Page 106 of UNAwere

‘The night of the bonding ceremony, there’ll be a dinner. Nolan will be here to celebrate the alliance between our two packs. The day after the dinner, Warner will want to begin the ceremony in the forest. It’s quite animalistic. He’ll chase you and then he’ll…’ She gestures towards my lap, eyes tightening. ‘Y’know?’

‘Yeah.’

She watches me for a moment, and then she says, voice lowered, ‘If you don’t want to go through with it at any point, I want you to tell me. And I’ll stop all of this.’

‘I don’t have a choice.’ I smile at her weakly. ‘It was the only way for Luminaire to form an alliance with Primrose. And it was either me or my sister.’

Hannah sighs. ‘One thing you should know about Warner is that he’s grown up with tradition. He thwarted his own father, who was alpha, when he was just fifteen. He doesn’t look kindly upon ignorance. He expects you to understand his importance.’

‘I do.’ I realise I’m lying as soon as the words leave my mouth. But I keep my expression neutral.

‘I don’t tell you this because I agree with him,’ she says, her voice lowering again. ‘I just want you to get a good gauge, so you don’t get into trouble.’ She glances behind her shoulder, as if she’s worried someone might overhear. But we’re alone, and we have been since we first got here. When she turns back to me, she leans forward, her eyes on mine. ‘You can trust Jude, okay? He won’t let you get hurt.’

‘Will I get hurt?’ I whisper. Since she’s acting conspiratorially, I feel I might as well, too.

‘No. Not with Jude and me around.’

‘Hannah.’

We both turn. There’s a Were standing at the end of the hall that I haven’t seen yet. He’s tall, built similarly to Warner, and his dark hair is braided in tight rows across his scalp. His eyes shift from Hannah to me, deep brown and calculating.

I watch Hannah as she shifts in her chair, turning to the source of the voice.

‘Lucas. What are you doing here?’ She gets up and goes to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. ‘I didn’t think you’d be back for another two weeks.’

‘Change of plans,’ he murmurs, drawing away. He smiles at her, and his teeth are glaringly white, juxtaposed against his dark brown skin. ‘Sorry to disappoint.’

She whacks his shoulder. ‘Hardly.’

Lucas turns to me and nods. ‘You must be Sybbie.’

‘Yes, sorry,’ Hannah says breathlessly, gesturing between us. ‘Sybbie, this is Lucas. He’s also one of Warner’s trusted.’

I give him the wink-and-finger-gun combo. Mainly because I’m on edge and way too overstimulated to be meeting someone new right now.

Hannah smiles at Lucas’s confused stare.

‘Isn’t she adorable?’

‘We sure she’s even a Were?’ he murmurs.

‘I can hear you,’ I say, drumming my thighs with my hands. ‘And yes. I’m a growly, frightening, blood-drinking Were.’

‘Blood-drinking?’ Hannah grins at me. ‘Whose blood have you been drinking, Sybbie?’

The memory of tasting Jude comes hurtling back, a heat blossoming in my belly, and I grit my teeth.

‘Sorry. Got confused between vampires and Weres for a second there,’ I joke.

Lucas glances at Hannah again, genuinely concerned.

‘Don’t worry,’ she tells him. ‘She’s kidding.’

I stand up. ‘I’m gonna be so prepared for this ritual thingo. Warner will be like, “Whaaaaat?”’

Hannah cocks her brow at me. ‘Is this you telling me the lesson is over?’

‘Yep.’ I glance at the door to my room. ‘I might go for a nap.’