Page 139 of Wicked Savage Wolves
“Yeah, vanilla. Everything is good.”
Rafael scowls but I roll my eyes. He isn’t the only one allowed to call her that. He pulls out his phone and reads an incoming text. “Clan meeting is cancelled,” he tells us.
“Friday funday, fuckers.”
“For you, maybe,” Isa complains. “I have a shift at the diner.”
“You two coming over?” Rafael asks Desmond and I as we all make our way out of the classroom. “I’m dropping Isa off at work and then I’ll be at my place. We can grill. Relax for once.”
I shake my head. “Can’t. I’m heading to Joaninha’s.”
“Has she mentioned when she’ll be back?” Isa asks, and I hear the worry in her voice.
I suck on my teeth. “No, actually. It hasn’t come up. But she said she has it handled with her teachers.” I shrug.
Isa doesn’t look happy about my response. “I’m worried about her. She can’t afford to miss this much school. She was already struggling to meet graduation requirements and,” she hesitates, “she doesn't have a Pack to fall back on. School is important. Even more so for her.”
My brows pull together. “What are you talking about?” She hasn’t mentioned any of this to me.
Isa sighs. “It’s not really my pla—”
“Come on, vanilla. Help a man out. Please.”
Her eyes soften. “Fine.” She runs a hand through her hair as we navigate our way through the parking lot to our cars, and I force myself to slow my steps so she doesn’t have to increase her pace to keep up. She’s almost as small as Joaninha, but not quite. “Her mom isn’t coming home until her loser boyfriend is either released from the Compound or dead, so she has no childcare. No one to watch César so she can attend classes.”
I stop. “What?”
“That should be any day now. Rafael’s dad says they got a confession. That’s enough for them to deliver Pack justice, and the vampires don’t seem too upset over it all.”
“So then what's the problem. Why is the vamp still breathing?” Or not breathing, but alive nonetheless.
“The vampires are trying to save face. They can’t roll over on this and expect their people not to put up a stink about it. My dad is pretty sure in a week's time they’ll move on, but for now, they have to appear to be in negotiations. Just more paranormal politics bullshit,” Rafael says. “I’m just glad Zheng and I had our go at the bastard before he was taken to the Compound. When this is all over, he’ll be executed, and my father refuses to let me near him. A quick death is better than he deserves,” he snarls, his wolf making its presence known.
“Hey,” Zheng calls out and we turn to find him a few car lengths away with Meiying beside him. “I’m heading to the diner, want a lift?” His words are meant for Isa, but it’s Rafael who answers him.
“No. I‘ll take her.” His wolf is still agitated by our conversation.
Zheng comes closer as Meiying rolls her eyes and climbs inside his Subaru WXR. “Don’t be a dick, Rafael. I’m working with her. I can take her to work and you can pick her up before shift ends.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Isa says, not letting Rafael argue as she gives him a kiss on the cheek and turns to leave.
“Hold up. What all am I missing about Joaninha?”
She pauses beside Zheng. “Her mom isn’t watching César for her until things with her boyfriend are sorted.” Her lip curls in disgust. “I don’t know what is wrong with her. She’s acting like her boyfriend isn’t a murdering asshole when he is. When he could do to Jo what he did to me.” She shudders. “It’s not my problem, but I feel bad for Jo and what she’s going through. It’s hard knowing your mom is standing by someone like that.”
My jaw tightens.Shit.I didn’t know.
“She can't afford to miss much more school. Even if she manages to keep up on assignments, there are attendance requirements she won’t meet. We talked yesterday. I don’t know the specifics, but I know she’s barely treading water.”
“Fuck.” I run my hands through my hair. “She didn’t tell me that. She said she had it figured out.”
The look on Zheng’s face says it all. I’m an idiot.
“I didn’t think—”
“About what it was like to be a single mom, raising a kid on your own when you still have school and shit to worry about and don’t have a Pack to help support you?” Zheng finishes for me. Isa smacks him in the chest, but he’s not wrong.
“No. I didn’t.” Dammit. “I gotta go. I’ll catch you guys later.” I need to talk to Joaninha. Figure this out because she needs to graduate. César is my kid, too. She doesn’t have to do this on her own anymore. What happened to being a team? Co-parenting? That means I do my part, but I can’t if she doesn’t keep me in the fucking loop.
