“That sucks,” Sam comments, because goddamn wolf hearing. She swallows a bite of beef jerky. “Makes me glad wolf shifters only have to deal with it once a year.”
Fantastic, now she thinks I randomly announce when I have cramps.
Connor shifts closer to me, sliding what’s left of his lunch with him, and wraps an arm low around my waist. His hand tucks under my hoodie, resting just above the waistband of my jeans. It reaches across most of my stomach, the heat radiating from his skin like a tiny furnace against my aching muscles. It’s surprisingly effective.
The other guys don’t act surprised, but Sam has a kind of distant look in her eye that makes me think Connor learned this particular move helping her. She gives me a tight smile when she notices me staring. It’s not a mean look, so progress.
While Nolan hands me ibuprofen and some type of fancy chocolate bar whose label isn’t in English, Donovan asks, “What made it finally sink in with the Stepford Wife?”
“I really wish you’d stop insulting her. Even if we weren’t compatible, she’s still a good person,” Kaleb comments, as he pulls his lunch out from his backpack. “And if you must know, I didn’t actively deny the rumors that we all are in a relationship with Callie.”
I nearly choke on the ibuprofen, shocked by how he just laid it out there so calmly. Something about the way he says it makes it more…real. Like it’s not a rumor, but the truth being whispered through the halls. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking?
Wait, no. Not wishful thinking. Friends! We’re friends! Stupid super puberty.
“You okay there, Callie love?” Nolan inquires, smirking while rubbing my back.
“Fine,” I croak, sipping from the water bottle that was in my lunch bag.
Kaleb has his thinking face on as he ponders out loud, “Is this a new tactic by Gina to try and ruin Callie’s reputation?”
“Not this time,” Nolan answers, slightly amused. “It’s driving her crazy though. Even with her magic, she can’t seem to stop the rumor from spreading.”
“Can’t imagine why,” Sam comments, the words wrapped in heavy sarcasm while she pointedly looks at the way both Connor and Nolan are touching me.
“I see your point,” Kaleb replies dryly, pulling out a bag of carrot sticks from his lunch.
“So, you’re not actually holing up in Nolan’s McMansion to have massive orgies and stuff?” she queries with a smirk on her lips and a piercing look in her eyes. Her words are laced with humor, but the underlying question is real. “Because, as the Alpha’s second, I feel I should know. For security purposes.”
“No, we’re not…” Kaleb starts, then pinches the bridge of his nose. “No. The rumors are not true. Orgies? Really?”
She shrugs. “What? I don’t judge. You do you.”
“Annnd changing the subject,” I chirp, then focus on the guy who’s still staring at me. “Who are you?”
He blinks and a blush stains his cheeks as he stammers, “I-I’m…Randoll, but everyone calls me Rand. You can call me either…if you want. Why do you smell so good?”
Suddenly, a bunch of people who are sitting at one of the outdoor lunch tables stare at Rand. Some are laughing while others look like they’re curious about the answer. All of them have either amber or blue eyes.
Awesome. More wolves with super hearing. Who knew there were so many shifters at school?
Sam slaps a hand over Rand’s mouth, and the ‘he must be a pod person’expression is back. “He’s usually not this dumb, I swear. No more talking for you.”
He shrinks a little into himself, his brows drooping over his big, puppy dog eyes. A muffled whine escapes from behind Sam’s hand. The sound is uncomfortably familiar.Oh no.
“You wouldn’t happen to be the other shifter at my house yesterday?” I ask, wincing as I remember how I pretty much treated him like a friendly pet.
He nods, his eyes bright with excitement, and I’m wishing the ground would swallow me whole again.
“It’s, uh…” I clear my throat. “Nice to…see you again?
Mental note. Stop petting strange wolves.
Sam rolls her eyes and points at the lunch in front of Rand. “Eat.”
Felix and Nolan laugh, finding my gaffe hilarious. Kaleb looks like the wheels are turning in his head, as he more closely examines our new occasionally furry friend.
Rand picks up his sandwich, but he just holds it, his gaze anxious as it flicks between me and my untouched lunch.
