Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 35

Valarian POV

288 iVouchers

A few hours earlier

“Valarian, are you dressed yet?” Mom yells out to me. I grab the piece of paper with my dad’s address. it and a small list I made of his description. Mom said I should recognize him, and the funny feeling I get in my tummy should tell me he is my dad.

“Coming, mom,” I call back to her while unfolding the paper again because the corners didn’t match. Why doesn’t it match? I refold it. Casey walks into the room, and I hate how she taps on my door. Two taps, it should be three, odd numbers, odd numbers. I try to refold the paper, but her knock irritates me making me stuff the corners up again.

“Valarian, we are gonna be late,” mom calls again.

“Casey, knock,” I snap, not meaning to. Casey is my best friend.

“I forgot, you are so weird, Vally,” Casey laughs but knocks on the door again, and I let out a breath. I know the other kids think I am weird, they all do but I don’t mind when Casey says it, she doesn’t say it in a mean way.

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“Did you get it?” I whisper to Casey, and she kneels pulling her bag off her shoulder and pulling out torn pieces of paper.

“I tore them out,” she says excitedly before stuffing them back in her bag when we hear footsteps.

“Valarian, come on, come on,” Mom says, ushering us out of the bedroom. Casey giggles at our little secret. Today I find my dad. Mom is getting sick, I know she Jes it, but I see the puffiness under her eyes, how she is always too tired to play and lately she has been falling asleep when she reads to me. She never has time, time, time, never enough time to play with me anymore. Dad will have time for me, I know he will have time, or I hope he does, then maybe he can make mom not so tired no more. Maybe then she will play more, I miss when mom played but now she gets tired too quickly and needs to rest. She thinks I don’t notice but I notice everything about mom, she is the best mommy.

I follow mom out of the house, trying not to think of the torn- up phone book pages. I wanted the maps. I wasn’t sure how to read the maps, but it can’t be that hard, like a pirates map, dad is the golden chest at the end, and I was going to find him and surprise mom. I couldn’t wait to make her smile.

“Valarian seatbelt,” Mom hisses; she was always in a hurry. I clip my belt in and Casey does hers, and then mom puts the car stick on the D, and the car moves, and we are on our way to school.

We stop out the front of my school. My teacher is waiting out

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funny, like burnt grass and cigarette smoke. Plus, she talks too slow. Mom gets out of the car

meetings this afternoon, okay, but I should be home for dinner,” Mom tells me with a kiss on the cheek before she

and she always looked like a poodle with her weird puffy hair

seat at recess. I try to flatten the pages out,

find it.

right pages?” I ask Casey, and

You said get the maps, I

think of another way

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weren’t this hard to follow, these ones have lots of lines

know where my

to find the pirate treasure?”

dad,” I tell her, pulling out the spare clothes I smuggled into my school bag. I pulled the jumper on over the top of my shirt and the jeans over my shorts. My shorts ride up and give me a wedgie, and I don’t like the creases in

lines will go away,” Casey tells me, and I nod, stuffing the maps in my bag and putting it

the corner while eating her anchovy sandwich before giving me a thumbs up and I run out the gate before stuffing my bag in the dead hedges out the front. I glance back at the school, feeling sneaky that I got out of my school like a

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walking forever, and it is starting to get cold. Mom would be worried. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. When I come across a man at the traffic lights I stop. I didn’t know if I was going in the right direction when I saw

“What kid?”

ask, showing him the piece of paper. He huffs and takes it from

“Alpha Valen’s?”

eagerly; he knew where it was. Where

rogue boy want to

rogue boy; I am an Alpha like

is your

“Alpha Valen Solace.”

harder.

I tell him.

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but I am sure he will think this is really funny, come on then, boy, maybe he will give you an autograph or let you get a picture with him,” the man says, gripping my shirt and tugging

will take

anywhere. in the penthouse

in that big building

you work for my

door opens as we climb the stairs,

boy, Tatum?” the man in the funny hat asks.

who thinks the Alpha is his dad.”

they all think that, wonder which rogue whore sent their kid

He is

claim that too, but come on, let’s get this over with,”

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clean I can see my reflection in them, and something smells yummy, making

what’s your name anyway?” the