.

"Don't you have a Laroche in that class? Did they do something to you?" Gigi inquired.

"It's Elsa. I've seen her go in the class before. Want me to-" Jack began.

"No!" I snapped. "It's not Elsa; it's not a Laroche. I'm just in a bad mood, so drop it."

I shuffled off to the basement, changing into some workout clothes to start boxing. My family left me alone for about an hour before I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I expected my mom or dad, but it turned out to be Rey, my second. She was in workout clothes herself.

"Want a partner?" she asked.

"Jack tell you I was in a bad mood or something?" I replied bluntly.

"He might've mentioned it."

I stopped boxing and faced her. "You come to talk about it?"

"Only if you want to."

"I don't."

"Don't or can't?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm not stupid and that this is about a girl, one you're probably not supposed to be dating because she's human. I'd say you might be dating a Laroche, but since we all hate them and they all hate us, that's a far-fetched idea. You've been acting weird for a while, and the others can attribute it to stress over school, and you starting to come into your alpha duties, but I know that it's not just that. So what's going on between you and this girl?"

"Nothing."

"Spencer, I'm your second. I can't do my job as a beta well if you don't tell me what's up."

"Because what can you do if I tell you? If I tell you or anyone else in the pack who she is, best-case scenario, you'll all threaten her within an inch of her life, and then I wouldn't even be able to be friends with her."

"You don't have to tell me who she is. But maybe if you tell me what's bothering you, it might feel good to get it off your chest."

"It won't do anything. She and I need to work it out, and as much as I hate it, she's making good points about us seeing each other. She knows you guys wouldn't approve of us because she knows we're all above everyone else at school. She knows shes not an exception to the rule, no matter how badly she wants to be, and no matter how badly I want her to be."

"Does she know what we are?"

"Yeah... she's ridiculously smart. She knows about the Laroches too. She knows we're feuding, but like the rest of us, she doesn't know why either."

"Spencer-"

"I'm tired of fighting with the Laroches over something we don't even know what it is we're fighting about. What was so bad that happened between the packs that even when we don't know what it is, we still hate each other over it? It's stupid."

"As much as I agree with you, I also trust our parents enough to believe whatever it is, it's a valid reason."

"I do, too, but I also think there's a time where the past needs to stay in the past, and there's a time for us to move on."

"So, what's the girl like?"

"She's smart, funny, beautiful, can hold her own in any situation. She listens to what people say and respects them if they have different opinions than her, which is refreshing because I'm surrounded by a lot of people who don't... I know Callie is your sister, and you don't want to hear this, but as much as I love her, I'm not in love with her, and I don't think I ever will be."

"Are you in love with this girl?" Rey queried.

"I don't know. I feel something, but since I've never been in love, I don't know what it feels like."

"Well, when and if you're ever ready, I'd like to meet her," my second said sincerely. "She must mean something to you if you're this upset about the thought of not being with her."

"You mean that?"

"I do."

"So if it were a human, another wolf from another pack, or a Laroche, you would still accept?"

"I'd have trouble with the last one, but if, God forbid, she was from the Laroche pack, if she truly made you happy, I'd support you the best I could."

"Thank you, Rey," I said. She pulled me into a hug, and I didn't resist. Some of the weight on my shoulders lifted after confiding in her about my situation. While I wouldn't tell her who my mysterious lover was until absolutely necessary, I could at least talk to her when I needed to get something off my chest about it.

"You're welcome. You feel better?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Because after the ass-whooping I'm about to give you, you're going to feel bad in a completely different way."

I laughed. "Bring it on."