#Chapter 52: Making Tough Decisions

I’m a bit uncomfortable around Rita. Her sense of self-assurance contrasts with my insecurities, for starters. Her relationship with Alex, of course, is the main reason. I don’t know much about this werewolf stuff—or apparently about Alex and his family—but I know Rita is a warrior who has been paired with Alex. While they don’t seem…close…exactly, there is a familiarity between them. Now I don’t know where I stand with Alex. I know he cared for me, before. Then, after he returned and the attacks happened, we got close again. It felt like we were getting back on track. Now…everything has changed. “I have. A. Question,” I finally say. Rita is sitting in the chair across the living room from me in Alex’s parents’ house, totally ignoring me. Without lifting her head from her phone, she looks up, her eyes hooded, as if she doesn’t have the patience to deal with me. Her glare is unsettling, but she is the only one I can talk to about what is happening. So, I swallow my anxiety and st