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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grass and cigarette smoke. Plus, she talks too slow. Mom gets

I should be home for dinner,” Mom tells me with a kiss on the cheek before she rushes back to the car, honking the horras she leaves. I

and tries to take my hand, but I don’t let her. Her hands stunk bad like the rest of her, and she always looked like a poodle with

me on the seat at recess. I try to flatten the pages out, looking for the street name

find it.

are the right pages?” I

know? You said get the maps, I got the

think of another way to find my dad.

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lots of lines and cross–sections, and

where my dad

to find the pirate treasure?”

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 my jeans. Mom usually gets those out with the hot steaming iron for me. I don’t want creases.

just don’t look, and the lines will go away,” Casey tells me, and I nod, stuffing the maps in my bag and putting it

They always leave it open. Casey looks around the corner while eating her anchovy sandwich before giving me a thumbs up and I run out the gate before stuffing

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rumbling. I have been 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

“What kid?”

where this place is?” I ask, showing him the piece of paper. He huffs and takes it from me

“Alpha Valen’s?”

where it was. Where my

would a rogue boy want to

an

who is your dad?”

“Alpha Valen Solace.”

laughs harder.

tell him.

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my Alpha doesn’t have a kid, but I am sure he will think this is really funny, come on then, boy, maybe he will give you an autograph or

will take me

there anywhere. in

that big building

for my dad?”

he says, and we walk up the hill toward the big building with the bright lights. The door opens as we climb the stairs, and a

man in the funny

thinks the

which rogue whore sent their kid up

a rogue whore. He is her mate, she

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

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all white and gold. The elevators are so clean I can see my reflection in them, and something smells yummy, making my belly rumble louder. I forgot to eat lunch,

anyway?” the