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Okay, maybe she had no intentions of offering me food. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I almost slammed my fist on my desk but refrained at the last moment. “Why not? I’m starving! If I don’t eat now, I will collapse like a fragile leaf. Are you willing to take responsibility and go to prom with me?”
Surprisingly smooth, Gray.
“I—” She was interrupted by a random girl who came up behind her. Aera and I looked up and watched as this girl with purple lipstick reached over Aera’s shoulder to pass me a heart-shaped envelope.
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s this?”
“It’s an envelope,” the girl answered, smiling wide to show off gleaming braces.
“Oh, I can see that …” I said awkwardly. “And you’re giving it to me because?”
“Do you mind reading what’s inside and replying to me in person on the rooftop?” the girl asked bravely.
I sighed, knowing I’d have to find a way to let her down gently … while beinghangry. Before my feet could follow a stranger, Aera grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the classroom without allowing me to say goodbye to my admirer.
The hallway was crowded and Aera was running faster than I ever knew she could. We bumped into a lot of familiar faces, dodged our homeroom teacher, and avoided open locker doors. Aera’s breakneck pace only stalled when a hand caught my free arm, bringing us to an abrupt stop. Cole.
Cole’s eyes bulged, and there was a hint of confusion flashing across his features, forehead creasing at finding Aera and I hanging out in public. His gaze traveled down Aera’s hand, which was now holding mine, and I swore to God there was a vague sign of jealousy in the way his face crumpled. How satisfying.
“Gray …” He shifted his eyes to mine, my don’t-bother-me gaze drawing a languid smirk from him. We hadn’t spoken to each other for a few days, so I was a little surprised he had reached out. “I need to tell you something. Meet me on the rooftop.”
“Oh, we’re talking again?” I asked and scratched the back of my head, fretting about the oncoming confrontation about Rainer, my pack, and everything else he’d heard in my room. He probably heard my panic rising.
Totally uncool.
“Yeah, it’s important—”
“Shut up!” Aera snarled as she came in between us, not letting go of my hand.
I found myself blushing like a tomato. Luckily, she had her back turned to me.
“Can you guys freaking stop with the rooftop?” she added, annoyed, “Is that where everyone confesses their love now?”
“What?” Cole looked just as wrongfully accused as I was. “What are you talking about?”
“Small bean, you got it all wrong. This tall guy hates me. You have no idea how much he hates me—” I paused, realizing just how wrong I sounded too. “I’m not saying that he wants me dead,” I clarified, “but he definitely hates me.”
Cole’s face crumpled as he released my arm. “I hate you?”
“Unless you love me, bro?” A bright idea popped in my mind. If he didn’t hate me, I figured I should reward myself with something exceptionally mouthwatering—the cafeteria master chef’s lunch special—before all hell broke loose. So, I dared to ask, “If you love me, can you get my favorite pork chops with black bean sauce from the cafeteria? Just tell Ms. Reyes it’s for Gray Yoo. Remind her I like it extra crispy with extra sauce.”
When Cole opened his mouth, I had this werewolf sense that he was going to say,‘No, bro. Feed yourself,’but I never got the chance to hear his response. Aera grunted and dragged me all the way to the restroom before Cole could reject me.
She brought me to the girls’ restroom. It was quite an unsanitary choice for a hideout, like every other public restroom.
There were two girls in there: Aera and this other girl, who seemed to have just finished brushing her teeth. Aera only had to growl, “Get out,” and the other girl was running away like a mouse.
That poor girl.
I focused my enhanced senses on Aera as she locked the door behind us, her hands visibly trembling as her heart beat resounded in my ears.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She was obviously not okay, but I wanted to know if she needed comfort right at that moment. Iwantedto comfort her. I had a bad feeling her visions were in a constant battle with her regular life, and the cracks were starting to show.
“I think you’re safe here,” she mumbled shakily, her eyes refusing to leave the doorknob.
As my gaze swept around the room, I decided we needed to implement a different plan for this damned situation we were stuck in. The girls’ bathroom? Not bad. There was nobody in the room but us. The windows would be too small to fit a human, let alone a werewolf. The door was locked too.
