《I Kissed My Professor And He Liked It》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 L¡¯s POV Today I had my first kiss. It wasn¡¯t nned. It was also with aplete stranger. I¡¯ve always had my first kiss envisioned from the moment I learned what real love was. I imagined the sparks we would feel as we share that passionate moment. I imagined what my wolf would feel like when she recognizes him as our mate. Going to arge college, I thought I would at least find one person that would make me want to give him everything my heart had to offer. But I never felt what my mother felt for my father. I¡¯ve had a boyfriend for a couple of months, but it still never felt right. I keep thinking that when I turn 18 and get my wolf, maybe she would recognize him as our mate. Maybe he¡¯s the one I¡¯m supposed to be with for the rest of my life, even if I don¡¯t see it yet. But the moon goddess thought otherwise. As I walked through the halls of my school, Hig Shifter Academy, I paused when a familiar sense washed over me. My boyfriend, Scott, was nearby, and he wasn¡¯t alone. The halls were growing quiet as students went to ss. It was only the sounds my heartbeat left as I made my way around the corner, only pausing when I heard a familiar giggle of a she-wolf, Sarah, and the husky growls of Scott. ¡°You are so naughty, Scott,¡± Sarah chuckled. ¡°Only for you, babe,¡± he replied, muffled as her lips closed around his. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. My next ss, ceramics, was with Scott. I didn¡¯t even want to take that ss, but he thought it would be fun to take a ss together. I was an art student, so I agreed. As I stepped away, I paused as I saw a tall and broad gentleman across the hall, staring in my direction. Our eyes met only briefly and I had to admit that he was strikingly handsome. ¡°Oh, Scott. Stop it. You know we can¡¯t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°She¡¯s in ss. She¡¯s neverte. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me. A crease formed between the gentlemen¡¯s brows. I realized tears had escaped my eyes. They weren¡¯t so much as tears of heartbreak, more like tears of disappointment. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and was about to walk past him. I didn¡¯t want anyone to see me like this. Just as Scott came around the corner, I felt him freezing as he saw me. Sarah stood beside him, and I heard her gasp. I met her beautiful blue eyes. ¡°L?¡± Scott breathed, staring at me in shock ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, cing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn¡¯t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. His lips were soft, and they tasted so sweet, almost like marshmallows. However, his lips remained unmoving. His hands restedzily by his sides, though mine movedfortably around his neck. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. I had no idea what I was doing. I¡¯m not sure why I did it; maybe to hurt Scott. Maybe because I was sick of holding out for something that might never be good enough inparison to the role models I grew up with. Either way, I seized the moment. Though, I had no idea who this man was. I pulled away from him, breathlessly gazing up at his grey eyes. They were growing darker as he stared into me. I wasn¡¯t sure what lingered in his gaze, but he didn¡¯t pull away from me. My hands continued to rest behind his neck, and I realized I was pressing my body into him. My face grew warm as I stepped away, touching my fingers to my lips. That was my first-ever kiss. What. Did. I. Do? ¡°I need to get to ss,¡± he said, his tone was low and almost husky. That was the first thing he¡¯s ever said to me. I was too stunned at my own actions to even ask him what his name was. But I nodded, brushing my dark hair out of my face with my fingers. Scott and Sarah had already gone to ss. I turned away from him, without saying anything and went in the direction of the main office. All I could think about at that moment was getting out of my next ss. I couldn¡¯t face Scott again after that. Even as I walked away, I could feel the gentlemen¡¯s eyes on the back of my head, watching me. ¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s only one ss avable. All other seats are filled,¡± the receptionist, at the main office, said, ncing at herputer. ¡°And what ss would that be?¡± I asked, trying to keep the tears from resurfacing in my eyes. ¡°Shifting and Combat,¡± she answered, staring up at me. ¡°Would that be all right?¡± Shifting? I had yet to obtain my wolf; so, that ss might be difficult. However, I was skilled inbat. ¡°Anything but ceramics,¡± I said to her in return. She frowned for a moment. ¡°Is everything all right, L? You aren¡¯t being bullied in that ss, are you?¡± She asked. ¡°I can give your father¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± I said quickly; thest thing I wanted was for my father to find anything out about what had happened. He was the head of the Alpha Committee and worked closely with Scott¡¯s dad, another Alpha. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that,¡± I assured her. She looked unconvinced, but she nodded just the same as she looked back at herputer, typing Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. away. She soon printed out a new schedule, handing it to me. ¡°You are now in Shifting and Combat 101 with Professor Enzo. It¡¯s in the school arena. You can head there right now.¡± The arena was on the opposite end of the school; I¡¯ve only been there a few times to practice my combatting. But how was I going to get through a semester of shifting sses when I couldn¡¯t even shift? My 18(th) birthday was only a few days away; I was supposed to be heading home for the weekend to celebrate with my family. I thought I would have obtained my wolf by now, but I was mistaken. I was the youngest wolf to get epted into the Hig Shifting Academy; one of thergest schools for werewolf and bear shifters. I was also the only one who didn¡¯t have a wolf yet. But that didn¡¯t mean I was incapable. Like my mother, I am a Vna wolf. Vnas are more powerful than regr wolves. The moon goddess had gifted us with many different abilities. Although, I haven¡¯t received these abilities just yet. However, I¡¯ve studied and practiced my entire life, with some of the greatest gamma warriors and my father, on how to fight and defend myself. I reached the arena and stood outside the doors; I could already hear the growling of wolves as they practiced theirbat with one another. Stepping inside, my eyes scanned the area briefly. Not one wolf was paying me any attention, they were fixated on each other. They wererge and ferocious looking; it reminded me of the gamma training I used to watch growing up. Stepping further into the arena, I allowed the door to shut firmly behind me. The biggest wolf stood on the far side of the arena, overlooking thebat unfolding before him. That had to have been the professor. He was a beautiful dark wolf that almost looked blue from the crystal lighting that danced off his thick fur. His dark eyes scanned the arena briefly before theynded on mine. He looked oddly familiar; it wasn¡¯t until he shifted back into his human form that I realized who he was. It was him¡­ The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor Chapter 2 Chapter 2 L¡¯s POV I couldn¡¯t believe that the man I had shared my first kiss with was my professor. Suddenly, it felt like the arena wasn¡¯t big enough. Professor Enzo was extremely handsome and incredibly muscr. I ran my eyes from his gorgeous grey eyes down to his incredible 8 pack abs. His arms wererge, and I could see small veins appearing around his biceps. His dark, wavy hair was kind of shaggy, dancing around his broad and manly features. He had sweat beading on his forehead and dripping down the side of his face, and some more sweat on his chest, dripping down his torso. My face instantly began to redden as he walked toward me. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± He asked, raising his brows, and meeting my eyes. ¡°Sorry; I just transferred to this ss,¡± I say to him, showing him my printed schedule. ¡°I¡¯m L¡­¡± He looked at the schedule briefly; silence growing thick between us as he pulled his eyes from the schedule and back onto my face. ¡°You can join the other students,¡± he said, turning away from me. My eyes widened as I nced at the others who were still fighting in their wolf forms. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t shift,¡± I say quickly before he¡¯s able to walk away. He freezes; for a moment, I thought I heard a low growl in the dept of his throat. ¡°What?¡± He asked in a disbelieving and slightly annoyed, tone. He turned back and I saw that his grey eyes were now dark and threatening. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t shift?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I haven¡¯t gotten my wolf yet,¡± I tell him, biting my lip hard. Categories Search¡­ He nced down at my mouth, staring as I chewed my bottom lip nervously. I could feel heat circting my features. My heart was pounding so quickly and loudly against my chest, I thought he would be able to hear it. ¡°Why are you in a shifting andbat ss if you can¡¯t shift?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good atbat,¡± I answer. ¡°Just because I don¡¯t have a wolf doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not capable. I¡¯ve been practicing my entire life. Let me show you what I can do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to babysit,¡± he muttered, sounding incredibly annoyed. ¡°Besides,¡± he added. ¡°I don¡¯t have a partner for you. All my students fight in their wolf forms.¡± ¡°I can train with her,¡± a she-wolf said as she shifted back into her human form. She had a kind face; her hair was short and dark. Her eyes were big and brown, with longshes. She was looking at me fondly with a sweet smile. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she said again, pulling her eyes from me to look at Professor Enzo. ¡°Fine,¡± he said. He walked away without another word. ¡°I¡¯m Ba,¡± she said, holding her hand out for me to shake. I took it, returning her smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± I say in return. ¡°I¡¯m L.¡± ¡°Oh, trust me, I know exactly who you are. I also hear you are one of the best fighters in this school. Professor E. would have been stupid to turn you away.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh at her words; this was my first year at this school and I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that word travels fast. I¡¯m known around Elysium for mybat and clever mind, but we weren¡¯t in Elysium. We were in Hig. Thergest city outside of Elysium. ¡°I appreciate your kind words,¡± I say in return, and I meant that. She went to say something else, but her words fell short when we heard another, more familiar, voice. ¡°Well, look who it is,¡± Sarah scoffed. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the little slut;ing to y with the big dogs?¡± I rose my brows; she was calling me a slut? After I just caught her making out with my boyfriend? ¡°Though I shouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± she said, her tone growing icy as she nced behind her shoulder at Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Professor Enzo who was staring in our direction with a crease forming between his brows and his frown deepening. ¡°Considering how much you like Professor Enzo; it¡¯s a no-brainer that you¡¯d transfer to his ss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to practice mybat skills, like everyone else.¡± This made herugh. ¡°Please; the only skills you are practicing are the skills with your lips.¡± ¡°She¡¯s actually a very capable fighter,¡± Ba chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s riching from a lowly Omega,¡± Sarah sneered, causing Ba to flinch. ¡°Your kind shouldn¡¯t even be allowed at this school.¡± Ba looked genuinely hurt by her words. ¡°Ew Sarah, why are you even talking to that Omega?¡± Another girl said, stepping beside her. Both girlsughed and I saw Ba¡¯s face reddening as she lowered her gaze. ¡°Omegas are nothing but trash,¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°But what¡¯s worse than an Omega is someone who can¡¯t even shift into their wolf. It¡¯s no wonder your boyfriend wanted my lips instead of yours.¡± I stepped in front of Ba, blocking her out of sight of the other wolves. ¡°What gives you the right to decide if an Omega is capable or not? I happened to have seen her fight only moments ago and she seemed quite capable to me. It¡¯s my understanding that we are at this school to learn. So, let¡¯s not cause issues for one another,¡± I said, staring around at their faces. ¡°As for my boyfriend goes¡­¡± I say, meeting Sarah¡¯s eyes. ¡°He¡¯s clearly not man enough to be able to handle me. So, he¡¯s all yours.¡± Without another word, I grab Ba¡¯s wrist and pull her along with me to a different part of the arena and away from the nasty she-wolves. I got another glimpse of Professor Enzo as we passed, and I thought I saw a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. ¡°Thank you for standing up for me,¡± Ba said in a low tone once we were a distance away. ¡°I¡¯m used to being bullied though. Omegas aren¡¯t typically liked around here¡­¡± I rose my brows at her, confused. ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Some of the best wolves I know are Omegas. They are incredibly kind and genuine. Don¡¯t let bullies like that make you think otherwise.¡± She beamed a wide smile at me; I could tell she felt a lot better. ¡°It¡¯s obvious some people here don¡¯t recognize you as Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter. Let¡¯s show them what you can do!¡± I smiled at her words; that sounded like a perfect idea. I couldn¡¯t shift into my wolf form, which meant, I needed to wow them in other ways. I faced Ba, getting into the stance I was mostfortable in. Soon, we were both fighting. She managed to dodge most of my attacks. However, I was holding back a lot. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. I dodged her attacks with ease; she couldn¡¯t evene close to me. I could feel the eyes of the other students on me, their mouths gaping as I did an acrobatic move. Something I¡¯m sure none of them were expecting. I did a front flip, kicking my legs out and purposely missing Ba by a hair. Though, it frightened her enough to stumble backward and lose her footing. I grabbed a sphere off the wall of weapons, twirling it in my hands quickly, doing a somersault and twirl move. She dodged the first attack thinking I was aiming for her head when I was actually aiming for her feet. So, she tried to dodge but instead tripped, falling to the ground again. I stepped, lightly, on her chest, pinning her to the ground with the sphere pointed directly at her. She stared up at me with awe; everybody gasped. I looked around, almost forgetting that there was an audience. None of them spoke for a long while until a couple of them pped. Then, almost everyone started cheering. Everyone except Sarah and her friend. I smiled pleased, taking my foot off Ba, and helping her to her feet. ¡°That was incredible!¡± She breathed, staring at me with wide eyes. ¡°It was nothing,¡± I shrugged, putting the sphere back on the rack. I turned to see Professor Enzo staring at me; his arms folded across his chest and his face expressionless. Before I could approach him and ask him what he thought, I heard beeping going across the arena. I frowned as I realized it was everybody¡¯s phone. As they all went to check their phones, I heard the gasps and saw the shocked expressions. Ba covered her mouth with her hand as she stared at her own phone. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, ncing over her shoulder. As soon as I saw what they were all looking at, my heart plummeted into my stomach. It was a picture of me¡­ kissing¡­ Professor Enzo. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 L¡¯s POV ¡°Everybody needs to get off their phones!¡± Professor Enzo¡¯s voice was deep and boomed across the arena. I couldn¡¯t even move; my entire body felt frozen as I stared at the picture on Ba¡¯s phone. I nced around the arena only to be met with a bunch of curious and shocked expressions. Everybody was staring at me. Sarah and her friend were chuckling as they were ring at me. ¡°That¡¯s one way to get ahead¡­¡± I heard her muttering. Professor Enzo grabbed Ba¡¯s phone to look at the photo; I hadn¡¯t even realized he was approaching us. His jaw twitched as he took in the photo. ¡°This is terrible photoshop skills,¡± he said, shaking his head as he gave Ba her phone back. ¡°You can clearly see the outlining around my body. Someone is really trying hard to spread nasty rumors.¡± Everybody pulled their eyes from me to look back at the picture, assessing it. ¡°He¡¯s right¡­ this is terrible photoshop,¡± someone murmured. ¡°How pathetic. Why go to that many lengths to spread this kind of rumor?¡± another said, shaking their head. Sarah¡¯s mouth was nothing more than a thin line as her obvious n was unraveling. I couldn¡¯t help the smile that twitched at the corner of my mouth. ¡°I almost thought for a minute that you actually kissed Professor Enzo,¡± Baughed from beside me, averting my attention from Sarah to her. ¡°Although, I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised. He¡¯s so handsome. Anyone would be lucky to be able to kiss him. A lot of women around here want to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Because of how handsome he is?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°That and because he¡¯s very young; he¡¯s only 23,¡± Ba exins. My eyes widened; I knew he looked young, but I didn¡¯t think he was that young. ¡°He¡¯s also the strongest and toughest professor at this school. Which is to be expected considering he is an Alpha.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Alpha?¡± I asked in surprise; I had no idea. He must know my father then. I couldn¡¯t help but look back at Professor Enzo who was busy showing some students new moves. ¡°Yes,¡± Ba answered. ¡°I believe he¡¯s the Alpha of the Calypso Pack.¡± The Calypso Pack. That was the pack my mother was born in; her parents were from the Calypso Pack. I remembered, from when I was young, that their former Alpha was ise, the most powerful shifter in the universe. I wondered how Enzo became their Alpha. The thought was quickly brushed from my mind as ss concluded. ¡°I¡¯m starving¡­¡± Ba said as she gathered her belongings. ¡°We should get some lunch.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute,¡± I tell her, ncing over my shoulder at Enzo who was typing something on his phone. He had a stern expression; his eyebrow twitching only slightly. ¡°I need to talk to the professor about something.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ba said giving me a half-wave. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in a bit.¡± She turned and left the arena with the others, leaving me alone with Professor Enzo. ¡°Professor?¡± I say, stepping closer to him. He nced up at his phone to look at me, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I just wanted to say that I¡¯m sorry for this mess¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been dealt with,¡± he muttered, showing me his phone. ¡°I got the picture taken down.¡± I rose my brows in shock; that was so quick. When he saw my shocked expression, a smirk appeared on his lips. ¡°I know the guy who runs this tform,¡± he exined. ¡°He took it down without question.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. I went to turn away, but his voice stopped me. ¡°I was trying to figure out why you looked so familiar to me and then when I saw you fighting, I realized who you were,¡± he said. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head and knew how intently he was staring at me even before I turned around to face him. ¡°You are Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. I nodded my head once. ¡°You know my father?¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the strongest and fiercest Alphas,¡± Enzo said; his expression was hard to read. ¡°I can tell that you¡¯ve trained under him.¡± ¡°For my entire life,¡± I say, staring down at the ground almost sheepishly. I wasn¡¯t sure why I was feeling embarrassed suddenly. ¡°My father is my role model¡­ as is my mother.¡± He said nothing to that; he just stared at me for another short while. Soon, he turned away to clean up his belongings. I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. ¡°I¡¯m actually having a birthday party this weekend,¡± I tell him before I could grasp what I was saying. His body tensed for a moment, and he looked over his shoulder to nce at me. ¡°A lot of Alphas will be there. I¡¯m turning 18, so it¡¯ll be a big bash in Elysium. You¡¯re invited, of course. All Alphas are.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Another smirk appeared on his lips, causing my heart to somersault. ¡°Yes,¡± I answer, pleased that my voice didn¡¯t sound strained. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to. But I figured I¡¯d offer the invite.¡± When he didn¡¯t say anything in response, I took that as my cue to leave. I turned away, feeling awkward, and started to walk toward the exit. ¡°Should I bring anything?¡± He asked before I could leave. I paused; my breathing got caught in my throat. ¡°Just yourself,¡± I say, instantly regretting howme I sounded. I left without another word. ¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe my daughter is turning 18,¡± my mother breathed as she wrapped me in her arms. I smiled into her embrace. It felt good to be home after a few weeks of living at the academy. Hig Shifter Academy was about an hour¡¯s drive from Elysium, so I had to live in a dorm room. I tried toe home most weekends though. ¡°How do you feel? Any changes?¡± My father asked, eyeing my features carefully. I thought about it for a moment before answering; typically, when a wolf was about to make an appearance, it could be felt. I shook my head, sighing in defeat. ¡°I feel the same,¡± I answer. ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t get a wolf.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± my mother said with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ll get your wolf and you¡¯ll be stronger than ever.¡± ¡°Your mother is right, L bean,¡± my father chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s in your DNA.¡± I knew they were right; I was just being impatient. I wanted my wolf so badly that it was driving me insane. I was hoping that once I got my wolf, I would be able to sense my mate and get Scott¡¯s betrayal out of my mind. I looked between my parents who loved one another so much; it pulled at my heart. Even after everything they¡¯ve been through in their entire lives, they always stood by each other. My father said that a mate bond is the strongest form ofpanionship. He¡¯s proved that repeatedly; even when my mother pulled away, he always went after her. He never gave up. He¡¯s loved her unconditionally and I admired that so much. I aspired to have that more than anything. But without a wolf, I felt like that was impossible. ¡°Guests will be arriving soon, L bean,¡± my mother said, giving me a fond smile. I stared myself over in the mirror onest time; I was wearing a silky pink and ck dress that flowed evenly around my knees. My father had already gone to greet some of the Alphas that already arrived. My mother stood behind me, staring at me fondly with tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, you know,¡± she breathed, wrapping her arms around me, and giving me a tight hug. The two of us looked a lot alike; I had her dark hair and fair features. Most importantly, I had her Vna eyes. One violet and the other blue. She released me and draped an arm through mine, pulling me along with her toward my bedroom door. I could already hear the guests piling into the foyer of the packhouse. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention. I invited my professor as well,¡± I tell her. She paused for a moment and nced at me. ¡°Actually, he¡¯s the Alpha of the Calypso Pack. Enzo.¡± She rose her brows. ¡°Alpha Enzo is your professor?¡± She asked; she didn¡¯t sound displeased, just surprised. ¡°I never took him as the kind to be a professor.¡± ¡°Do you know him well?¡± I asked, peering up at her. She thought about it for a moment before answering. ¡°As well as I can I suppose. He¡¯s the son of the former Alpha of the Calypso Pack, ise. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 L¡¯s POV My mother took one look at my face and startedughing. ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?¡± She asked. ¡°Enzo is ise¡¯s son?¡± I asked; I waspletely and utterly shocked. ¡°I had no idea he had kids.¡± My mother nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think Enzo was ever close to his father,¡± she exined. ¡°I believe he lived with his mother in a different pack. When his father died, he went back to Calypso. Being ise¡¯s only living rtive and all.¡± ¡°If I had known he was ise¡¯s son, I wouldn¡¯t have invited him. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°Sorry? Why are you sorry? I¡¯m d you invited him. Your father will be pleased. He rather likes Enzo. Said he has a good head on his shoulder. He¡¯s nothing like his father, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°So, we trust him?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°L bean, we can¡¯t fault Enzo for something his father did. You should know that better than anyone.¡± She gave me a small smile, staring around my concerned face. She ced a hand on my shoulder, causing me to meet her eyes. ¡°I promise, if there¡¯s something you need to be concerned with, I will tell you,¡± she said gently. ¡°But for right now, there isn¡¯t. Enzo is not a viin. Those days are behind us.¡± I felt better knowing she wasn¡¯t worried. I trusted my mother more than anyone. ¡°So, when were you going to tell me about Scott?¡± My mother asked as we made our way out of the apartment. I paused and turned to her. ¡°How did you know about that?¡± I asked. One of her eyebrows went straight up as she looked me over. ¡°I¡¯m your mother; you can¡¯t hide things from me,¡± she replies. Categories Search¡­ I wanted tough; she always knew when something was going on. ¡°Does dad know?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you not want him to know?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to make the Alphamittee weird is all,¡± I tell her. ¡°Because Scott¡¯s dad is a member¡­¡± ¡°Your father is extremely professional. He would let something like that intervene with his work,¡± she said in return. ¡°But I won¡¯t say anything if you don¡¯t want me to. I¡¯m assuming we won¡¯t be expecting Scott tonight then.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. I turned away and walked down the stairs to greet the guests that have arrived. The first person I saw wasn¡¯t surprising. Brianna. My best friend. She ran to me, wrapping her arms around me, and nearly knocked me off my feet. Iughed at her excitement. ¡°Oh my goddess, L!¡± She cooed happily, twirling me around. ¡°You look stunning! How do you feel? Do you feel 18?¡± I sighed, shaking my head. ¡°I feel the same as I always had,¡± I tell her. ¡°I was hoping I was going to get my wolf today¡­¡± ¡°You still might,¡± she assured me, giving me a broad smile. ¡°The day is still young. Regardless, you are going to get your wolf and it¡¯s going to be glorious when you do!¡± Brianna had gotten her wolf a couple of months ago and she hasn¡¯t stopped talking about it. She describes it as having a real genuine best friend who knows you from the inside and out. Then, she paused when she saw my face and added, ¡°no offense. It¡¯s just different¡­ you know.¡± I assured her that I didn¡¯t take offense to that, and I knew what she meant. My mother told me about a time she thought she lost her wolf for good. It was like losing a part of herself. Her mind was so quiet, and she felt so lonely. ¡°Your father made me feel less lonely,¡± she added. That was exactly the kind of love I wanted; I wanted someone to make me feel less lonely even if I didn¡¯t have a wolf. But I also really wanted to meet my wolf. I wondered what she would look like. What she would sound like. I wondered what her name would be. Soon, the packhouse was filled with those I love; my mother brought out a huge cake. It was red velvet with chocte frosting; my absolute favorite vor. When everyone sang happy birthday, I grew tearyeyed. For a moment, I forgot all about Scott¡¯s betrayal. I forgot all about my wasted first kiss. Until he walked in. At first, it was just the strong scent of marshmallows, but then I saw him standing at the doorway of our packhouse. He wore a dark button-down zer and dress pants. His hair was still shaggy, but he wasn¡¯t covered in sweat this time. He was greeted by a few Alphas, including my father. I watched as the two shook hands; my father had said something to him that I couldn¡¯t hear. My mother stood by my side instantly. ¡°Enzo¡¯s looking rather nice tonight,¡± she said from beside me. ¡°Yeah, he is,¡± I admitted to her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really thinking he was going to show up.¡± ¡°Your Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter; of course, he¡¯s going to show up when invited. Almost every Alpha is here.¡± I thought about our shared kiss a couple of days ago and my face grew warm at the memory. But then I remembered that Enzo was ise¡¯s son. I don¡¯t think he knew what had gone down with his father and my parents. I don¡¯t even know if Enzo knew that I was a Vna wolf. We aren¡¯t thatmon, and most don¡¯t know what we look like at first nce. I wondered if that would even matter to him. I always had this strong idea of what true love would look like. My parents have true love; that was always the vision I had for myself. I wanted someone who loved me just as much as I loved them. Who would do anything for me. Someone that would die for me. But I don¡¯t envision Enzo being that person. And I wasn¡¯t even sure why. I guess I never really envisioned Scott being that person either. Enzo¡¯s eyes scanned the room briefly as the Alphas continued talking to him. It was like he was looking for something. As soon as his eyesnded on me, it was like he found it. His eyes darkened only slightly. I gave him a polite smile, hoping that my face didn¡¯t reveal my thoughts. His face remained expressionless though; he eventually pulled his eyes away from me to speak to the other Alphas. The nerve of that guy. It was my birthday, and he couldn¡¯t evene over to greet me? ¡°Happy birthday, kiddo,¡± my uncle Aiden, the beta of the pack, said as he approached. He gave me a quick hug. ¡°Thanks,¡± I say to him with a broad smile. ¡°How did you manage to get Alpha Enzo to show up?¡± He asked, following my gaze to Enzo who still paid me no attention. ¡°That guy hates parties.¡± ¡°How do you hate parties?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°He¡¯s always been odd like that. Ever since he was a kid. He¡¯s always only had one focus and that was to get to the top. I admire his ambitions honestly, but it would be nice to see him smile once in a while.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t smile?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him smile,¡± Aiden answered. The only type of smile I¡¯ve seen him do was smirking. I thought he¡¯se close to a real smile when I told Sarah off in the middle of his ss, but I was probably mistaken. As I looked back over at Enzo, he was looking directly at me. ¡­ Third Person POV ¡°Shepletely embarrassed me in the ss,¡± Sarah cried to her new boy-toy Scott. She doesn¡¯t think of Scott as her boyfriend, she just wanted to see if she could steal him away from L. Which she did. Ever since L started going to the academy, everyone¡¯s attention has always been on L. Sarah used to be the best student and now it was L. Sarah used to be the center of attention, but now all anyone ever talks about is L. She doesn¡¯t care that L is Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter; she doesn¡¯t have a wolf so that makes her a nobody in Sarah¡¯s eyes. She¡¯s worse than an Omega. ¡°You should have heard what she said to me, Scott,¡± Sarah continued to huff. ¡°She also said that you weren¡¯t man enough to handle her.¡± ¡°Says someone who wouldn¡¯t put out,¡± Scott said with an eye roll. ¡°Just forget about her. Who needs her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to stand for it.¡± ¡°What does that mean? What are you nning on doing? ¡°I overheard her talking to Professor Enzo after ss today. She invited him to her birthday party.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Scott urged. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we crash a partyContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Enzo¡¯s POV 12 year earlier ¡°Enzo¡­?¡± My mother woke me up during the night, tears filling her big brown eyes, and dripping delicately off her long and darkshes. I groggily woke, to find her standing over me. ¡°Mom?¡± I asked, peering at her through the dark of the night. It was cold; we didn¡¯t have much heat in our small home. We didn¡¯t have much money to afford heat, but my mother never made it seem like we were poor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I whispered to her, not wanting to wake the others that resided in the house. ¡°Your father is dead¡­¡± she said softly, her voice quivering. She was frightened. But of what? ¡°He¡¯s gone, sweetheart,¡± she said again. From what I had heard of my father, he wasn¡¯t a good man. He left my mother pregnant, rejecting her, and forcing her to live in another pack. She would often refer to him as a monster. ¡°You are the only living rtive left¡­¡± She continued. ¡°His Beta ising to collect you. You must go with him¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, sitting up quickly in bed; she shushed me, wrapping her arms around me. ¡°I know this is sudden. But you must be the Alpha of Calypso. I never wanted this for you so soon, my baby.¡± I had no idea what it meant to run a pack and be an Alpha. I was at a loss for words, and I had to admit, I was terrified. It was only yesterday that I was running around with my friends and being a kid. Now this time tomorrow, I would be in a whole different pack and acting as a leader. None of this was making sense to me. ¡°You¡¯ll being with me, won¡¯t you?¡± I asked, my words trembling. She cried harder and shook her head, holding me tighter. Categories Search¡­ Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t,¡± she told me hoarsely. ¡°My ce is here. And yours is there. You are going to be an incredible Alpha, Enzo. Way better than your father ever was. You are going to do amazing things with your life¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you,¡± I whispered, tears filling my own eyes. I didn¡¯t often cry, even at a young age. But the thought of leaving my mother behind in this hell hole tied my stomach into arge knot. ¡°I need you to listen to me,¡± she whispered, taking my face into her hands. ¡°Your father had done a lot of wrong in his life. He hurt a lot of people. You¡¯ll probably hear a lot about him once you get to Calypso. He¡¯s the reason wolves like us live like this¡­ because he wanted so much that he took everything from everyone. But you, my darling Enzo, can restore things and make things better for all of us¡­¡± ¡°But how? I¡¯m only 9¡­¡± I said, I couldn¡¯t keep the worry out of my tone. ¡°What can I do to help? Why can¡¯t youe with me?¡± ¡°Your father has made it too dangerous. There are those who still wish to do us harm. His followers are now scrambled, still lurking in the shadows. But you can make things better. You can bring them to light. You can work hard and be more powerful than your father ever was. You can protect those who live like us¡­ You can use your powers for good.¡± ¡°I promise,¡± I whispered, hugging my mother tightly. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down. When I get to the top, and I will get to the top, I wille back for you. I will punish those who did us wrong and I won¡¯t stop until this kingdom is safe again. I will undo what father did.¡± ¡­ ¡°Alpha Enzo? Did you hear me?¡± The voice of Bastien interrupted my train of thought. I nced around at the conference table that the other Alphas on themittee were gathered around. They were discussing the Shifting and Combat course at the Hig Shifting Academy and how the original professor had died during a rogue attack. Bastien, the head of themittee, was about to appoint a new professor. I already knew he was going to appoint me; he would have been stupid not to. I was one of the strongest and best Alphas for the job. Besides Bastien, I was the toughest and fiercest Alpha to walk our lands. But I still had a long way to go before I outranked my estranged father who died when I was 9. ¡°You need me to take over as the professor,¡± I said, leaning back in my seat. It wasn¡¯t a question, nor was it an offer. Bastien looked at the others who had fallen silent long ago. ¡°Yes,¡± Bastien answered. ¡°Would you be willing to do that?¡± I didn¡¯t have a choice; I was the youngest Alpha on themittee. And the newest. I was still technically on the probationary period, and I couldn¡¯t refuse them if I wanted to climb my way to the top. However, the thought of teaching annoyed me. It was impossible to teach students to do what I do. Surely, their amateurbat will get to me. But just the same, I nodded my head. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I finally said after a long pause. ¡°The student council will want to speak with you. I¡¯ll let them know to expect you.¡± The meeting concluded and I could already hear the others speaking about going to the local pubter that evening. ¡°Alpha Enzo, you going to join us for once?¡± One of the Alphas asked, hitting me on the back of my shoulder. ¡°Or are you going toe up with someme excuse?¡± ¡°Yeah, Enzo. Come on! It¡¯s Friday. Let¡¯s have some fun. You are still young. Live while you can!¡± Thest thing I wanted to do was go to the pub with a bunch of drunk Alphas. What I really wanted to do was return home and read a book and rest for the evening. I was exhausted from training and meetings all day. I don¡¯t usually have time for myself and when I do, I don¡¯t like spending it with those I spend all day with. ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± I say to them as I finish packing my stuff in my briefcase. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± I always say, ¡°maybe next time¡± knowing I don¡¯t mean those words. They don¡¯t argue though; they look at one another with a frown before leaving the conference room. ¡°Hey Enzo, wake up,¡± I hear Bastien behind me, following me out of the door. I slow my pace so he can catch up. ¡°I really appreciate you taking one for the team. I know teaching isn¡¯t your thing, but I think this might be good for you.¡± ¡°I appreciate the opportunity,¡± I say to him, and in a way, I meant that. I could prove myself to him and to others. I could practice my skills and better myself. ¡°Honestly, maybe it won¡¯t be that bad,¡± I smirked. Bastienughed, pping me on the back. ¡°You might even have fun,¡± he told me with a grin. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of a better Alpha for the job. I can already tell; you¡¯re going to do great things. I¡¯m d to finally have you on themittee. Enjoy your weekend. The student council will be expecting you at the academy on Monday, bright and early!¡± ¡­ I took Bastien¡¯s words to heart; he believed that I could do great things in my future. Just as my mother believed. I didn¡¯t want to let either of them down. But still, there was a part of me that worried if I was going to do any better than my father. My mother was right; as soon as I became the Alpha of the Calypso Pack, I started hearing rumors about my father. Things I never heard before; things I don¡¯t even think my mother knew. Like the fact that my father died because of his love for a Vna wolf. I never even heard of a Vna wolf before and there was a part of me that didn¡¯t believe they existed. As far as I knew, it was only a myth. But I¡¯ve heard the story from different sources. My father had fallen in love with a Vna and because of that, he lost his life. It was love that made the most powerful shifter in the universe weak. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because Vnas were the most powerful type of wolves in the world, or because of love itself. But either way, I swore to never allow what happened to my father to happen to me. Which meant I vowed to never fall in love. Itplicated things when I stepped into the house of Alpha Bastien, on the night of his daughter, L¡¯s, 18(th) birthday, and my wolf was in awe of her beauty. His husky whisper made my entire body freeze and my skin crawl. ¡°I can feel her¡­ our mate¡­¡± Shit. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 L¡¯s POV I wasn¡¯t feeling good. I don¡¯t know if it was something I ate; perhaps I had too much cake. Or maybe it was too much to drink. I only had a couple of sses of wine at most. But I was suddenly feeling lightheaded. I was also feeling a wave of heat crossing my features. My heartbeat was heavy, and I needed to sit down before Ipletely passed out. ¡°L bean, why don¡¯t I take you to your room so you can lie down,¡± my mother suggested, sitting beside me on the couch. I was faced with a few concerned eyes as I tried to maintain my breathing. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I tell her. I would hate to leave my own party early. My parent¡¯s worked so hard to make this evening perfect and I didn¡¯t want to disappoint them. ¡°You are burning up, you might have a fever.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude,¡± I say, looking up at her. ¡°Some Alpha¡¯s traveled far to be here.¡± ¡°Your health is my only concern right now.¡± I knew there was no arguing with her; though, I wasn¡¯t sure I was going to be able to make it to bed on my own. I was feeling extremely dizzy. As soon as I stood up, I nearly fell over again. I stared at the wine ss on the table; I only took a few sips of it before I started getting sick. I waspletely fine earlier; I wondered what was wrong all of a sudden. My mother wrapped an arm around me to keep me steady. We walked through the mound of guests who were watching me with the same concerned expressions as my mother. As we walked toward the stairs of the packhouse, my eyes found Enzo¡¯s from across the room. He was watching me as well, even though another Alpha was speaking to him. It didn¡¯t seem as if Enzo was paying him any attention. His eyes darkened as he took in my face. I managed to look away as my mother guided me up the stairs. Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As we reached my room, my mother tucked me into bed, adjusting my pillow. ¡°I¡¯m going to call a doctor,¡± she insisted. ¡°You are burning up.¡± I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I woke up, there was a man standing over me. I recognized him as our pack doctor. There was a cool cloth over my head, soothing my burning features. I felt a small sting in my arm as I moved, and I realized there was an IV in my arm with some liquid oozing into my body. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re awake,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep all night.¡± ¡°All night?¡± I gasped. ¡°But the party¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid the party¡¯s over. But you don¡¯t need to worry, your family took care of everything.¡± I felt a wave of disappointment; I couldn¡¯t believe I missed the rest of my 18(th) birthday. I didn¡¯t even get my wolf yet. ¡°What happened to me?¡± I asked, staring up at the doctor. ¡°You¡¯ve been poisoned by wolfbane,¡± the doctor told me; my heart plummeted into the pit of my stomach. I was poisoned? Who would do such a thing? ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I said hoarsely. ¡°I was poisoned?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± he said, eyeing me carefully. ¡°Was there anybody unusual at your party? Somebody, you didn¡¯t know?¡± I shook my head, trying to recall the events ofst night. ¡°No, I knew everybody there. They were all my friends and family¡­¡± I said to him. Before the doctor could ask any more questions, there was a knock on my door. Brianna poked her head in. I wasn¡¯t expecting to see her here this morning and I was relieved that she was. The doctor left us alone to catch up. ¡°Were you really poisoned?¡± She asked, crawling into bed beside me. ¡°I guess so,¡± I tell her. ¡°I just remember taking some sips of wine and then feeling sick. I don¡¯t remember much after that.¡± ¡°Your mom took you to bed and then called the doctor,¡± Brianna told me. ¡°I thought I saw Scott lurking around with some blonde girl too. I almost approached him and asked him what he was doing with that hussy.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Scott was here?¡± I asked, raising my brows. The blonde girl must have been Sarah. What were they even doing here? I hadn¡¯t told anyone, including Brianna, that Scott and I broke up. ¡°Yes; like I said, with a blonde chick,¡± she said with an eye roll. ¡°I know he¡¯s your boyfriend, but I don¡¯t trust him¡­ I think he¡¯s up to no good honestly.¡± ¡°We actually broke up,¡± I told her; her eyes widened in shock. ¡°You broke up and you didn¡¯t tell me? When did this happen?¡± ¡°Yesterday morning,¡± I told her, shaking my head at the memory. ¡°I caught him kissing somebody else.¡± ¡°That blonde girl?¡± She gasped, her eyes wide. I nodded once. ¡°What were they even doing here? Do you think they had something to do with the poison?¡± I didn¡¯t want to tell her that I suspected as much, but the look on my face gave it away. ¡°We need to tell somebody! We need to tell your father. That¡¯s not okay, L.¡± I knew she was right, but I couldn¡¯t just use them based on a hunch. Though, it was weird that they would show up to my birthday party. But on the other hand, I knew Scott¡¯s dad, being an Alpha, was also here. My bedroom door opened, and my father came into my room. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked with a concerned tone. ¡°A little better,¡± I said, which was the truth. I wasn¡¯t feeling as sick as I wasst night. ¡°We are getting your wine ss tested for fingerprints; I¡¯m just waiting for the results. Whoever did this will face the consequences,¡± he assured me. ¡°What about Scott and that blonde girl he was with? They should be suspects number 1 and 2,¡± Brianna said, folding her arms across my chest. My father rose his brows and looked at me carefully. ¡°You and Scott broke up?¡± He asked. I nodded once, staring down at my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t see why he would try to poison me though. But I don¡¯t think his new girlfriend likes me that much.¡± ¡°What¡¯s not to like?¡± My father asked. ¡°If anything, she¡¯s probably just jealous of you. Your mother had a share of jealous she-wolves to deal with as well. So, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising. But I will investigate Scott and this girl. What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Sarah,¡± I answer. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± he assured me. ¡°Meanwhile, you¡¯ll need to rest for a couple of days. It was a high dosage. Thankfully, wolfbane isn¡¯t fatal to you. But it is to your wolf. If you were meant to get your wolf yesterday, that will dy the process.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, my mouth nearly dropping. ¡°You mean I could have gotten my wolf if it wasn¡¯t for this poison?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± he answered. ¡°Wolfbane is extremely damaging to your wolf. It typically makes your wolf sick and weak. You haven¡¯t gotten her yet, so she can¡¯t be killed. But it¡¯s going to keep her away until it¡¯s fully gone from your system.¡± My heart felt heavy as he spoke those words. My poor wolf¡­ I sat up in bed, allowing the cloth that was ced on my head to fall onto myp. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, L bean. Wolves are extremely strong. Especially a Vna wolf. She¡¯ll be okay,¡± he told me, reading my expression. ¡°When I find out who did this, I will make them answer for their crimes.¡± ¡°Okay; thank you, dad,¡± I said, giving him a smile. Handing him the cloth, I added, ¡°Can you thank the doctor for me? This cold cloth really helped my fever.¡± He let out a lowugh, shaking his head. ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t the doctor that put the cloth on your head,¡± my father said as he turned away. ¡°It was Alpha Enzo. He was watching over youst night.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Third Person POV It was easy getting into L¡¯s party when Scott¡¯s dad was there. Scott and Sarah didn¡¯t even need an excuse to attend. Actually, Scott¡¯s father insisted that he showed up. Sarah spent the better part of her morning picking wolfbane from her personal garden. She turned the wolfbane into a powder and ced it in a small vile she wore around her neck, tucking it into her shirt; hidden and out of sight. Sarah wanted to destroy any chances of L getting her wolf on her birthday. Even though L was skilled inbat, she would still be known as lesser without her wolf. Sarah would remain superior in her wolf form. As they got there, L was mingling with her guests andughing. It annoyed Sarah. She took note that L had a wine ss that was ced on the table before her. ¡°So, what exactly are we doing here?¡± Scott asked; she hadn¡¯t told him her n, other than to crash the party. ¡°We are here to support the birthday girl,¡± Sarah said with a pleasant smile. ¡°Why? We broke up. Remember? I left her for you.¡± That wasn¡¯t how Sarah remembered it. Technically L was the one who left him. Though, the details didn¡¯t matter that much. Sarah didn¡¯t really have that big of an attachment to him. But Scott¡¯s father was an Alpha, which meant Sarah could only gain from her rtionship with him. It also didn¡¯t hurt that he was handsome and looked good on her arm. ¡°You¡¯re going to be an Alpha one day, Scott. L is Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter. We are here for the same reason the other Alphas are here. To make a good impression and get ahead. Now go mingle with some of the Alphas.¡± Categories Search¡­ He rolled his eyes as he disappeared through the crowd. L has yet to notice either of them there. She took a small sip of her wine before cing it back down on the table, turning her back to speak with someone behind her. Sarah took that moment as an opportunity to spike her drink. She unplugged the vile of wolfbane as she walked toward L¡¯s table. L wasn¡¯t paying attention, nor was the person she was talking to. Without even touching the ss, Sarah managed to tap a few drops of the wolfbane dusting into the wine, watching it dissolve instantly. A smile yed on her lips as she continued walking. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Get this cup tested for fingerprints right away,¡± I heard Bastien ordering his Beta. ¡°I also want it tested for DNA.¡± His beta slipped on a pair of gloves before taking the cup. ¡°I need a list of every guest here,¡± Bastien ordered one of the workers. ¡°Nobody leaves without their names written on the list.¡± ¡°We need to go upstairs,¡± my wolf, Max, urged. ¡°Our mate is ill and she¡¯s going to need us.¡± ¡°Alpha Bastien?¡± I said, ignoring Max¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, hey Enzo. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t really talk¡ª¡± ¡°Was it poisoning?¡± I asked before he could finish speaking. Bastien narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°I believe so, but we won¡¯t know until the doctor looks at her. He should be here soon,¡± Bastien exined. ¡°What can I do to help?¡± ¡°You can make sure nobody gets into her room,¡± Bastien suggested. ¡°I have guards outside, but I need her door watched as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head upstairs right now.¡± ¡°You are a good man, Enzo,¡± Bastien said, patting me on the back before walking away. As I made my way up the stairs, I felt the urgency of my wolf. He wanted more than anything to see L, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go into her room. I stood outside of her room, pressing my back against her door and basking in her loving scent of honeysuckle. This was exactly what I didn¡¯t want; I was already feeling distracted by this girl. I thought back to when she kissed me yesterday morning; my wolf didn¡¯t sense her as a mate then. However, he still felt drawn to her in a way he¡¯s never felt before. ¡°She was supposed to get her wolf today,¡± Max exined. ¡°I could feel her nearby. As soon as I felt her, I knew she was our mate. But the poison is blocking her now. She¡¯s there¡­ but she¡¯s also not there at the same time.¡± ¡°That sounds like the work of wolfbane,¡± I say in return to my wolf. ¡°Which means in a few days once the wolfbane is out of her system, she¡¯s going to feel us as her mate. It¡¯s going toplicate things.¡± The door of L¡¯s room opened, and Luna Selene stepped into the hallway. She paused when she saw me lurking outside the door. ¡°Is everything okay, Alpha?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. She looked exactly like L; or rather, L looked exactly like her. They both had dark and gorgeous hair and the same strange colored eyes. It was almost surreal. ¡°Alpha Bastien ordered me to stand guard to make sure nobody gets in,¡± I answered, keeping my tone even. ¡°I see,¡± Selene said; there was worry in her eyes. ¡°The doctor will be here shortly. Can you let me know once he¡¯s here? I¡¯m going downstairs to speak to my husband. I think she¡¯s been poisoned. Her symptoms seem odd¡­¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I tell her. She gives me a small smile before leaving. ¡°Now is our chance¡­¡± Max urged once again. ¡°Let¡¯s go into her room and see our mate.¡± He was relentless. Nheless, I decided to go in and check on her. As I opened her door, her scent became even more potent. Shey on her bed with her eyes closed; her face was still red, and she had beads of sweat on her forehead. She had a fever. She whimpered softly as if she was in pain and wiggled in bed, trying to find some sort offort. I reached my hand out to her, cing it gently on her forehead. She seemed to have soothed from just my touch alone. She sighed, reaching her own hands up and cing them on top of my hand, keeping it in ce. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I scanned her delicate body. She was still in her dress; she looked stunning tonight. She still looked stunning, even when she wasn¡¯t well. She opened her eyes slightly and peered over at me. ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± She whispered in a weak, and yet sleepy, state. ¡°Just rest,¡± I tell her, keeping my tone low. I was about to pull my hand away and walk out the door, but she tightened her grip, keeping me in ce. She was strong for someone who was just poisoned, and half awake. ¡°Don¡¯t leave¡­¡± she whimpered. ¡°Your hand feels nice¡­ it¡¯s nice and cold¡­¡± ¡°I can get you a cold cloth,¡± I tell her. She shakes her head, beads of sweat forming under my hand from her forehead. ¡°No¡­ this is nice¡­¡± she says, closing her eyes again. ¡°You¡¯re so handsome¡­¡± she murmured. I rose my brows at her words. ¡°Painfully handsome. Why are you so¡ª¡± Her words were cut off as she started drifting back to sleep. I blinked a couple of times, still staring at her. I was surprised that she was so forward; then again, a high enough dosage of wolfbane tends to cause delusion. I pulled my hand away from her; her body had gone limp as sleep overtook her. I went to her bathroom N?velDrama.Org owns this. and gabbed a cloth, soaking it with cold water. When I put it over her head, I saw the redness in her face begin to fade away. She sighed in relief, a small and weakened smile tugging at her lips. ¡°That feels nice¡­¡± she whispered. I was about to turn and leave once again, but her voice stopped me in my tracks. ¡°You were my first kiss¡­¡± she murmured. I knew she was inexperienced, but that kiss in the hallway was her first? ¡°You were my first kiss¡­ professor Enzo¡­¡± she said again in a murmur. ¡°You kissed¡­ a¡­ Vna¡­¡± She drifted off to sleep before her sentence wasplete; I stared at her in shock,pletely frozen. What was she about to say? Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Enzo¡¯s POV Was she about to tell me she was a Vna wolf? No. It wasn¡¯t possible. Vna wolves were said to be the most powerful creatures in the universe. L might have been talented, but she certainly wasn¡¯t powerful. But still, the girl was undeniably strange. But what¡¯s most strange is how captivating she is. L wiggled ufortably in her bed; I found myself wanting to take care of her. I adjusted her nket to cover her entire body and fixed her pillow. If she was really a Vna wolf, could she use her powers to manipte my wolf? ¡°Don¡¯t say such cruel things about our mate,¡± Max whined. ¡°If she is our mate, it would be better if I just reject her,¡± I say to him in return, much to his dismay. ¡°It¡¯ll be better for her too¡­¡± I thought of my mother and how she remained in that horrid town. They were rogues, living under no leadership. Most of them were too afraid to return to the kingdom, my mother included. My father¡¯s followers still lurked in ournds, even as Bastien took charge to protect the kingdom with some of the other Alphas. The problem was nobody was going to be as powerful as my father. Nobody except for his offspring. Protecting this kingdom, and protecting those my father had hurt, was up to me. Having a mate would only be a distraction. The innocence and vulnerability in L¡¯s eyes after our kiss proved that I couldn¡¯t possibly give myself to her. If she knew we were mates, it would only cause her disappointment. I would only break her heart. There was a knock on her door, bringing me out of my thoughts. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Enzo? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d still be here,¡± Bastien said. He came into the room followed by a short man with a white trench coat. ¡°This is the doctor. He¡¯s just going to examine her. You don¡¯t have to stay. I appreciate you for keeping watch of her.¡± I stared between the two of them, trying to find the words to say. I knew I should leave, but Max didn¡¯t want to. I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to. I nced back down at L who remained sleeping. I couldn¡¯t let history repeat itself. ¡°Just take care of her, okay?¡± I said to the doctor, keeping my eyes on L. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± the doctor said. I turned away and began to walk out the door, I paused for a moment, standing beside Bastien. ¡°She didn¡¯t deserve this,¡± I murmured, anger boiling in me. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t¡­¡± Bastien agreed, his tone just as hard. That was ourst word exchanged before I left. ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°Where is Alpha Enzo now?¡± I asked, staring up at my father who had just told me that Enzo watched over mest night. ¡°He left when the doctor arrived.¡± ¡°Did you ask him to take care of me?¡± I asked. My father shook his head with a small frown. ¡°I told him to watch the door and to make sure no strangers enter,¡± he exined. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to sit by your side. He did that on his own.¡± My father turned to leave just as my face turned a dark shade of red. I was d my father didn¡¯t see my expression because it would have given my emotions away instantly. He paused at the doorway though and without looking at me, he said, ¡°Enzo is different from most of ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. the Alphas. He¡¯s young, but he¡¯s incredibly serious. He doesn¡¯t have fun often or let himself feel normal emotions. It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s holding onto something he can¡¯t let go of¡­¡± He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. ¡°The reason I wanted him to teach at this school wasn¡¯t that he was the best for the job, it was because I thought it might be good for him to be around others and do what he loves. I thought maybe he could have a little fun and still work towards his future. He has his father¡¯s ambitions, but he certainly isn¡¯t his father. I¡¯m aiming to make sure he doesn¡¯t end up like his father.¡± ¡°You care for him,¡± I said, peering up at my dad. He turned to look at me and he nodded once. ¡°I took his father from him,¡± he said, a little sadness in his tone. ¡°I feel it¡¯s my duty to make sure he ends up in the right direction.¡± My father left my room without another word. I touched my lips with my fingertips, remembering how Enzo¡¯s lips felt against mine. It was a brief kiss, but it was my first kiss. That wasn¡¯t how envisioned my first kiss at all, and he certainly wasn¡¯t whom I envisioned it with. It upset me that I blew my chances at the perfect first kiss. Enzo wasn¡¯t somebody who could love me like my dad loved my mom. Enzo was somebody who was more focused on his work than anything else. As my father said, he¡¯s a driven Alpha who has huge goals. He doesn¡¯t allow himself to have normal feelings. He¡¯s closed off and preserved. He doesn¡¯t smile or have fun. He¡¯s extremely focused on his ambitions. Though I respected that, he isn¡¯t someone who would give his heart out to me. He isn¡¯t someone who could love me in the way I want. He isn¡¯t someone I would consider a mate. A knock on my door dismissed the thoughts roaming around my mind. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened slightly, and I saw a blonde head of hair popping in, making me smile. Another blonde head of hair, but shorter in length, popped in second. The twins; my 14-year-old brother and sister. Corinne and Flynn. ¡°Mom wanted us to check on you and bring you this soup,¡± Corinne says, walking toward me with a bowl of soup. It smelled like chicken noodles, my favorite. ¡°And I brought you some tea,¡± Flynn says with a mug of tea. ¡°With a dash of milk; just how you like it.¡± I smiled at both. Flynn is training to be the next Alpha. Corinne always wanted to be a gamma. She already started her training, and she is pretty good. Before I left for college, I would often train with her as well. She was a good opponent and learned quickly. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to them. They both crawl onto each side of my bed, tucking themselves under the covers. ¡°Who do you think tried to poison you?¡± Corinne asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I lied. ¡°Whoever they are, I¡¯m sure they are long gone.¡± ¡°I hope so¡­¡± she said, sounding a bit worried. I wrap an arm around each of them and hug them close to me. ¡°It would have sucked if you died.¡± This made meugh. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t die,¡± Flynn agreed, peering up at me. ¡°I would have killed whoever did this if you did¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have died that easily. But let¡¯s be thankful it didn¡¯te to that,¡± I say to them. My mom opened my door, peering at the twins with a deepened frown. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, ¡°I thought I told you to drop off soup and tea and then let her rest. Not crawl into bed with her and bother her.¡± Both the twins groaned as they slid out of my bed. ¡°Sorry mom,¡± they both said in unison. Even when my mother acted stern, I could still see the humor in her eyes. In this case, she couldn¡¯t even keep the smile off her face. She watched as they left my room. ¡°Eat up and get then get some rest,¡± she ordered, giving me a knowing smile. ¡°Yes, mom,¡± I said as she left my room. ¡­ 2 dayster I had to miss 2 days of sses. It was going to take forever to catch up on everything. Thankfully, Rachel, my dormmate, was able to gather my homework and take some extra notes in our shared sses. As much as I loved being with my family, I couldn¡¯t wait to get back to school. I already had my things packed and ready to depart. It was going to take an hour to drive to Hig; I wasn¡¯t looking forward to that. My father had said yesterday that I needed to be extra careful when I return to school in case the person who poisoned me was there. They couldn¡¯t uncover any fingerprints, there were no witnesses, and there was no DNA that proved Scott and Sara had anything to do with this. ¡°I don¡¯t feelfortable with you taking your car back. Whoever tried to poison you could have done something to your car too. I¡¯m going to take it apart and examine it thoroughly before you drive it.¡± ¡°How am I going to get back to school?¡± ¡°Alpha Enzo is on his way. He¡¯s going to drive you.¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 L¡¯s POV Why did it have to be Professor Enzo thates to pick me up? How was I going to get through an entire drive back to campus? It was an hour away. He showed up a few minutes after I finished packing. I could hear him speaking to my father in the foyer of the packhouse. ¡°Thanks again for taking her back to school. I don¡¯t want to take any chances,¡± my father said to him. ¡°Any leads on who could have done this?¡± ¡°None yet; she thinks it could have been her ex-boyfriend though. Or possibly the girl he was with. I don¡¯t have any evidence on that though.¡± ¡°I can look into it as the school,¡± Enzo offered. ¡°I appreciate that. Report to me any findings. I might send some of my men there too. Just to be safe.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep in touch,¡± Enzo said, shaking my father¡¯s hand. ¡°I know I can count on you,¡± my father said in return. I cleared my throat as I made my way down the stairs; they both turned to look at me. My father with a worried look and Enzo¡­ well ¡­ Enzo once again had no expression on his face. ¡°If anything happens, I need you to tell me right away,¡± my father said, wrapping me in a hug. ¡°I know,¡± I told him. ¡°I will. And don¡¯t forget, I can defend myself too. I learned from the best.¡± This made him smile. ¡°I know,¡± he said in return. ¡°I love you, L bean.¡± ¡°I love you too.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Categories Search¡­ I turned just as my mom came into the area; she held her arms out for me to run into them. I did without hesitation. Once I finished saying goodbye to my parents, I said goodbye to the twins. Hugging them both tightly. I slid into the passenger side of Enzo¡¯s car; I was already feeling awkward by the time he got into the driver¡¯s side and drove off. I thought about what my father had said about Enzo not being like a normal Alpha. I wondered if it was because of his father; I wanted to know what his rtionship with ise was. My mother doesn¡¯t seem to think he had any rtionship. But it only got me more curious. His car smelled like him. It was the scent of marshmallows, and maybe a little cinnamon. I hadn¡¯t noticed the cinnamon before. The scent was getting stronger though and it nearly made my mouth water. It was a weird feeling. My face grew warm the longer the scent lingered. I peered over at him and saw his sideplexion. It was almost like he was glowing a little. Had that glow always been there? ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± I hadn¡¯t realized how long I¡¯d been staring at him until he spoke. I quickly averted my eyes to stare out the window. The trees were whipping past us rather quickly. ¡°Thank you for taking me back to school,¡± I said to him. ¡°It was your father¡¯s request.¡± ¡°Right; but still,¡± I say, lowering my tone slightly. He didn¡¯t say anything more. After what felt like a lifetime, he finally spoke. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Better,¡± I answer. ¡°The doctor said I made a quick recovery.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I cleared my throat and peered over at him. ¡°I heard that you watched over me¡­¡± My voice sounded so far away. His jaw seemed to have tensed at my words; even his knuckles were growing white as he clutched the steering wheel. ¡°Thank you for that, as well.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do much of anything.¡± Even his tone was expressionless. What was his deal? After another beat, I asked, ¡°How long have you been the Alpha of the Calypso pack?¡± He was silent for a moment; I almost didn¡¯t think he was going to answer me. ¡°Since I was 16.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and who was the Alpha before you?¡± ¡°My father.¡± After another beat of silence he added, ¡°He died when I was 9. The beta took me in, and we ran the pack together until I was of age.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I breathed. That made sense. ¡°My grandparents were originally from the Calypso pack.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why I told him that; he rose his brows though. ¡°Were they?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answer. ¡°My mother was also born there. But left when she was only an infant. I heard they are a very powerful pack.¡± ¡°My father was a very powerful Alpha.¡± ¡°Were you close to him?¡± I nearly pped myself as soon as that question left my mouth. ¡°No.¡± I was relieved by his answer. ¡°My turn,¡± he said, surprising me. Before I could ask him what he meant, he asked, ¡°Why did you transfer to my ss when you don¡¯t have a wolf?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be getting my wolf soon,¡± I reminded him. ¡°But why did you transfer now? A few weeks into the school year.¡± How much should I tell him? He was honest with me, so maybe I should be honest with him. ¡°My ssst was with my ex-boyfriend,¡± I confess. ¡°I caught him with someone else. Though, I didn¡¯t know she was also in your ss¡­¡± Looking at him from the side, it almost seemed as if his eyebrow twitched. ¡°That boy who was in the halls when you¡­¡± he paused, not finishing his sentence. I nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± I admit. ¡°That was the reason why I¡­¡± I paused, also not finishing my sentence. ¡°I see,¡± he said, his tone seemed to have hardened slightly. ¡°And this boy is no longer in your life?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said firmly. ¡°He¡¯s no longer in my life.¡± We both stayed silent after that. He parked his car once we got to the school, and I got out quickly, unloading my suitcase from his trunk. As I walked toward the building, I paused as a headache formed at my temple. I winced in pain, making a small sound of distress. It came out of nowhere and halted me in my tracks. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked, staring around my face. ¡°I think so,¡± I say, my tone slightly strained. ¡°Just a headache.¡± I was about to walk away, but his hand closed around my wrist, stopping me. ¡°You should go to the infirmary,¡± he said, keeping his tone low. ¡°You were just poisoned. It could be a lasting side effect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I tell him again. However, he didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°I¡¯ll take you myself.¡± Why did he even care? Another ping of pain coursed through my head, causing me to wince. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I tell him, pulling my arm away. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the nurse.¡± I was kind of expecting him to follow me, but he didn¡¯t. ¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong,¡± the nurse said, staring at the scans she justpleted. ¡°But you are wee to rest here for a little while. I¡¯ll give you some pain medicine.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to her in return. ¡°I heard you recently consumed wolfbane. It could be a side effect. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go away shortly,¡± she said, handing me a couple of Tylenol and a ss of water. I popped the medication into my mouth and sipped on the water. The cold water felt nice, and I was starting to feel better already. ¡°Get some rest,¡± she said before she walked back toward her desk. ¡°I¡¯m going to write out an incident report and send it to your parents.¡± I sat up quickly, I was about to stop her. I didn¡¯t want my parents to know about this; it would only cause them to worry. However, another wave of pain coursed through my head, and I whimpered, laying back down. On second thought, maybe they should know. I closed my eyes tightly, taking in a steady breath. It¡¯ll go away soon. I kept telling myself. I just needed a little rest. Just as I started to drift off to sleep, my mind started to ease, and my body rxed. An overwhelming sense washed over me and all I could smell at that moment was honeysuckle and maybe the soft scent of an ocean. I could practically smell the salt water and feel the sand under my toes. A light breeze tickled my features as the blue skies came into view. I gasped as a gorgeous white wolf ran toward me; one eye was violet, and the other was blue, resembling my own. She ran through the pink sand, leaping high in the air and allowing the sun¡¯s rays to wash over her snow-white fur. As shended in front of me, I felt the uncontroble urge to reach my hand out to her and brush my fingers through her softness. And then, she spoke. ¡°Hello, L. I¡¯m Valentina. Your wolf.¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10 L¡¯s POV Valentine bowed her head to me, a smile ying on her long mouth and her white, razor-sharp, teeth being revealed. She was big and glorious; I had never seen anything like her before. This ce was so life-like and incredible as well. I could practically feel the mist of the ocean on my features and the light breeze brushing through my hair. It felt so freeing as I could finally breathe. There was no pain and there were no anxieties. It was just happiness and love all around me. Most importantly, there was my wolf right in front of my eyes. ¡°Valentina¡­¡± I whispered, running my hand down her soft fur, allowing it to tickle my palms. I had no idea having a wolf would feel like this. I already loved her so much. ¡°You are so beautiful, L. I¡¯m so d to finally meet you. I¡¯ve been waiting to appear for some time now¡­¡± she paused. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± It was surreal; her mouth wasn¡¯t moving when she spoke, but I could hear her words echoing in my mind. ¡°The wolfbane,¡± I told her. ¡°It was keeping you locked away.¡± I wanted to say more to her; I wanted to spend more time with her. But I felt a cold cloth being draped over my head, taking me away from the warmth of this beach. Darkness began to close around, and my wolf started to disappear. Panic set in and I reached my hand out to grasp for her, but I only got a fist full of air. ¡°Valentina!¡± I cried to her. But it was toote; my eyes opened, and I was gasping for air, sitting up in the infirmary bed. The nurse was standing over me, looking startled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say?¡± The nurse asked, appearing worried. ¡°You passed out; you were getting warm. I thought you might be getting a fever.¡± Tears burned in my eyes. ¡°She¡¯s gone¡­¡± I whispered hoarsely. ¡°She¡¯s gone¡­¡± Categories Search¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep the tears from escaping; soon, they were streaming down my face. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°Who¡¯s gone? What happened?¡± ¡°My¡­my¡­¡± I stammered. I couldn¡¯t even get the words out of my mouth. I hupped as more tears soaked my features. Closing my eyes tightly as I mourned the loss of my wolf. This wasn¡¯t fair¡­ I just got her. Why was she taken from me so soon? What had happened? ¡°Don¡¯t cry, L¡­ I¡¯m not gone. I¡¯m here¡­¡± I heard her voice roaming through my mind, echoing as it did before. My eyes shot open as I looked around the room. I didn¡¯t see her. ¡°If you close your eyes and envision me¡­ you¡¯ll see me. But you¡¯ll always be able to hear me. Soon, you¡¯ll be able to shift into me. But I must warn you. Your first shift will be incredibly painful. There¡¯s so much for us both to learn.¡± ¡°Valentina¡­¡± I spoke into my mind; my own words echoing through my head. I could hear my wolf chuckle. ¡°You can call me Val if it¡¯s easier. I¡¯m so d to finally be here. I can see the world through your eyes. I can experience everything you experience.¡± My heart was beating heavily in my chest. I wasn¡¯t sure I could contain it. I had a wolf; I finally had a wolf. ¡°L?¡± The nurse said, still staring at me with concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answer right away. ¡°I¡¯m more than okay. I finally have my wolf.¡± She looked shocked by the news; covering her mouth with her hands as she gasped. ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I said, tears falling from my eyes. This time, they were tears of pure happiness and bliss. My heart was so overjoyed. ¡°I¡¯m calling your parents right away,¡± she told me. ¡°It can¡¯t wait much longer. Oh, L, this is incredible news. Wait right here.¡± I wasn¡¯t going anywhere; I wasn¡¯t even sure I could walk straight at this point. This was so overwhelming; I wasn¡¯t even sure what to do with myself. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell my family. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell my friends. I couldn¡¯t wait to tell¡ª Professor Enzo popped into my mind and my heart skipped a beat. Why did I want to tell him anything? It¡¯s not like he would care. Though, that meant I would be able to participate fully in his ss. That meant I would be even stronger. Does this also mean I could get my Vna abilities? I had so many questions, and I felt like I didn¡¯t have enough time. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true!¡± The nurse said happily into the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll let her talk to you now, Alpha!¡± She went to me with a phone; I knew my father was on the other end. ¡°Hi dad,¡± I said cheerfully. ¡°My daughter finally got her wolf!¡± My dad boasted. ¡°Oh, L bean. This is incredible news. We need to celebrate. Your mother wants to make dinner thising weekend. Would you be able toe home?¡± ¡°I can make that happen,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯ll have Professor Enzo drive you again. Perhaps he can join us.¡± My eyes widened at his suggestion; before I could protest, my mother was on the phone. ¡°Oh, L! How does it feel? What is her name? What does she look like?¡± ¡°She looks like your wolf,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Snow-white fur and she has my eyes. She¡¯s so beautiful, mom and she¡¯s kind and gentle. Her name is Valentina.¡± ¡°What a beautiful name. This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful journey for you, my love.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her words. ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t shift yet though. You¡¯ll need to wait until you are home. The process is incredibly painful and you¡¯ll need the support of your pack to get through it,¡± she warned. ¡°I love you so much. I¡¯ll see you soon!¡± ¡°Bye, mom,¡± I said, hanging up the phone. I handed the phone back to the nurse and thanked her. ¡°You can rest for a bit more before you leave if you¡¯d like,¡± she told me. ¡°I think I¡¯m okay now. My headache is gone. I¡¯m going to return to my dorm.¡± I couldn¡¯t wait to tell my roommate Rachel about this; I also wanted to tell my new friend, andbat partner, Ba. I slid out of bed and started putting my shoes back on when I smelled a familiar and strong scent roaming through the air. I could see Val sniffing the air through my mind¡¯s eyes; she was loving the scent, basking in it and ravishing every detail of it. She could smell the marshmallows and the cinnamon, and it was making her mouth water. ¡°What is that glorious scent?¡± She breathed as she continued sniffing the air. I already knew who it was before he entered the infirmary. His eyes were darker than I had ever seen them before. His breathing was rash, and I could see his wolf¡¯s fangs threatening his lips. A low growl escaped through the dept of his throat. It almost looked like he was losing control of his wolf. What was his problem? And why couldn¡¯t I look away from him? ¡°L¡­¡± Val breathed in awe; I had a feeling she was about to answer my question. ¡°That¡¯s¡­. that¡¯s our mate¡­¡±Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Enzo¡¯s POV She was looking at me like she had seen a ghost. The color in her face was gone and her oddly colored eyes were wide. Max could sense that she received her wolf and insisted that we go and see her right now. But as I stood in the doorway of the infirmary, staring into her eyes, I realized I probably shouldn¡¯t havee here. It was taking everything I had to keep Max at bay; he wanted to rip himself from me and run to our mate. He was saying how beautiful her wolf was and how much he wanted to bask her in loving scent. She no longer just smelled like honeysuckle; I could almost smell the scent of the ocean too. There was an odd smell of salt water; it wasforting. It was like standing at the beach without the hassle of the sand or birds. She was at a loss for words; I¡¯m sure she wasn¡¯t expecting that I, her professor, would turn out to be her mate. I probably wasn¡¯t at all how she envisioned her mate. I wouldn¡¯t me her if she ran in the opposite direction. However, she stood frozen. ¡°Good evening, Alpha Enzo,¡± the nurse said from her desk, peering over at me. I didn¡¯t look away from L as I greeted the nurse. L seemed to have swallowed a lump in her throat; she tugged at her fingers almost nervously and without tearing her eyes away from mine, she said, ¡°I should be getting back to my dorm. Rachel will be wondering where I am.¡± Rachel must be her dormmate. I said nothing as she walked past me, nearing the door that I stood in front of. ¡°Please, excuse me,¡± she said, standing before me. Reluctantly, I stepped aside. Without another word, she walked out the door. This couldn¡¯t be happening to me right now. Categories Search¡­ ¡­ L¡¯s POV My heart was thudding violently in my chest as I ran from the infirmary. That couldn¡¯t have been right. Enzo couldn¡¯t have been my mate. Could he? This wasn¡¯t how I envisioned finding my mate would be like. It was filled with uncertainty and doubt, not love and excitement. I wanted what my parents had. What my uncle ke and Aunt Sophie had. Enzo couldn¡¯t give me that kind of love. His priorities were on his duties and while I respected that, he would never be able to give me the love I desire. I don¡¯t even think he would want to. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Valined; her voice echoing through my mind. ¡°That¡¯s our mate! We need to go back!¡± ¡°No,¡± I said more firmly than I intended. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to face him after finding out this new information. It had to have been a mistake. Oh goddess, please tell me you¡¯ve made a mistake. As I went back to my dorm room, Rachel was lying on her bed. She was doodling in her notebook with headphones on, kicking her foot to the beat of her music. She had an unusual style to her; she wore colorful clothing that fit tightly around her perfectly formed figure. She wasn¡¯t afraid to show skin and I admired that about her. She had tattoos along her thighs, stomach, and arms. Her hair was short, in a pixie style. She was naturally blonde but had light blue streaks going through her hair. Rachel also wasn¡¯t a wolf; she was a bear. As I walked into the dorm, her dark blue gaze shifted from her notebook and to my face. She stared N?velDrama.Org owns this. around my ghostly face for a moment, with a timid frown as she sat up, perching herself on her knees with a curious gaze. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. Should I tell her that I found my mate and he happened to be my professor? No. I couldn¡¯t tell anybody. ¡°I was poisoned,¡± I tell her that instead. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to tell her because everything happened so quickly. Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°What?¡± She gasped. ¡°What do you mean you were poisoned?¡± ¡°It was wolfbane,¡± I exin. ¡°Somebody at my party tried to poison me with wolfbane.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the party I wasn¡¯t invited to?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°Happy birthday by the way.¡± ¡°You were invited,¡± I reminded her, my voice firm and slightly annoyed. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in Elysium.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± she said with a lightugh. Rachel always had something against Elysium; she never told me why though. She just said that bears weren¡¯t typically wee in that region, despite me telling her that wasn¡¯t true. I knew there was more to the story, but I never pried. She would tell me on her own time. Rachel was also incredibly forgetful and would often forget former conversations. Such as her refusal to attend my birthday party. ¡°Who would poison you?¡± She asked, keeping her eyes locked on my face. I went across the room to my bed and sat down. My familiar quilt cushioned me as I rested. ¡°I think it was Sarah,¡± I tell her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why she would do something like that though.¡± ¡°Stealing your boyfriend wasn¡¯t enough? Now she has to try to kill you?¡± ¡°Wolfbane wouldn¡¯t kill me,¡± I exin. ¡°It made me ill, sure. But it¡¯s meant to hurt the wolf, not the person.¡± ¡°So, she was trying to make it so you don¡¯t get your wolf?¡± ¡°Seems that way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fucked up, L,¡± Rachel scoffed. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be allowed back at this school.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no proof she did anything. Nobody saw her do it and there were no prints,¡± I told her. ¡°But my father is still investigating. I¡¯m hoping he¡¯ll find something. I feel like she¡¯s watching me¡­¡± ¡°Talk about creepy,¡± Rachel shuddered, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s insane how she can get away with shit like that. It shouldn¡¯t be allowed.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± I asked. ¡°From what I hear, her father basically funds this school. Even if she did get caught, she¡¯ll only get a p on the wrist.¡± ¡°But your father is Alpha Bastien. That has to count for something.¡± I shake my head with a small frown. ¡°There are still those above my father; even though he is the head of themittee,¡± I tell her. ¡°There are wolves more powerful, and I don¡¯t mean in strength. I mean in fortune. There¡¯s an order to this kingdom. Everybody has a status, and everybody has a job. Sarah¡¯s father happens to be the money and money can buy anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unfair,¡± Rachel sighs, folding her arms across her chest. Before I could say anything more, I heard my cell phone ringing on my bedside table. As I nced at the screen, my frown deepened. What the hell did he want? ¡°Hello?¡± I say into the phone. ¡°L!¡± Scott¡¯s words slurred into the phone. ¡°L¡­ I need you¡­¡± He was drunk and I could hear the sounds of the pub in the background. ¡°L¡­ please,e see me,¡± Scott whined. ¡°You¡¯re drunk,¡± I told him, annoyed. ¡°You should go home.¡± ¡°Nooooo¡­¡± he desperatelyined. ¡°I made a mistake, L. I need you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to the pub, Scott,¡± I told him, meeting Rachel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me anymo¡ª¡± ¡°You need toe here!!¡± He growled; his tone had changed from whining, to angry. ¡°Scott I¡ª¡± ¡°You need to get here now, or I¡¯m going to kill myself.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 L¡¯s POV ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Rachel shouted as I hung up the phone with Scott. I began toward the door. ¡°You can¡¯t just go there. He could be dangerous.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let him hurt himself,¡± I say as I grab my coat. ¡°It¡¯s not your problem to fix, L,¡± she told me, following closely behind. I paused to look at her. ¡°He called me; I¡¯m now in his recent phone record. He made it my problem.¡± She didn¡¯t look convinced so I added, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear him a minute ago¡­ he sounded like he was in pain.¡± ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ming with you,¡± Rachel said with finality, grabbing her own coat. I gave her a thankful smile before leaving the room. I really didn¡¯t like pubs; any kind of bar I tried to stay clear of. I wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, and I certainly didn¡¯t like hanging around drunk people. But from when I dated Scott, I remembered that he enjoyed going to any kind of bar that he could find. He would often drag me to them, and I¡¯d have a miserable time. By the end of the night, I always had to drag Scott out of the bar. I guess now that we are broken up, things aren¡¯t much different. It made me wonder where his new girlfriend, Sarah, was. This should be her job now. ¡°There he is,¡± Rachel muttered, pointing at the bar. Scott was surrounded by a bunch of empty sses and practically hanging off his bar stool. I sighed before approaching him. ¡°Scott?¡± I said, cing my hand on his back. He jerked in the seat, nearly falling over as he opened his eyes, fixating his gaze on me. Categories Search¡­ ¡°You came,¡± he said in a slurred whisper; instantly the scent of beer and whisky hit my nose, causing me to wince. ¡°I should have never cheated on you. Please, forgive me L¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get you home, Scott,¡± I said to him, trying to help him off the stool. He leaned against me for support. ¡°I want to treat you so good, baby¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± he soundedpletely out of it. ¡°What¡¯s he even saying?¡± Rachel whispered from beside me. I gave her a shrug. ¡°I have no idea, but grab his other arm and help me get him out of here.¡± She grabbed his other arm and together we started walking toward the exit. As soon as we reached the door, I heard his friends cheering and howling at us. ¡°Yeah, Scott!! Get some action!!¡± ¡°Ow ow!!¡± I rolled my eyes as I pushed open the door. I had never been more relieved to be outside than I did at that moment. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the car,¡± Rachel said, releasing Scott¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She disappeared down the street toward her waiting car. When we arrived, there wasn¡¯t any other parking. I stood with Scott, leaning against me, waiting for Rachel¡¯s return when he started murmuring something against my ear. ¡°I love you, L. Please forgive me¡­¡± ¡°Scott, you are talking nonsense,¡± I tell him. The image of him with Sarah in the halls invaded my mind. The memory of that feeling; the heaviness I had felt in my heart. That moment of weakness where all I wanted to do was cry. The betrayal I felt. He lifted his head off my shoulder so he could take in my face. ¡°Look at me,¡± he ordered. When I didn¡¯t respond, his anger was sudden. He grabbed my face with force and made me look into his dark and hungry eyes, catching my breath in my throat. ¡°I said look at me,¡± he growled. ¡°Scott¡ª¡± ¡°You never pleased me,¡± he said between his teeth. ¡°Then I see you kissing that Professor guy. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I upset you, however¡ª¡± ¡°You are such a tease,¡± he continued, interrupting me. ¡°Now I want what you deprived me.¡± I wasn¡¯t afraid of Scott, but there was something in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine; my heart thudded violently against my chest and suddenly, I felt frozen. He grabbed onto my wrist, pulling me toward him. As his arms closed around my body, I realized what was happening. Before I could wrap my mind around what he was doing, he was already pushing me against the brick building that sat behind us. I felt a jolt of pain going up my spine from the force of my body hitting the building. ¡°Scott, what the hell!¡± I growled at him. ¡°I told you; I want what you deprived me. All. Of. It.¡± ¡°You¡¯re delusional,¡± I said in return, cing my hands on his chest, and getting ready to push him away. ¡°Get away from me,¡± I warned through my teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t fight it, baby,¡± he murmured. His mouth neared mine and I moved my head; I felt his slimy and whisky-encrusted tongue on my face. Just as I was about to shove him, I saw a hand on his shoulder, yanking him away from me. I didn¡¯t even realize anyone else was there. He turned around and looked up only to be faced with Alpha Enzo. ¡°Our mate!!¡± Val cooed excitedly. I couldn¡¯t mistake the fury in his eyes and the low growl that escaped his throat as he stared down at Scott. He kept his hand firmly on his shoulder and it seemed he was continuing to apply pressure until Scott was nearly squirming with difort. There was a part of me that wanted to intervene and get Scott out of Enzo¡¯s grasp, but another part of me just wanted to let it happen. I felt disgusted with Scott for trying to have his way with me and deserved whatever Enzo was going to do with him. ¡°You¡¯re drunk,¡± Enzo said in a deep and threatening tone. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t a professor, I would kick your ass right now.¡± I could see Scott visibly trembling. I went to say something, but Enzo spoke again. ¡°What are you doing out at thiste hour?¡± He was still staring at Scott, but I knew his question was for me. ¡°Scott called me drunk. I was worried so I came to bring him home,¡± I answer, rubbing my swore wrist. ¡°He hurt your wrist.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, nor was he looking at me still. I looked down at the redness around my wrist. This wasn¡¯t much of anything; I¡¯ve had worse injuries. I went to tell him that I was fine, but the sounds of Rachel¡¯s car horn stopped me. She was waving us over from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Can you help me get him in the car?¡± I asked, peering up at Enzo. His body was tense, but he didn¡¯t argue. He kept his hold on Scott and escorted him into the backseat of the car as I slide into the passenger seat. I was expecting Enzo to leave after that, but to my surprise, he also got into the backseat of the car as well, keeping his hold on Enzo as Rachel pulled away from the bar. What was he even doing at the pub? Once we got back to the academy, Rachel parked the car and peered over at me. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I told her with a small smile. ¡°Thank you for being here. You can go back to our dorm though. I can handle it from here.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked, raising her brows. She peered in the backseat at Professor Enzo who stayed quiet with Scott leaning against him, completely asleep. ¡°Yes,¡± I assure her. She nods before we all get out of the car. It didn¡¯t take long to reach Scott¡¯s room. Enzo refused to leave me alone with him and honestly, I didn¡¯t really want to be alone with him. Not after what he just tried to do. Once Enzo dropped Scott off on his bed, we turned to leave, only pausing when we heard Scott¡¯s drunken murmurs. ¡°Don¡¯t leave¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°L¡­¡± I pressed my lips firmly together; I wanted to tell him off, but I knew no good woulde from that while he was still drunk. He wouldn¡¯t even remember it in the morning. I went toward his door with Enzo behind me. ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Scott breathed in a half-sleep state of mind. ¡°Sarah¡­ poisoned¡­ you¡­¡± I froze, turning to him. His eyes were opened slightly, and he was looking directly at me. ¡°Why would she do something like that?¡± I asked. For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of humor in his eyes and a smirk appears on his lips. But then he closed his eyes, and I knew he was drifting off to sleep. ¡°Scott, why would she poison me?¡± I demanded to know. He gave a soft scoff. ¡°She knows¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°You¡¯re a Vna¡­¡±Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 L¡¯s POV By the time I could form words out of my mouth, Scott was already snoring. I stood frozen at the door, just staring at him. That¡¯s all I could think to do. Hearing his words caused my heart to ache. She hated me because I was a Vna wolf. I know my kind isn¡¯t epted by some; they find us dangerous and threatening. But I have never tried to pose a threat to anyone. I stand up for what I believe in and help those in need. I¡¯m far from dangerous but I know not all in our world see it that way. ¡°What did he just say?¡± Enzo asked; for a moment, I forget he was standing near me. I saw theplete confusion on his face. I didn¡¯t want to stay in Scott¡¯s room any longer, so I left. As we got into the empty halls, I turned to him, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my father,¡± I managed to utter as I stared up at him. ¡°What did he mean that you are a Vna? Is that true?¡± His tone seemed cold. ¡°I never want to hurt anybody,¡± I whispered. ¡°If Sarah hates me because of what I am¡­¡± my voice trailed off. ¡°Because you are a Vna¡­¡± he said the ¡°Vna¡± like it was a bad taste on his tongue; the cruelty of his tone caused me to flinch. That was all I needed to know. ¡°I¡¯m not any different than I was a moment ago before you knew,¡± I told him, meeting his dark eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still me and if that¡¯s the reason why Sarah hates me, then I need to speak with her and set the record straight.¡± Enzo seemed to be at a loss for words, but that onlysted briefly. He soon sighed, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°You expect me to keep something like this from your father?¡± He asked. ¡°He would have my head if he found out that I knew who poisoned his daughter.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want there to be any issues. Involving my father would make her despise me even more. I came to this school because I wanted to make a difference in this world. I wanted to spread a little bit of good everywhere. I want Sarah to know that I¡¯m not a threat to her. I don¡¯t wish her harm and I don¡¯t wish punishment on her. I¡¯m hoping to start a clean te.¡± ¡°Your father would¡ª¡± ¡°Please,¡± I say, touching his bicep; he froze as he stared down at my hand. ¡°I must believe that there is still good in her. Punishing her won¡¯t bring the good out; it¡¯ll only make her resent us.¡± I could see his jaw tightening as he stared around my face, he didn¡¯t say anything though. He pulled his arm away from my hand and started down the hallway. Did he hate me now too? I brushed the thought out of my mind and went to find Sarah. Usually, she hangs out in the student lounge across campus. Sarah and her friends upied the couch and loveseat. ¡°Can we talk for a minute?¡± I asked as I approached. She frowns as she peers up at me; her friends glimpsed at one another with strange looks before chuckling. I ignored them and fixated my attention on Sarah. ¡°Please,¡± I added. She looked me over carefully for a moment; her face remained expressionless. She finally stood from her ce on the couch and went with me to a more private area. She folded her arms across her chest. ¡°This better be good to pull me away like that,¡± she muttered. I turned around to face her; I took in a steady breath, trying to ease the nervousness building in the pit of my stomach. I wasn¡¯t usually nervous confronting somebody, but standing before me was a woman who genuinely hated me enough to want to cause me harm. She poisoned me because I was a Vna wolf. It made me wonder how many other students here hated me for what I am. I nced around briefly, and it didn¡¯t seem, anyone, besides Sarah¡¯s friends, was looking in our direction. ¡°I just wanted to clear the air,¡± I said, keeping my tone low and my eyes fixated on her features. She was very beautiful that much was obvious; she was also experienced. It was no wonder Scott wanted her. ¡°I don¡¯t want there to be any bad blood between us.¡± She rose her brows, a hint of amusement in her icy gaze. ¡°Oh, is that right?¡± She sneered. ¡°And what makes you think there¡¯s bad blood?¡± ¡°Because you tried to poison me,¡± I say in a hushed whisper, keeping my eyes on hers. ¡°That¡¯s quite the usation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an usation, it¡¯s the truth. Scott told me everything.¡± ¡°And what exactly did Scott say?¡± She asked, a smirk appearing on her red and glossy lips. ¡°That you poisoned me because of what I am.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the fact that you are a Vna?¡± She snickered. ¡°Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I¡¯m not the only one who knows what you are? Maybe I¡¯m not the only one who doesn¡¯t like you?¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to argue with you,¡± I say to her. ¡°I just wanted to tell you that I don¡¯t wish harm on anyone, especially not you, Sarah. I want us to be able to get along.¡± She scoffed loudly at my words. ¡°You aren¡¯t as perfect as you think you are,¡± she shot back with an eye roll. Her words had taken me by surprise; I had never tried to paint myself as perfect. I do the best I can with what I have. I worked hard to have the talents and abilities that I have. I¡¯m good at what I do, and I care for those around me, but I¡¯m also wed like everyone else. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I¡¯m far from perfect and I¡¯ve epted that. My mother had taught me at a young age that Vnas won¡¯t always be epted. But those were only words until now. I was starting to understand what she meant. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell my father¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s generous of you,¡± Sarah said with sarcasm oozing from her tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think you know, but you are wrong. I had nothing to do with the poison. If my father needs toe and set the record straight for me, then I¡¯ll give him a call. You know he funds this school? Right?¡± I knew this information already; her father was incredibly rich and well-known around the kingdom. My father might have power as head of the Alpha Committee, but Sarah¡¯s father had money and owned a lot of areas. Including this school. ¡°It¡¯s my understanding that you are here on a full schrship,¡± Sarah continued; it wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°It¡¯d be a shame if it was revoked.¡± ¡°She can¡¯t be serious?!¡± Val gasped in my mind. ¡°Don¡¯t let her speak to you like this!¡± Val was right; I took a step closer to Sarah so only she could hear my voice. ¡°A schrship might have gotten me in the doors, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s keeping me at this academy. It¡¯s my skills, my talents, and my brain. It¡¯s also my willpower to keep going. I don¡¯t need the schrship to keep me here and I don¡¯t need money. I deserve to be here like any other student, and I will continue to prove myself every single day. So, go ahead and tell your father to revoke my schrship because I can promise you, that won¡¯t keep me away.¡± She looked disgusted by my words, but I wasn¡¯t backing down. I could feel how proud Val was and that alone pleased me. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± she muttered. I knew at that point the conversation was over; she turned away and went back to her group. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV I had expected that L was a Vna since she brought it up once in her delusional state. But now it was confirmed. Even if I wanted her, I couldn¡¯t get involved with a Vna. ¡°Our mate is strong-minded; that¡¯s so sexy,¡± Max said, pleased with what we had just overheard from around the corner. I supposed curiosity got the best of me; she wanted to speak with Sarah by herself and I wanted to know what it was she was going to say. I had to admit that I was pleased as well with her strong stance. However, I knew she-wolves like Sarah, and I knew only bad woulde from her. Especially considering that she knew L was a Vna wolf as well. She already hurt L once; I wasn¡¯t going to let her do it again. Please, don¡¯t tell my father. She had said those words less than 20 minutes ago. Why wouldn¡¯t she want this woman punished? Was she really that naive? Thinking there was good in this woman? ¡°Alpha Bastien¡­¡± I said through a mindlink. ¡°I have a lead on who poisoned your daughter, I think you¡¯ll want to hear about it.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Bastien asked once I exined what happened with Sarah. ¡°Why would L want to keep this from me?¡± ¡°She thinks there¡¯s good in Sarah and doesn¡¯t think that punishing her will do her any good. For whatever reason, she just wants peace.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds like something she would say,¡± Bastien sighed. ¡°Even so, this is still a punishable crime, even if L made a speedy recovery. But I¡¯m afraid without proper proof, I won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you speak to the board?¡± I asked. ¡°Or maybe I can speak to them¡ª¡± ¡°And then what? It¡¯ll get dismissed if we go to them without proper proof. Not to mention Sarah¡¯s father basically owns that school. If he gets word that his daughter is being used of a crime, he won¡¯t stop fighting us. If we want to proceed in punishing her, we need actual proof of the crime.¡± ¡°What about pictures?¡± I asked. ¡°Were there any photos taken at the party?¡± ¡°There were some that took pictures yes. We already looked through them and nothing. There was also a photographer there as well. Their photos haven¡¯t been developed yet. But they are working on it.¡± ¡°A photographer?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s the name of thepany?¡± ¡°Photos by Leah,¡± Bastien answered. ¡°She¡¯s a great photographer. She¡¯s working on developing the photos. Hopefully, they will be ready for viewing next week.¡± ¡°The photographer could have captured something in the background of her pictures,¡± Max mimicked my thoughts. ¡°We need to get our hands on the photos.¡± ¡°Oh, Enzo. Before I let you go, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask if you¡¯d be able to bring L home on Saturday. Selene wants to have a feast for her to celebrate her wolf¡¯s arrival. Of course, you¡¯re also invited to the feast if you bring her. I still have her car so she can¡¯t get here on her own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring her,¡± I agreed. ¡°But I¡¯ll pass on the feast. I appreciate the invite.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°The invite will stand if you change your mind,¡± Bastien said. ¡°If youe across any new information let me know. I¡¯ll see you Saturday.¡± He ended the mindlink without another word. ¡­ As soon as I entered thebat center, I could smell L¡¯s delicious scent of honeysuckle, making my mouth water. Max was growing excited within me. I didn¡¯t have time to be messing around with a woman. Especially a student, Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter, and a Vna wolf. The thought of rejection has been heavily crossing my mind since finding out she was my mate. But now that I know she¡¯s a Vna, it seems to be the obvious choice. On the other hand, themittee has been on my case about not having a mate; if word got out that I had a mate and rejected her, it would make me look like a failed Alpha. ¡°That¡¯s not all you care about,¡± Max teased. ¡°Admit that you are curious about our young mate.¡± ¡°I might be curious, but that doesn¡¯t change the facts.¡± The arena was filled with growls and howls as students fought with one another. I made my way to the front, to my usual spot, and watched as my students continued practicing the moves, I have recently taught them. ¡°Enough,¡± I growled, my voice booming through the arena and causing everyone to stop what they were doing. ¡°We are going to practice shifting quickly before an attack. You never know when you will be attacked in your human form, and you need to be prepared.¡± I scanned the room briefly before my eyesnded on a pretty boy jock in the back. He was too busy flirting with one of the girls to notice that I was scowling at him. But everyone else noticed and they had wary looks in their eyes as my lip curled up. I stepped down from my ce in the front and walked quickly toward this boy; his name was Justin. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. As I walked toward him, the crowd in front of him parted ways to let me through. A growl escaped from the depth of my throat. Nobody dared to say a word. Just as Justin finally noticed something was off with the aura in the room, I was shifting in my wolf and lunging at him. He saw me just in time, but he wasn¡¯t quick enough. I had already shoved him to the ground, my wolf¡¯s canines snapping in his face and missing him by only a hair. I growled loudly; fury boiling throughout my body, and I knew it was seen clearly through my wolf¡¯s eyes. When he got angry, they were auburn red. Justin was shaking on the ground; he wouldn¡¯t dare to struggle against me and that pleased me. I liked bringing terror to those I attack. Unfortunately, he was a student, and I couldn¡¯t actually do any harm to him. The fear evident in his eyes was enough satisfaction. I released him, letting him scurry away as I turned back to the others who were watching me withrge and frightened eyes. My gaze fell upon L who stood a bit of a distance from me; she didn¡¯t look frightened like the others. She only rose her brows and folded her arms across her chest. Are you challenging me, little wolf? I thought to myself, trying to keep the smirk off my face. Even in my wolf firm, my smirks were obvious. ¡°As I said¡­¡± I said, looking around at my students. ¡°You need to be prepared for any attack. Justin wasn¡¯t prepared. But I¡¯m sure next time he will be¡­.¡± I paused and turned to look at a very frightened jock. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Yes, professor,¡± Justin said with a quivering voice. ¡°This is what we are going to spend today doing. Practicing how tobat shift. The ones being attacked needs to be in their human forms and as soon as they are attacked, they shift into their wolf form. Switch off who gets attacked and who does the shifting.¡± I nced over at L who was still eyeing me carefully. ¡°Obviously Ba will be doing the shifting in your case,¡± I add for her alone. She thinks about it for a moment, but then she nods her head once. She just got her wolf, but she has yet to shift. Her first shift would be incredibly painful and not something she should do in front of other students. I turn away from her and go back to the front of the room, standing on my tform so I can oversee my students. Their shifting was getting faster and stronger each time they practiced. The students attacking their partners would wait a substantial amount of time before performing their attack on their partners who kept their backs turned. As soon as their partners felt an attack was near, they shifted into their wolf forms and counter-attacked. For the most part, the students shifting were able to counterattack or block the initial attack from their partners. Most students¡­ ept Ba. Regardless of how fast she was at shifting and counterattacking, L, in her human form, was always a step ahead of her and managed to beat her every time. They tried it at least a dozen times. ¡°How are you this good?¡± Ba asked, breathlessly. She didn¡¯t sound annoyed, more inspired than anything. ¡°I¡¯ve had good trainers,¡± L chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll get better. I can train with you some more if you¡¯d like the practice.¡± ¡°You¡¯d do that?¡± Ba asked, surprised. ¡°Of course,¡± L said in return. ¡°I would love to help you. This stuff is important; you should learn to defend yourself the best you can.¡± Ba gave her a fond smile just as my phone began ringing. ¡°What?¡± I asked into the phone, knowing it was my Beta Ethan, from the Calypso Pack. ¡°We have a problem,¡± Ethan said, sounding a bit worried. ¡°Then deal with it. I¡¯m in ss.¡± ¡°There have been some home invasions around our pack,¡± Ethan continued quickly. ¡°What?¡± I asked, my tone hardening. ¡°What do you mean by home invasions?¡± ¡°I mean there have been a series of break-ins. I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s doing it¡­ but there have been reports of thievery as well.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± I mutter, trying to keep my voice down to not alert my students. I met L¡¯s eyes who were now looking at me with a frown; she knew something was wrong. ¡°I¡¯ll be there tomorrow to look into it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ethan said. ¡°I¡¯ll let everyone know.¡± ¡°Ethan,¡± I said before he hung up the phone; my ey Chapter 15 Chapter 15 L¡¯s POV ¡°Remind me again why you have to go to the Calypso pack tonight?¡± Rachel asked, watching me pack my suitcase from her bed. ¡°Because Professor Enzo is my ride to my pack,¡± I tell her. ¡°Per my father¡¯s orders¡­¡± I add. ¡°So, why go to his pack?¡± ¡°I guess there¡¯s an issue there he needs to address,¡± I exin. ¡°The dinner my mom is having isn¡¯t until tomorrow. So, we are going to the Calypso pack tonight so he can address whatever is happening there. Then, we are leaving for Elysium tomorrow.¡± Before she could say anything more, there was a knock on our door. I went to answer it and saw Enzo standing before me, holding his own suitcase. ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked, his face remaining expressionless. ¡°Almost,¡± I answer, I let him inside my dorm as I finish packing my suitcase. Rachel was standing to her feet quickly, adjusting her closing and giving Enzo a quick bow of respect. ¡°Hello, Professor,¡± she said quickly. He didn¡¯t respond to her; he looked her over briefly before fixating his eyes back on me. ¡°Hurry up,¡± he muttered, turning away and stepping outside the door. Rachel¡¯s smile fell as soon as Enzo¡¯s back was turned. She slumped back on her bed and peered over at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can stand being around him for that long,¡± she muttered. ¡°He¡¯s heartless.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell Rachel that Enzo was my mate; I couldn¡¯t tell anybody. Instead, I forced a smile on my face and zipped my suitcase. ¡­ Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The Calypso Pack was only 30 minutes away from Hig. Most of the car drive was quiet, with maybe an asionalmentary from Enzo about the weather or traffic. But no conversation worth of value. The packhouse was big, but not as big as the one for the Nova Pack. Enzo parked the car out front; a couple of men met us outside, bowing to Enzo as we got out of the car. ¡°Can you take our luggage out of the trunk?¡± Enzo asked one of the men. ¡°You can bring mine to my room and hers to the guest room.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± the men said, hurrying to the trunk of the car. Another man with a fiery red mane of hair came outside; he looked worried as he approached Enzo. ¡°There was another break in this morning,¡± he said, stopping only a little ways from us. ¡°The jewelry shop. Owner says they stole one of their most valuable sapphire nes.¡± ¡°Have they looked at the camera footage?¡± ¡°Yes, and as did I. But their faces are hard to see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head over there now and take a look for myself,¡± Enzo said; he nced at me briefly. ¡°Can you just get her settled in? Don¡¯t let her leave.¡± I frowned, peering up at him. ¡°You know I can hear you, right?¡± I asked; I didn¡¯t like being talked about while I was standing there, and I certainly didn¡¯t like to be ordered to stay somewhere I wasn¡¯t familiar with. ¡°Just stay here,¡± he muttered, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I won¡¯t be long.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said in return. He nced back at the red-headed man, and asked, ¡°Has there been any more mention of these thieves other than the jewelry shop?¡± ¡°Today? No,¡± the man answered. ¡°But yesterday they stole from a woman¡¯s house. Took some of her jewelry and personal antiques. Oh, and some money she had saved away for a rainy day. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t home during this invasion, so nobody was hurt.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay her a visit as well. Write out a statement to the pack members and let them know that I¡¯m on the case and as long as I¡¯m here, nobody is in danger,¡± Enzo ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll get on that right away. I¡¯m realizing quickly that this man must be the Beta of the pack. Enzo nced at me onest time before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Just stay out of trouble.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what he was insinuating but I wasn¡¯t liking it. I didn¡¯t say that to him though; instead, I said, with as much sarcasm as I can muster, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The red-headed man and I stared after his car as he drove quickly away. I turned to the man, giving him a worried look. His look matched mine. ¡°Let¡¯s get you inside,¡± he said, sighing, as he turned toward the front doors. I nodded, following closely behind him. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan by the way; the Beta.¡± I was right, he was the Beta. ¡°I¡¯m L,¡± I answer. He paused as soon as we reached the inside of the house; he looked at me, a curious look in his eyes and his brows raised. ¡°Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter?¡± So, he¡¯s heard of me too. I nod once. ¡°Why are you with Enzo?¡± He surprised me by asking. ¡°He¡¯s my professor,¡± I told him. ¡°My father wanted him to take me to our pack tomorrow. So, I¡¯m just here for the ride.¡± ¡°I see,¡± he said; though it didn¡¯t look like my answer was good enough. He turned away and started toward the stairs on the far side of the front room. One of the doors swung open and a short, and plump-looking older woman came running through it. She was holding a tter of tea. She paused when she saw Beta Ethan and me staring at her. ¡°Did I just miss him?¡± She asked, eyeing Ethan carefully. ¡°He¡¯s not here for a social visit,¡± Ethan told her; he sounded a bit harsh, but this woman didn¡¯t seem to mind it. ¡°He went to investigate the invasions.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± she muttered. ¡°I made him tea; I was hoping he¡¯d at least have a cup before he left. He¡¯s always so stressed out.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Alpha. Of course, he¡¯s stressed,¡± Ethan muttered. I shot him a look; I didn¡¯t like how he was speaking to her. She seemed kind and it was nice that she went out of her way to make her Alpha tea. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be rude. I didn¡¯t notice you there, dear,¡± she said, her eyes soft as she looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m Deanna, the house mother. Most call me Dee.¡± ¡°House mother?¡± I asked, raising my brows. I had never heard of one of those, but it sounded comforting. ¡°It¡¯s just a fancy word for head servant,¡± she said, a fond smile on her lips. ¡°I basically take care of those in the packhouse as though they are my children. I oversee all the workers here. I also do all the cooking.¡± ¡°That sounds really nice,¡± I say, returning her kind smile. ¡°I hope they treat you good here,¡± I add, giving Ethan side eyes. Her smile widens as she understood what I was getting at. ¡°As good as they can,¡± she says in return. She nced down at her tea. ¡°I made this for Alpha Enzo. But seeming he¡¯s not here, why don¡¯t you take it.¡± She stepped toward me, handing me the tter. I bow my head slightly to her. ¡°Thank you so much, Dee. I could use some tea right about now,¡± I say to her. Her smile widens. ¡°If you get hungry, just let me know. I¡¯m can cook you something delicious to eat,¡± she offered. Before I could thank her again, Ethan interrupted. ¡°This is fun and all, but I have orders to bring her to her room,¡± Ethan said, walking toward the stairs. I roll my eyes, making it known to Dee and she gave me a chuckle in return. I went with Ethan upstairs; he stopped in front of a door and turned to face me. ¡°This is the guest room. You¡¯ll stay in there for tonight. I¡¯ll be down the hall in Enzo¡¯s study if you need anything.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, with uncertainty in my tone. I entered the room and took in the floral design; it was a in room but telling from the vanity, I could tell it used to be somebody¡¯s actual bedroom. My suitcase was beside therge king-sized bed. On the far side of the room was a big bay window with a nook; I was amazed that it overlooked the ocean. I had no idea we were this close to the ocean. It was beautiful and very blue looking. I went over to the vanity when I saw there were a couple of pictures hanging in the mirror. I paused when I nced at the pictures. My entire body froze as I recognized the woman in one of the pictures. ¡°Grandma Corinne¡­?¡± She was in this very room. Did my grandmother live here? With Enzo¡¯s father? Chapter 16 Chapter 16 L¡¯s POV In the picture, my grandmother, Corinne, was sitting in this same vanity, in this room. I frowned and nced around. Could this have been my grandmothers¡¯ old room? Did she live in this packhouse? My mother never mentioned that my grandparents lived in the packhouse. I couldn¡¯t get over how beautiful my grandmother was; she looked exactly like my mother. It made me sad that she was no longer around. I wished I could have met her. I continued rummaging through the other pictures that upied the mirror and saw that there was another one with my grandmother, standing beside my grandfather, James. They looked so happy and in love. This was the kind of love story I wanted. Minus the dying and the being held captive by the Alpha for years. I wondered how long after this photo was taken my grandfather was held captive and my grandmother died. It made me feel sick to think about it. I ced the pictures on the vanity; it was strange that they were just sitting there. As if this room hasn¡¯t been touched since my grandmother lived in it. I went toward the small table across the room where I ced the tter of tea and took a sip. The tea was still so hot, and it tasted delicious. There was a small cup of milk on the tter as well as a couple of sugar cubes. It was perfect. Enzo was investigating the invasions around his pack; I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t a bit worried about that. This many invasions in one pack were umon and I wondered what it was stemming from. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I thought about it. Categories Search¡­ There was a light knock on my door, bringing my mind back to the here and the now. ¡°Come in,¡± I said from across the room. I was pleased to see Dee standing at the doorway; she had a pleasant smile and a kind look in her eyes. ¡°Sorry to bother you, miss L. But I wanted to ask if I could get you anything. Maybe some food?¡± I smiled my appreciation to her. ¡°How about I help you in the kitchen, Dee,¡± I say to her in return, walking toward the door. She rose her brows. ¡°Oh, no¡­ it¡¯s okay,¡± she said with a light chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m used to cooking by myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty handy with a knife, you know,¡± I say walking into the hallway. Her entire body seemed to have frozen at my words, making meugh. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t mind. I need something to do. What are we making?¡± She gushed into a grin as she spoke. ¡°I was thinking stew?¡± She asked, following me down the stairs. ¡°Sounds delicious. I love a good stew. My mother has an amazing recipe. Of course, I don¡¯t want to mess with your own recipe.¡± ¡°Maybe we couldbine them?¡± She suggested. ¡°I¡¯m always looking for ways to improve my recipes.¡± ¡°I would like that,¡± I said with a smile. We made our way into the kitchen. It was huge and extremely clean and very organized. I could tell she doesn¡¯t let many in the kitchen. She already had most of the ingredients ced on the counter. I went straight to the vegetables scattered across the counter and began washing them while she set up the equipment. ¡°It¡¯s strange having help in here,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m so used to being alone most of the time.¡± ¡°Nobody should be alone all the time,¡± I tell her. ¡°It¡¯s nice to havepany once in a while.¡± ¡°You are very kind, Miss L,¡± she breathed. I began cutting the vegetables while she made the broth. She rose her brows as she noticed how fast I was going. ¡°Who taught you that?¡± ¡°My mother,¡± I answered. ¡°She cooks wonderful meals.¡± She gathered the vegetables and ced them in the pot she was cooking in. I grabbed some ingredients that my mother uses and started sprinkling them in the pot as well. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been the house mother for long?¡± I asked, peering over at her. She had a thoughtful look to her that I admired. ¡°For over a decade,¡± she finally spoke. ¡°I was here when Enzo¡¯s father was here.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± I breathed. ¡°So, you knew Enzo when he was a boy?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°He was only 9 when I met him. He was a thin pup, and he was terrified of being here without his mum.¡± She looked saddened by the memory. ¡°I knew he would need a mother to help him get through, so I cared for him like he was my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re like his mother?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°And yet you are treated like the help.¡± Sheughed at my wording. ¡°I don¡¯t do anything I don¡¯t want to. I enjoy being a mother figure to not just Enzo, but to the pack too. This packhouse would go hungry if I wasn¡¯t here. Theirundry would go undone, the flowers would all wilt, and nothing would get cleaned. Everything I do, I do out of love. Not just for the pack, but for Enzo too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s lucky to have you in his corner,¡± I said fondly, and I meant that. ¡°He might be a little hard around the edges, but his heart is in the right ce,¡± she continued. It was nice to hear that from someone who knows him so well, but it made me wonder what happened to Enzo¡¯s actual mother. I wanted to ask, but something inside of me told me not to. ¡°He is full of mystery,¡± Val said in wonder. ¡°It smells delicious already,¡± I breathed, peering into the pot of stew; my mouth was watering. I didn¡¯t even realize how hungry I was until I smelled this food. ¡°We make a great team,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I hope Alpha Enzo brings you around more.¡± Once we finished cooking, we poured some stew into a couple of different bowls. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring this to Beta Ethan,¡± she said before leaving the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl for myself and sat at the center counter with the stools. I waited for her to return before I started eating. She frowned when she saw my untouched bowl. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you eaten yet?¡± ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± I said, raising my brows. ¡°It¡¯s rude to eat when your party isn¡¯t eating yet.¡± Sheughed as she grabbed a bowl for herself and a couple of sses of water for each of us. She sat beside me on the other stool and together we both ate. We were mainly quiet as we enjoyed the delicious vors of the stew. Both our recipes worked really well together, and I was proud to create a dish with someone I was now considering a friend. A few others, who live in the packhouse, entered the kitchen and started grabbing their own servings. Most of them said nothing to us; some muttered ¡°Hello, Dee,¡± as they took their servings. Some even said, ¡°Thanks, Dee,¡± before leaving the kitchen with their bowls. ¡°Hopefully there will be enough left for the Alpha,¡± I say to her with augh. ¡°Oh, I already set some aside for him,¡± she said, matching myugh. That was smart. After we finished eating, I helped her clean. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to help,¡± she said fondly. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± I say in return. She paused for a moment as she took in my face. ¡°You know, you¡¯re the first woman Alpha Enzo has ever brought home,¡± she said, ncing at me as I dried the dishes she handed to me. ¡°The first?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°He¡¯s a very handsome Alpha. How is that possible?¡± ¡°He was never interested in dating before,¡± she said, a small frown ced on her lips. ¡°He always said that rtionships make you weak. As a small boy, he always had these big ambitions in life. Having a mate would just get in his way. At least, ording to him, it would.¡± I felt my heart falling into my stomach at her words; I wasn¡¯t sure why that upset me so much. Maybe because I could feel Val lowering her gaze, saddened by the harsh reality. Our mate doesn¡¯t want a mate.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha¡­ thank you foring. I¡¯ve been so frightened. I haven¡¯t opened the shop all day because I was worried they would just return,¡± said the Jewelry shop owner, Eliza. She was practically trembling when I entered the shop. ¡°Tell me everything that happened,¡± I ordered, following her toward the camera room. ¡°They walked in, they were wearing masks and hoods. A couple of them had guns. Said they¡¯d shoot me if I didn¡¯tply. Then, they took the sapphire ne and left.¡± ¡°Only the ne?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s the most valuable item in the store.¡± ¡°Let me see the footage.¡± She typed something from the keyboard attached to the monitors and soon the image of the thieves popped up on the screen. As I got a better look, I took notice of everything I could see. Their dark sweatshirts and worn-out jeans; their dark masks. The cameras are old, so the images were a bit pixted. They looked to be my height, if not a little shorter. I watched as one of the guys went straight for the ne. It was like he was on a mission to get that ne and only that ne. ¡°Do you have any idea who it could be?¡± Eliza asked, tears filling her eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, ncing back at her. ¡°Street rats.¡± I also knew exactly how to find them. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Categories Search¡­ By the time I returned to the guest bedroom, or maybe it was my grandmother¡¯s old bedroom, my heart was aching. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure where it wasing from though. I could hear Val whimpering though and I knew it had to do with Enzo. She really liked him. ¡°Our mate doesn¡¯t want a mate¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°How could that be possible?¡± I wanted to console her, but I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to make her feel any better. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for the best,¡± I found myself saying. ¡°Enzo isn¡¯t exactly the type I saw myself being with.¡± ¡°Or maybe he¡¯s exactly the type,¡± Val said in return. ¡°We could change his mind and make him see that having a mate would make him stronger!¡± I didn¡¯t deserve to have to convince someone to love me; it should be effortless. I wanted the kind of story that my father and mother had. That my uncle ke and aunt Sophie had. That my grandparent¡¯s had. I wasn¡¯t going to get that kind of story from Enzo if all he cared about was power. He might not be exactly like his father, but he was still after the same goals. He wanted power and sess; I couldn¡¯t me him for that. It¡¯s his ambitions and I admired that he knew what he wanted; that much was clear. But it made me wonder how much room was there in his life to take on a romantic rtionship. That wasn¡¯t the kind of rtionship I wanted. If he was so against mates, why hasn¡¯t he rejected me yet? Iy on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I also didn¡¯t want somebody who thinks that it was okay to lock me inside the packhouse whenever they want. I wasn¡¯t the kind of girl who enjoyed staying inside for hours at a time. I was an explorer; I loved traveling, seeing new things, and going to different ces. The outside world had never scared me. I learned to defend myself for a reason. Like right now, for example, I was staying inside this room that once belonged to my grandmother, in a pack that my grandparents and my mother once belonged to, and I haven¡¯t even gone exploring the pack to find out more information about my family. It was my right to see where my family hade from. I wasn¡¯t going to get an opportunity like this often and I needed to make the most of it. I sat up in bed, staring outside the bay window with a frown. It was the perfect view of the ocean; I¡¯d never even seen the ocean before. Elysium was on the other side, which was facing the opposite direction of the ocean. I went toward the bay window and pushed it open; I could already smell the salt from the water and it was the most soothing thing in the world. It reminded me of that ce in my mind¡¯s eye where I saw my wolf for the first time. I wanted to feel the sand beneath my toes and feel the cold waters. I¡¯m sure Enzo wouldn¡¯t miss me if I was gone for only a little while; he probably wouldn¡¯t even notice. I stared over the ledge of the window; I was on the second floor. I could climb down easily if I had a good footing on the ledge. I swung my legs over the window and grabbed the ledge that sat on the outside of the building. There were a couple more ledges going down that I couldnd on. I ended up making it to the ground quickly and easily. I stared up at my opened window, satisfied that I got out undetected. It was dark, so the shadows would surely keep me hidden. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the ocean; I allowed my feet to get buried in the warm and pink sand. It felt nice and unfamiliar. I took in a steady breath as the cold breeze washed through my features. The water wasn¡¯t as cold as I expected, but it still felt nice as I buried my toes. I smiled up at the moon, thanking the moon goddess for blessing me with this opportunity. The closest I had ever gotten to the beach was the big pond in Hig. It was near the school, so on nice days the students would go and enjoy some beach fun. I¡¯m not sure how long I stayed at the beach. It almost seemed as if life was standing still. I could have been here for a couple of minutes, or I could have been here for a couple of hours. Either way, I was enjoying everything life had to offer and I wasn¡¯t sorry about it. But still, I couldn¡¯t help but think about Enzo as well. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want a mate, would he soon reject us?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°He could¡­¡± Val admitted, sadness clear in her tone. ¡°He¡¯s an Alpha though, he would have to be the one to reject us.¡± I knew that already. I wouldn¡¯t be able to reject him. I¡¯ve heard that being rejected was the most painful thing a wolf can experience. It¡¯s worse than normal heartbreak; thankfully, I wasn¡¯t marked by him, so the rejection should be a quick process. ¡°What do you think he¡¯s waiting for?¡± I asked. ¡°I think maybe he doesn¡¯t want to reject us,¡± Val said, hope now lingering behind her words. ¡°Perhaps we make him curious.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if that was enough. If he rejected me, would I get a new mate? Or would I be doomed to spend the rest of eternity alone? I wish I knew for sure what was going to happen. I wanted to ask more questions, but I heard screaminging from the direction of the town, making me sit up quickly and look wildly around. The screams pierced through the night; it was a woman and it sounded as if she was in pain. I stood quickly to my feet when I heard her frantic words. ¡°Stop it! Let me go, you assholes!!¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 L¡¯s POV My feet were working in overdrive; as soon as I heard her plead for help, I knew I needed to get there as soon as I could. The town wasn¡¯t far from the beach; I climbed over the fence that separated the beach from the rest of the town and made my way through the dark streets only lit by a couple of street lights. It waste, so there weren¡¯t many cars on the road, but I had to pause for a moment for a car to pass before quickly crossing the street. I picked up speed as her screaming grew louder. ¡°Please, stop!! I did nothing wrong. You can take what you need, but please leave me alone!!¡± She was sobbing as she pleaded those words. I couldn¡¯t hear what her attackers were saying, their tones were deep and mushed into one low sound. I did hear someughing though. Whatever they were doing to her, they were enjoying themselves. Her pleading was now drowned out by the sounds of her crying. As I rounded one of the corners in the town, leading to a dark alley, I saw about 4 men, wearing ck sweatshirts with hoods over their heads. One guy was crouched on the ground, rummaging through the woman¡¯s purse and the other 3 were pressing her against the wall. She waspletely naked; her clothing was ripped to shreds around her feet. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties. Her entire body was trembling, and she was sobbing as her attackers groped and taunted her. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted to them, clenching my fists as fury rose through me. The guy rummaging through the purse looked up at me; his eyes were dark and sent a shiver throughout my body, but I kept my stance, keeping my eyes locked on his. Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°That isn¡¯t yours,¡± I said through my teeth. I nced at the others who were now looking in my direction as the girl remained pressed against the wall, trembling, and sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Get away from that woman,¡± I growled. They looked at one another briefly before bursting intoughter. ¡°Mind your own business, girlie,¡± one of them said. ¡°Maybe she wants a little action too,¡± another said with a roar ofughter. ¡°Take your hands off her,¡± I said, my tone remaining even and firm. I knew I could take them all if I had to; I was hoping it wouldn¡¯t resort to that though. ¡°Seems we made her mad¡­¡± I heard one of them say as he continued tough. ¡°This could be fun.¡± They had now released the woman and were facing my direction entirely. I noticed there was a backpack leaning against the wall; I¡¯m assuming it belonged to one of them. Only their eyes were visible; they wore dark masks, along with their hoods, so I couldn¡¯t see their faces. ¡°Why are you attacking an innocent woman?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at them. ¡°What has she done to deserve such treatment?¡± ¡°You have no idea whom you are dealing with,¡± one of them hissed, his tone darkening. Theirughter had faded and now all there was left was a dark aura. ¡°Maybe we should show her what we are made of,¡± another said, a gleam of humor sparkling in his dark gaze. As they neared, I could smell the whisky on their breath. Who were these assholes? One of the men grabbed onto my arm and pulled me into his tight embrace. I didn¡¯t fight him; at least not yet. I wanted them to think I was weak. I wanted them to think they had a chance. I felt his cold fingers tracing down my spine until he was only inches from my butt. Another guy pressed himself into my backside, I could feel his hardness pressing into my lower leg as he wrapped his arms around my waist, keeping me in ce. They think they have me right where they want me. ¡°Let¡¯s get these clothes off you,¡± the guy behind me whispered into my ear. I drove my elbow into his stomach, making him gasp for breath. Simultaneously, I kicked my foot and rammed the guy in front of me in his crotch making him buckle over in pain. I grabbed the guy who was behind me from his arms and did a back flip over his entire body until I was behind himpletely. I stuck my fists up as the others realized what was happening. I was ready to fight. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Street rats tend to hang out in dark areas, such as alleys. They were easier to find at night because that¡¯s when they came out the most. Luckily, the sun had set a while ago. ¡°Please¡­ someone help¡­!¡± I heard the cries of a womaning from downtown. I shifted into my wolf form, allowing Max full control and we sprinted toward the town. She continued to cry, but it was being drowned out byughter and taunting. As I got closer, I smelled the scent of honeysuckle and then the scent of blood. ¡°Our mate¡­¡± Max breathed. L? What the hell was she doing?! I ran faster through the streets; her scent growing stronger the closer we got. Rounding the corner I saw the street rats wearing the same ck hoodies they were wearing in the camera footage at the jewelry store. The woman who was crying for help was pressing herself against the wall, sobbing and trembling in fear. I scanned the scene until my eyes fell on L. She was fighting. And winning. She was small inparison, but she looked 10x stronger. She was fighting even better than she was in ss. It seemed as if these men were mortified and embarrassed to be getting their asses kicked by a she-wolf. She had beads of sweat forming on her forehead; herplexion was practically glowing. The rays of the moon were dancing off her fair skin and her dark hair was stered with sweat, around her reddened features. I had already called for some of my gammas to arrest these assholes; I was just waiting for them to arrive. I noticed a backpack leaning against the wall of the ally. That was the same backpack they shoved the ne from the jewelry store into. L still hadn¡¯t noticed me as I went around the scene and grabbed the bag, uncovering the sapphire ne. The backpack also contained other jewels and money. The gammas arrived shortly after. The thieves tried to escape, but the gammas were too fast for them. At first, they fought. But they were no match; plus, they were badly beaten and already weak from L alone. I nced over at L and noticed she was nowforting the naked woman, who was still huddling against the wall and sobbing. L had taken her coat off and ced it around the woman¡¯s naked body. ¡°You are safe now¡­¡± she murmured to the woman. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± The woman continued to sob. I found myself staring at L. I couldn¡¯t help it and Max didn¡¯t want to look away. Even when I was no longer in my wolf form, I couldn¡¯t help but keep my eyes on L as she providedfort and warmth to this woman. Was she always like this? There was a lot to unyer about this little wolf, that was for sure. One of my gammas approached them and spoke to L for a brief moment before he took the woman in his arms and carried her to his waiting car. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring her to the hospital,¡± he said to me as he passed. I revealed to him the sapphire ne I recovered from the backpack. ¡°Bring this back to the jewelry shop too.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the Gamma said, taking the ne before returning to his car with the woman. I looked back at L, fixating my gaze on her. She was now looking at me, her face reddening as I approached. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left the packhouse¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°I just needed some air¡­¡± she paused for a moment and when I didn¡¯t say anything, she lowered her gaze and started to walk past me. ¡°I¡¯ll head back there now.¡¯ Before she could fully walk past me, I grabbed onto her arm, forcing her to stop. She looked up at me with wide eyes just as blood trickled from her forehead and down the side of her face. ¡°You¡¯ve been injured.¡± Chapter 19 Chapter 19 L¡¯s POV I hadn¡¯t even realized I was cut until I saw the look on Enzo¡¯s face when he told me I was hurt. Then I felt a small sting on my forehead and the blood trickling down the side of my face. His eyes were dark and fixated on my features. I¡¯ve honestly had worse injuries; this was minor inparison. But I don¡¯t tell him that. Instead, he does something I wasn¡¯t expecting. He wrapped an arm around me and lifted me into his arms, cradling me like a child. My heart leaped in my chest and my eyes widened as I gazed up at him. He was going to walk me back to the packhouse. ¡°I can walk you know,¡± I tell him. ¡°This will be faster.¡± Before I could ask him how on earth this would be faster; he starts to run. He wasn¡¯t even in his wolf form; he was just sprinting with me in his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck to steady myself, pressing my face against his chest and breathing in his amazing scent. Val was inplete bliss. I had to keep reminding her that this wasn¡¯t the guy we wanted as a mate. Based on what Dee had said, he was incapable of real love. I could only imagine what we must have looked like to those passing by. We quickly made it back to the packhouse, and Beta Ethan was the first to greet us when we entered. ¡°I thought I told you to keep her here,¡± Enzo muttered as he passed his Beta. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she had left¡­¡± Ethan said in return. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Enzo ignored him and walked with me up the stairs, keeping his hold on me and not letting me walk on my own. I thought we would have gone into the bathroom or something, but instead, he took me right back to the guest room. Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He finally released me onto the bed. Without saying anything, he went into the attached bathroom. I took in a deep breath to steady my rapid heartbeat and my anxious wolf. My palms were growing sweaty; this feeling wasn¡¯t something I was familiar with, and I didn¡¯t particrly like it. Especially when it contained Enzo. I wanted to ask him why he hasn¡¯t rejected me yet, but then there was a part of me that feared what he would say. I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know his answer. It would only hurt Val. Enzo returned momentster with a cloth, a small bowl of water, and a first aid kid. He sat the supplies beside me on the bed and grabbed a chair so he could sit in front of me. I said nothing as he soaked the cloth in the warm water before cing it on my wound. The warmth of the water felt nice, but his fingertips grazing my skin felt even better. It was like small electric jolts, like tingles, that spread across my features. It brought goosebumps to my arms and a small chill down my spine. But the chill wasn¡¯t a bad feeling; it was like a tickle. It was my wolf wiggling in delight; I could tell how pleased she was. Enzo looked so focused on cleaning my wound; there was a small crease between his brows as he fixated his gaze on my forehead. He bit onto his bottom lip gently as he concentrated. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at his full lips and bite my own. He was so close to me that I thought for sure he would be able to hear my heartbeat. He smelled so amazing. I wanted to lean over and kiss him. I remembered how soft and delicate his lips were when I kissed him that time in the hallway. I thought that was a waste of a first kiss; I didn¡¯t know he was my mate at the time. But maybe¡ª ¡°What are you staring at?¡± I heard his deep, and almost husky, tone asking, bringing me out of my trance. I blinked a couple of times, meeting his eyes. My face warmed under the intensity of his gaze. ¡°Nothing,¡± I said. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to do this¡­¡± I say, reaching for the cloth that he had ced on my head. My fingertips touched his and they froze. ¡°It¡¯ll heal fast,¡± he said, keeping his eyes on mine. ¡°But I don¡¯t want it to get infected. Your father would have my head. I promised I would get you Elysium safely¡­¡± Of course, he was doing this for my father. I gave him a small smile and didn¡¯t say anything more as he smeared some clear jelly on the wound. I was hoping the disappointment wasn¡¯t showing on my face; and if it was, he didn¡¯t point it out. He ced a bandage on my forehead and gave it onest look. ¡°What part of ¡®stay out of trouble,¡¯ didn¡¯t you understand?¡± He then asked, narrowing his eyes at me. He wasn¡¯t seriously upset with me, was he? ¡°What?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°What were you doing out at this hour?¡± ¡°I wanted fresh air,¡± I told him. ¡°I don¡¯t like staying inside for long.¡± ¡°It was stupid,¡± he muttered. He then pulled away from me to clean up his supplies. I stared at him dumbfounded. ¡°Excuse me, but if I hadn¡¯t had left, I wouldn¡¯t have found that woman who¡ª¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt.¡± ¡°I saved that woman¡¯s life¡­ a ¡®thank you¡¯ would be nice,¡± I shot back, trying not to get too angry with him. I knew he was just worried that something would happen to me because my father would kill him. He was doing his job protecting me; I couldn¡¯t fault him for that. But still, I saved that woman¡¯s life. The least he could do was thank me. ¡°I would have had that handled,¡± he said; he was purposely not meeting my eyes. ¡°By the time you showed up, it would have been toote. You saw the state of that woman. It was worse when I got there.¡± He looked like he wanted to argue more, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, he took his supplies back to the bathroom and cleaned up. When he returned, I had curled up on the bed with my legs pressed to my chest. I was feeling sad all of a sudden; my heart was heavy, and I just wanted to cry. I should be happy that I was seeing my family tomorrow, but I didn¡¯t feel happy right now. I just felt¡­ sad. I didn¡¯t want to cry in front of him though; I held back the tears. He was staring at me for a long while like he was trying to read my face. There was a small frown on his face, and he cocked his head to the side. He sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± I nced up at him, surprised by his words. His eyes had softened. ¡°What?¡± I asked, unsure if I heard him correctly. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat it,¡± he muttered. He turned to the door and grabbed the doorknob but paused. ¡°If you weren¡¯t there¡­ things would have been worse. I¡¯m d you were there¡­ even if you did get hurt.¡± I was quiet, unsure of what to say. I wasn¡¯t expecting this from him. So, I stared at the back of his head with my mouth hanging open. Just as he pulled the door open, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you rejected me yet?¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 L¡¯s POV ¡°You don¡¯t want a mate¡­¡± I continued, keeping my eyes on the back of my head; his entire demeanor had changed at that moment. ¡°So, why haven¡¯t you rejected me?¡± ¡°Do you wish for me to do so now?¡± He asked, turning to nce at me. His face was hard to read; I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that. ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to be with me then¡­¡± ¡°You are my student; it¡¯s moreplicated than that,¡± he said quickly, silencing my words. ¡°If word gets out that I rejected my mate, it will make me look bad as an Alpha.¡± ¡°So, you are trying to protect your image?¡± I asked, raising my brows. I was trying to keep the hurt out of my tone, but I knew he could see the disappointment in my eyes. ¡°Is that the only reason?¡± I thought maybe he would say something else, but his features hardened as he stared around my face. ¡°Something like that,¡± he muttered, before turning away and leaving the room. Leaving me with only my thoughts and the soft cries of my wolf. ¡­ I couldn¡¯t sleep all night. In the morning, Dee had made us breakfast before we got dressed and left for Elysium. ¡°Dee was nice,¡± I tell him as we drove away from the Calypso Pack. I was trying not to think about our conversation fromst night. ¡°She seemed to like you too,¡± he said, his tone emotionless. Not that it was surprising. ¡°She said she was like a mother figure for you,¡± I found myself saying. ¡°You talked about me?¡± He didn¡¯t sound mad; maybe a little curious. Categories Search¡­ My face warmed just the same. ¡°She was the one who brought you up,¡± I rified. ¡°You are important to her.¡± He remained quiet; his gaze fixated on the open road before us. His hands clutched the steering wheel tightly. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. ¡°What happened to your actual mother?¡± I dared to ask. His jaw clenched and I thought I saw one of his eyebrows twitching. ¡°I don¡¯t talk about it.¡± I took that as my cue to stop talking. The rest of the drive was quiet; I was relieved to see the Nova Packhouse in the distance. That meant I got to see my family and could distance myself from Enzo. I wasn¡¯t sure how much more of this I could take. Enzo parked the car out front, and I quickly got out to be greeted by my mother who was running toward me with her arms open wide. Iughed as she wrapped me in her embrace. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, L bean,¡± she breathed. ¡°You saw mest week,¡± I chuckled, hugging her back. ¡°Yes, but that feels like an eternity ago¡­.¡± She paused as she held me at arm¡¯s length. ¡°You have your wolf! I¡¯m so incredibly happy for you, my love.¡± I was excited to eat my mother¡¯s homemade cooking tonight, but I was even more excited to shift into my wolf for the first time. ¡°Tonight, you and I will go for a run in our wolf forms,¡± she said, reading my thoughts. My dad was the next to greet me; he kissed the top of my head before turning to Enzo. ¡°Thanks for getting her here,¡± my dad said to him, shaking his hand. Enzo only nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve set up a guest room for you. You can make yourselffortable. As I said, you are wee to join us for dinner if you change your mind,¡± my father said to him. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. I frowned and nced at Enzo; I was assuming he wasing to dinner regardless. Did he not want to? He seemed to have tensed at my father¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, Enzo. I do hope you join us,¡± My mother said, peering over at him with a fond smile. ¡°I¡¯m making a huge feast with plenty of food.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Enzo said, bowing his head to her. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. I¡¯m going to set myself up in a room and get some work done. I just caught some thieves in my pack yesterday and I need to file some paperwork for the police station.¡± My father frowned. ¡°Thieves?¡± He asked, raising his brows. ¡°Yes, there have been invasions from some street rats,¡± Enzo exined. My father motioned for Enzo to follow him inside. ¡°Walk and talk with me; tell me everything.¡± Enzo went with him without hesitation. My mother stared after them with a worried look in her eyes. ¡°Was anyone seriously hurt?¡± She asked me as we went inside. ¡°There was a woman yesterday that was being harassed,¡± I tell her. ¡°I found her about to be¡­¡± I paused, not able to get the words out. ¡°She was naked¡­¡± I continued. My mother¡¯s eyes widened as she stared around my face. ¡°What happened with her?¡± Once I finished telling my mom the entire story, she just looked at me for a long while, taking me in. She had a look in her eyes as she tried to figure out what she should say at that moment. Then, she gave me a small smile and put an arm around my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you for helping someone in need,¡± she said to me. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡± After we talked for a little longer, I went upstairs to my bedroom so I can put my stuff away. I could already smell the delicious foods my mother was cooking in the kitchen. I had a lightly fitted dress picked out for dinner. It would also be a good fit for when I shift for the first time. It¡¯s easy to get in and out of. It was best to take clothes off before shifting because clothing tends to get destroyed in the process. Once I finished dressing, I started doing my hair. I figured I would just leave it down and maybe curl it a little. While I was doing that, my bedroom door swung open. I smiled as I peered through the mirror and saw Brianna. ¡°What¡¯s her name?!¡± She asked, plopping down on my bed. I knew she was asking about my wolf. ¡°Valentina,¡± I answer. ¡°I call her Val.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so pretty! What does she look like?¡± ¡°Just like my mother¡¯s wolf,¡± I chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see her. Are you nervous about your first shift?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more excited than anything.¡± I knew a first shift was incredibly painful; bones practically break in the process, but I was excited to finally be able to be a whole wolf. I heard there was nothing quite like it and I couldn¡¯t wait to experience it. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go running together. I¡¯m so excited for you,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°I think dinner will be ready shortly. Are youing downstairs?¡± ¡°I will in a minute. There¡¯s someone I need to speak to first,¡± I told her; she nods and disappears out of my room. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Your pack isn¡¯t the only one that¡¯s been invaded recently,¡± Bastien said, leaning over my shoulder to look at the report I was creating. ¡°I¡¯m worried this might have something to do with your father¡¯s men. I¡¯ll let the Alphas know to be on the lookout for any strange activities.¡± ¡°I was hoping I was just my pack and that my father didn¡¯t have anything to do with this,¡± I admitted. ¡°But it¡¯s a possibility. Street rats loved him. Is there anything you need me to do?¡± Bastien ced a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Not yet, son. But I¡¯ll let you know. Just got a mindlink from Luna that dinner is ready. Are youing?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m just going to finish this and get some sleep. I¡¯m tired after today.¡± ¡°Okay, suit yourself,¡± Bastien said without another word. As I finished writing out my reports, only a few minutes had passed before I heard a knock on the door. ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, waiting for the door to open. It opened slightly and standing in the doorway was L. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 L¡¯s POV My legs were on autopilot. The thought of enjoying arge feast with my friends and family, with Enzo sitting in the guest bedroom, was unsettling in my stomach. I didn¡¯t want to pretend that Enzo wasn¡¯t here. I felt it would have been unfair to him. I knocked on the door to the room he upied, feeling a wave of nerves surfacing in my chest. ¡°Come in,¡± he muttered from inside. I opened the door, peering into the room. He sat at the desk across the room with hisptop propped open. I should have known he would be working. He looked engrossed in whatever he was typing out on hisputer. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at him, taking in the masculine glow that danced around his features. He was biting on his bottom lip as he concentrated, causing me to bite onto my own. He nced up from theputer, his eyes narrowed as he stared around my body. He took in my appearance it seemed before his eyes fell upon my gaze. ¡°Are you going to be joining us for dinner?¡± I asked, pulling my mind together. He rose his brows as if he was surprised by the invite. ¡°I have things to take care of,¡± he exined; his tone was kept low and unbothered. ¡°I get that,¡± I said, ncing at hisptop. ¡°But even you need a break, Professor.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t get these documents in¡ª¡± ¡°Your entire pack will fall apart?¡± I asked, teasingly. He frowned, staring at my face for a moment longer. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sure whatever it is, it can wait untilter,¡± I tell him. ¡°Please, join us for dinner. My mother made so much food. It would mean a lot to her if¡ª¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Why do you want me to attend this dinner?¡± Enzo asked; he was now leaning back in his chair with a small glimmer of amusement in his eyes. ¡°Why is it so important to you that I¡¯m there?¡± I felt my face warming at his words. He was being arrogant; I straightened my stance and turned toward the door. ¡°Suit yourself; if you don¡¯t want to eat then I won¡¯t force you.¡± As I walked toward the door, I heard him standing on his feet. ¡°I suppose I am a little hungry.¡± ¡­ The entire dining room smelled absolutely delicious when we entered. The long dining table was covered in a different variety of foods. Everybody stood to greet me as I took my seat; Enzo sat at the other end of the dining table, stuffed between the twins. He looked so awkward I could help the smile that tugged at my lips. ¡°There she is!¡± Uncle ke said as he gave me a one-armed hug. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Excited,¡± I said with a toothy smile. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually going to shift today.¡± ¡°Believe it, kiddo,¡± he said, sitting down beside me. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a painful transition though. Make sure you take it slow.¡± ¡°Our L bean is incredibly strong. She¡¯ll be able to handle it,¡± my father said with a wink. At that point, he nced down the table at Enzo. ¡°I¡¯m d you were able to make it to dinner.¡± Enzo gave him a head nod but didn¡¯t say anything in return. ¡°Let¡¯s eat before it gets cold,¡± my mother ordered. As we ate, my father peered over at me. ¡°Your mother told me that you were the one who caught those thieves.¡± I nodded through a mouthful of food. ¡°I heard a woman crying for help,¡± I tell them. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do. I ran in their direction and Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. saw them terrorizing her.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s this woman now?¡± My father asked, peering down at the table at Enzo. ¡°The hospital,¡± he answered. ¡°My men personally brought her there.¡± ¡°Nice work to you both.¡± We continued eating with minor chatter before we all headed outside. The air was cool as the sun set in the far distance. The moon was rising by the time we reached the back patio. I could see the forest in the distance; the forest I would soon be shifting in. My heart was racing against my chest; I was starting to get nervous. Or maybe I was just overly excited. I knew Val was eager to be released and stretch her legs. Most of those we had dinner with were standing outside as well. Except for the twin, and Uncle Don. Also except for Enzo who was nowhere to be seen. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV I was stuffed between a girl and a boy who looked oddly alike and sat across from arge man who kept giving me a death re. I kept reminding myself that I just had to get through dinner and then I could return to the guest room and continue my work. With any luck, I won¡¯t have any more encounters with anyone tonight and I can leave first thing in the morning. Bastien said that L can drive her own car back to campus, so it¡¯s not like she needs me to stick around. It¡¯s better if I didn¡¯t stick around her anyways. ¡°You don¡¯t even want to see her first shift?¡± Max asked. ¡°No,¡± I answered. ¡°Once she shifts, her powers will probably be unlocked soon after. It¡¯ll be better if we aren¡¯t around for it.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re her teacher?¡± The boy beside me asked, peering up at me. ¡°What kind of teacher are you?¡± ¡°Combat and shifting.¡± ¡°I see. My sister is insanely good atbat. She helps me train. Maybe one day you¡¯ll be my teacher too. I need to learn everything I can before I be the next Alpha.¡± ¡°You still have a long way to go, Flynn,¡± the girl on the other side of me said. ¡°You aren¡¯t even as good as me inbat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m way better,¡± the boy, Flynn argued. ¡°As if,¡± the girl said, flipping her long blonde hair behind her shoulders. ¡°Which is fine because you aren¡¯t the one training to be head Gamma. When you¡¯re the Alpha, I¡¯ll be here to protect you, little brother.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only 5 minutes older than me, Corrine,¡± Flynn muttered. The girl, Corinne, peered up at me next. ¡°I¡¯ve been training with my uncle Don; he¡¯s the head Gamma. One day, I¡¯m going to take his ce,¡± she exined. It seems this family was full of fighters; it was no wonder that L was so good at what she does. The man across from me who has been giving me deathly res, leaned across the table, narrowing his eyes at Corrine. ¡°You still have a long way to go as well before you can take my ce, young one,¡± he said, a grin appearing on his mouth. ¡°Bet,¡± sheughed. I managed to drown out the rest of their conversation; I wasn¡¯t sure why they were telling me any of this. It¡¯s not like I really cared. I nced down at the table, expecting to see L talking amongst her family, but instead, she was quietly peering over at me. Was she watching our conversation? As I finished my meal, I started to think about that photographer that captured L¡¯s birthday party. Her contact information must be in this packhouse somewhere. I would assume probably in Bastien¡¯s office. It would be best to do a little digging while he was preupied with L¡¯s first shift. So, once everyone headed outside, I went straight upstairs and into Bastien¡¯s office. He had papers scattered across his desk, none of which seemed relevant to what I was looking for until I came across a small book of contacts. As I flipped through the contacts, I paused when I saw ¡°Leah¡¯s Photography.¡± This was it. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the number. ¡°Hello?¡± A woman said on the other end of the phone. ¡°Is this Leah, from Leah¡¯s Photography?¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 L¡¯s POV I didn¡¯t feel the pain at first; the cracking of my bones sounded through the night, echoing across the trees. The sound was a lot worse than I could have ever imagined. The sound was what made me wince at first. I caught the worried eyes of my mom as I heard more cracking; my arms were twisted in a position unimaginable. She made my brother and sister stay at the house while a few of us stood in the woods. She was sending me light and energy from her powers, trying to keep my mind upied and my body calm. It wasn¡¯t until my neck twisted and my entire form fell to the ground that I really started feeling the pain. I couldn¡¯t even hear my wolf speaking; I felt her canines ripping through my mouth. My teeth were growing, just as my mouth began to shift form. I screamed as the pain began to course through my entire body. My mother had told me to keep breathing, but I was finding it difficult to maintain my breath. My heartbeat was speeding up to a point where I thought it was going to bust through my chest. I dug my fingers, which were growingrge and growing white fur, into the dirt that surrounded me. My nails were bleeding as ws formed through my flesh. It was like my skin was being forcefully peeled off my body. Tears burned in my eyes. I knew this was going to be a painful experience, but I thought I was prepared for it. They had told me that it was only the first shift that was truly painful, but I was starting to doubt that. I couldn¡¯t imagine that shifts after this would be much easier. As I fought to catch my breath, a growl escaped from the dept of my throat. I had never heard my wolf growl like this before, but she was really struggling to maintain herself. She was trying to get me through this as painlessly as possible. I was beginning to grow defeated. Categories Search¡­ My bodyy limp on the ground, jerking around involuntarily. I felt the soft hands of my mother on my back, trying to provide me some sort offort, but it was ripped away when my father took her arm and pulled her away from me. ¡°Stay back,¡± he warned her. Their voices became distant. I managed to glimpse into her tearful eyes. I knew she hated watching this. I screamed again as I felt my spine breaking its way through my back. My muscles were growing, and I was soon starting to feel stronger despite being in so much pain. I¡¯ve heard that the first shift could take an entire night toplete. My mother¡¯s didn¡¯tst that long though and I was hoping mine wouldn¡¯t either. Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t handle any more of this extreme pain, it was over. I remained gasping, kneeling to the ground, but I was now in my entire wolf form. I couldn¡¯t look down at my body, I could only look straight ahead. My vision was so clear that I felt like I was looking through a telescope; I could see for miles, and so perfectly clear too. I could hear everything as well; my senses were heightened, and it made me look around wildly as I tried to get a glimpse of everything. It was like I was still me, but at the same time, I wasn¡¯t. ¡°It feels so good to be free!¡± I heard Val echoing in my mind. As soon as I was in my wolf form, the pain was gone instantly. Like it was never there, to begin with. ¡°L bean, are you okay?¡± I heard my mother¡¯s voice echoing in my mind and realized she had shifted into her wolf form as well. My father stood beside her in his wolf form, a look of pride in his dark eyes. ¡°I¡¯m better than okay,¡± I replied, finally able to catch my breath. Brianna, Uncle ke, Aunt Sophie, and Uncle Aiden were all in their wolf forms as well. Each of them has different colors and different sizes. Brianna was quick to be by my side. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a run!¡± She finally said, excitedly. I couldn¡¯t wait to go for my first run. Without saying anything, I turned in a random direction and began sprinting. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Is this Leah, from Leah¡¯s Photography?¡± ¡°Speaking,¡± the young woman, Leah, said on the other end. ¡°Hello, this is Alpha Enzo of the Calypso Pack. How are you doing this evening?¡± ¡°I¡¯m well, Alpha. Is there something I can do for you? Do you need photos taken? I can book you an appointment. I have an openingter this week unless you need it more urgently¡ª¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the reason I am calling,¡± I say, stopping her words. She pauses for a moment. ¡°Oh, then how can I help you?¡± ¡°You have recently taken photos for a party held by Alpha Bastien, for his daughter L, at the Nova Pack. Is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± she says in return. ¡°The photos haven¡¯t been developed yet. I¡¯m a little behind. But they should be ready within the next day or two¡­¡± ¡°Once they are developed, would you mind giving me a call? I would like a copy of each picture; unedited if possible.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°May I ask what the reasoning is?¡± ¡°As you might know there was an incident at the party and there might be a clue as to who had done it via your pictures. Alpha Bastien has trusted me to get to the bottom of it. I would like to see the images as soon as you can get them developed. The sooner, the better.¡± ¡°Oh of course,¡± she breathed. ¡°I would be happy to help. I¡¯ll make sure to get them developed as soon as I can, and I¡¯ll give you a call. Is this the correct number you would like me to call?¡± ¡°Yes, that would be great. I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course, Alpha.¡± Without another word, he hung up the phone. Now, I just had to wait; there had to be some kind of evidence in those photos that proved that Sarah was the one who poisoned L. Once I got the evidence I needed, I would be able to bring it to the school board. Sarah¡¯s father wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it if I had proper evidence. I left Bastien¡¯s office without touching anything else. Thankfully, nobody noticed me entering or leaving the office. I made my way down the stairs and outside; L and her family were already gone. Max could sense, a moment ago, that L was in a great deal of pain. It was probably better if we didn¡¯t see that happening; I¡¯m not so sure Max would be able to keep his cool if he saw L shifting for the first time. The pain that L felt thankfully didn¡¯tst too long though. In some cases, the first shift could take hours, maybe even an entire night. But in her case, it only took a few minutes before she was running through the forest in her wolf form. The scent of honeysuckle and salt water was wafting through the air; it was even more potent now that she was in her wolf form. Max wanted to join her, but I refrained from shifting. ¡°Alpha!¡± Beta Ethan said in a mindlink. ¡°There¡¯s been an emergency. You need to go to our pack hospital!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your mother¡­ she¡¯s been attacked.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 L¡¯s POV I returned home, feeling a rush of adrenaline. I had never felt as exhrated as I did since shifting and running through the forest in my wolf form. I was expecting to see Enzo when I returned to the packhouse, but he wasn¡¯t anywhere in sight. ¡°His car is gone,¡± my father said, peering out front with a frown. ¡°He left?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°Without saying anything?¡± ¡°Perhaps there was another issue at his pack,¡± my mother suggested with a shrug. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about Enzo. He can take care of himself. Besides, you can take your car back to school tomorrow. I checked it thoroughly. It hasn¡¯t been touched.¡± I nodded, forcing a smile, but it didn¡¯t meet my eyes. I felt an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach by the time I reached my room. Where did Enzo go? I was disappointed the next morning when Enzo hadn¡¯t returned. The guest room, and all his belongings, were gone. He really just left without saying anything to me. ¡°We¡¯ll see him at the academy,¡± Val assured me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it,¡± I say in return; but even I wasn¡¯t believing those words. ¡°You can¡¯t lie to me¡­ I¡¯m a part of you,¡± she reminded me. I gave my family a hug before departing into my car and leaving for the academy. I was d to be able to drive myself. I made a mental note to ask Enzo why he would just leave like this. However, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot of the school, I couldn¡¯t even sense him. I frowned as I got out of the car. Categories Search¡­ Was he not here? ¡°How was your first shift?!¡± Rachel asked as soon as I got back to my dorm. ¡°Painful,¡± I tell her. ¡°But exhrating.¡± ¡°Are you going to go all ¡®full wolf¡¯ on me anytime soon?¡± ¡°I might,¡± I teased. ¡°Better watch your back.¡± We both chuckled. ¡­ I went to the arena to meet with Ba, early the next morning, so we can start our training session. I told her I would help her practice herbat so she can better protect herself. She eagerly waited for me with a broad smile on her face. I smiled in return, pleased to see her. ¡°Did you shift?¡± She asked with wide and curious eyes. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous to do it again,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ll practice more during ss.¡± ¡°I can help you if you want. I¡¯m decent at shifting,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that,¡± I chuckled. Just then, I heard the door of the arena mming shut and then an annoyed scoff echoed through the room. ¡°Ew, look what the wolf dragged in. A slut and her omega.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV I said nothing to anyone as I left Elysium. I got into my car and drove as quickly as I could. It took a little over an hour to get back to Calypso. I didn¡¯t bother going to my packhouse, I went straight to the hospital. Beta Ethan was standing in the waiting room as I rushed in. ¡°What do you mean she was attacked?¡± I asked. ¡°She was beaten and dragged to the border. Someone recognized her and brought her here. We took her to the hospital right away. She was barely conscious,¡± Ethan exined. ¡°I should have been alerted immediately,¡± I said, shoving past him. I felt a wave of fury crossing through me and all I wanted at that moment was to see my mother. This was my fault; I should have never left her there. I knew she would be in danger if she stayed there without my support, and I still allowed her to live in the rogue territory. Thest time I saw her was a few months ago; I made it a point to visit her when I could. ¡°I informed you as soon as I knew for sure who she was,¡± Ethan tried to exin, following me as I made my way toward one of the doctors. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to worry you for nothing and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m that familiar with what your mother looks like. You never bring her around.¡± ¡°Regardless of who she is, I should always be alerted when there is an attack near our pack.¡± ¡°I apologize,¡± Ethan said, lowering his gaze. Once the doctor noticed me approaching, he straightened his stance and grabbed the clipboard off the counter. ¡°Alpha, your mother is going to be just fine. She¡¯s currently resting and¡ª¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± I demanded to know, cutting off his words. ¡°She¡¯s in room 175. It¡¯s just down the hall¡­¡± He managed to get out before I walked past him and toward the rooms. Ethan stopped following me once I neared the room my mother upied. I barged into the room, sealing the door shut behind me. My mother was left alone; she was hooked up to a bunch of machines and her face was bruised terribly. She had w marks down her neck and bite marks on her ears. Her eyes were ck and blue; she had bandages along her jawline and a brace around her neck. She had both a leg and an arm in a cast. She was breathing, though her breath was shallow, and her eyes remained closed. It broke my heart to see my mother in such a position, but I wasn¡¯t surprised that she was attacked. I knew this would happen eventually if I wasn¡¯t there to protect her. I sat at her bedside, grabbing onto the hand that didn¡¯t look so damaged. Her eyes suddenly opened. She was awake. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t try to speak, mom,¡± I said to her, lowering my gaze. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t there. This should have never happened to you.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, my love,¡± she whispered. ¡°The doctors say I will be fine.¡± ¡°What happened? Who did this to you¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡ª¡± ¡°It matters to me. Tell me what happened, mom.¡± She was quiet for a moment as she stared around my serious face. I wasn¡¯t going to give in; I needed to know who had the nerve to hurt my mother like this. ¡°I crossed the border¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°It was stupid, and I knew better. But we needed supplies¡ª¡± ¡°You should have called me. I could have gotten you anything you needed¡­¡± I tell her; trying not to sound too harsh. I didn¡¯t want to frighten my mother, but my emotions were getting the best of me quickly. ¡°I know,¡± she breathed, ncing away from me. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been so careless. Especially knowing what was out there. I didn¡¯t think they would be able to sense me so easily¡­ not since¡­¡± her voice trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. She didn¡¯t need to finish it; I knew what she was going to say. ¡°Did they catch your sent? Is that how they found you?¡± My mother gave me a weak nod. ¡°I should have known it was still a possibility¡­¡± she breathed, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed up at me. ¡°I knew the medication took away my abilities¡­ but it will never take away the scent.¡± ¡°Mom¡ª¡± ¡°Regardless of what I do to hide from your father and his men, it¡¯ll never be enough. They will always come after me. They will always find me. They will always know that I am a Vna wolf¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 L¡¯s POV Sarah stood in front of us with her arms folded across her chest a glimmer of amusement on her face, but there was also a hint of darkness in her eyes. I could feel Ba¡¯s tension from beside me; she felt ufortable around Sarah. That much was obvious. I really try to coexist with Sarah, despite the fact that she stole my boyfriend and quite obviously poisoned me. But it was clear she didn¡¯t want to coexist with me. ¡°We are practicing, Sarah. Is there something you want?¡± I asked, raising my brows in her direction. ¡°I just wanted to inform you that my father is looking into your schrship as we speak. You¡¯ll be getting a call from the board soon enough.¡± This didn¡¯t bother me; I had told her before that I didn¡¯t need the schrship to stay in this school. The school valued my work and wasn¡¯t going to kick me out that easily. Especially not with my father being the head of the Alphamittee. They would speak with him before doing anything. Sarah was delusional to think otherwise. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I tell her, unbothered. ¡°Your father can do what he wants. Now, if you mind, we were in the middle of something.¡± I turned back to Ba who was staring at me with wide and worried eyes. I began to show her the same move again and she followed me with her eyes. I felt a firm hand on my shoulder, whipping me around to face Sarah. ¡°You think you¡¯re so perfect. You are so pathetic,¡± Sarah seethed. ¡°You have no business being in this school and I¡¯m going to make sure everybody sees that.¡± ¡°Take your hand off me,¡± I said in a low tone, meeting her icy gaze. She smirked. ¡°Or what?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Going to use your Vna abilities on me? It¡¯s not like you can shift into your wolf. Loser.¡± Categories Search¡­ I continued to stare at her; I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to do that wouldn¡¯t get me in trouble. I didn¡¯t want to fight her at the school, but I suppose if there was a good enough ce to fight her, then the arena would be the best ce. I pressed my lips firmly together and stood with my feet a couple of inches apart. This only made herugh. ¡°Awe, are you trying to fight me? How cute,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me in return. ¡°Trust me, that¡¯s not something you want to do.¡± Her eyes began to glow golden as the face of her wolf became apparent to me. She knows how capable of a fighter I am, even in my human form; I¡¯m surprised she tries to challenge me. She has no idea that I¡¯m finally able to shift into my wolf. But that wasn¡¯t something I wanted to do in front of her. Not yet anyway. I clenched my fists; I really didn¡¯t want to do this. I could hurt her. She shifted into her wolf, growling loudly through the arena and lunging at me. I managed to dodge her attack with ease. She went to attack me again, but this time, she didn¡¯t get the chance. The entire building began to shake, causing her to stop in her tracks. I kept my eyes on hers the entire time, unsure of what was happening around me. But soon the lights in the arena were so bright that they were practically blinding. I could hardly see Sarah anymore because she was being drowned out by the lights. The building continued to shake as the moonlight from outside peered into the window, shattering the ss with its thick rays, and causing us both to jump in shock. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Sarah asked, taking a step away from me. I realized she was shifting back into her human form and fear lingered in her tone. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I didn¡¯t have an answer for her because I wasn¡¯t sure either. My heart was pounding so quickly against my chest that I worried it was going to jump from my body. I met the frightened eyes of Ba who was trying to shield herself from the mayhem going on around her. I watched as shadows emerged from the ground and began shifting into shapes that I had never seen before. My eyes widened; I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Neither could Sarah and Ba; they both gasped loudly as they stared at me. ¡°You¡¯re doing this?!¡± Ba gasped. ¡°I knew you were dangerous!¡± She cried. ¡°N¡­no¡­¡± I stammered, unsure of how to stop this mayhem. The ground continued to shake, and the brightness continued to seep into the arena. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re doing, knock it off!!¡± She cried frantically. I had no idea how to stop this from happening. My entire body shook in fear; I closed my eyes, begging for this torment to end. Oh goddess, help me stop this mess. I took in a steady breath and tried my best to center my mind. Then, everything went silent. Only the sounds of Ba and Sarah whimpering remained. I opened my eyes and saw that they were both staring at me with wide and rmed eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what just happened,¡± I whispered to them both. ¡°I do,¡± Sarah said, shoving past me. ¡°You¡¯re an even bigger freak than I thought. You are dangerous. I¡¯m telling my father everything.¡± She ran out of the arena quickly, leaving only Ba and I left. Ba stared at me withrge eyes, unsure of what to say at that moment. ¡°You¡¯re a Vna?¡± She asked in a whisper. ¡°Yes,¡± I managed to answer, staring down at my hands. What have I done? Where did that evene from? ¡°Our abilities have been activated once we shifted for the first time,¡± Val exined. ¡°It¡¯s only going to get stronger unless we learn to control it.¡± My mother failed to warn me that it was going to be like this. I could have seriously hurt somebody, and Ba was staring at me like I was some kind of monster. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± I say to her in a calm tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know where any of that came from¡­¡± ¡°Are you dangerous like Sarah said?¡± She asked, searching my face with her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I told her. ¡°I think I just let my emotions get the best of me. I¡¯ll learn to control it¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you were a Vna wolf¡­¡± Ba said, furrowing her brows again. ¡°How do I know this won¡¯t happen again? How do I know you won¡¯t turn your powers against me? I¡¯m yourbat partner.¡± ¡°I need you to trust me,¡± I told her, eyeing her carefully. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll do everything I can to control these abilities. I think I just need to speak to my mother. She will know what to do.¡± ¡°Your mother is also a Vna?¡± I nodded once. ¡°And she¡¯s way more experienced,¡± I exined. ¡°She can help me.¡± Ba seemed to have rxed. Before I could grab my phone to call my mom, the arena began to flood with more people. Ipletely lost track of time; the ss was starting soon. I felt relieved to get a little bit of a distraction. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Sarah wasn¡¯t in ss. She was probably on the phone with her father telling him how dangerous I am. I wondered if he would believe her. Pretty soon, word would get back to my own father. I had to brush the thought out of my mind in order to get through the rest of this ss though. Pretty soon I would be able to see Enzo again; admittedly, my wolf was craving Enzo and I was a little excited to see him as well. I wanted to ask him why he disappeared so suddenly yesterday. However, I was shocked to find someone other than Enzo walking into the arena momentster. She was a young woman with tight clothing and a look of determination on her face as she scanned the students. ¡°Hello everybody. My name is Professor Connie. I¡¯ll be your substitute teacher for the time being.¡± My heart fell into my stomach. Substitute teacher? Where was Professor Enzo? Chapter 25 Chapter 25 L¡¯s POV I was able to get through ss without any other issues containing my powers, but I couldn¡¯t help but think about Enzo¡¯s whereabouts the entire time. Even Ba could tell I was distracted because she was able to get a few attacks in. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°Are you worried about Sarah?¡± ¡°A little,¡± I lied. ¡°I just don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m dangerous.¡± Ba went to say something, but we were interrupted by Professor Connie behind us. ¡°You must be L. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. I look forward to getting to know you a little better,¡± she said with a fond smile. I frowned and stared back at her. ¡°I thought you were only here for a few days,¡± I say, trying not to sound too rude but I couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure how long I¡¯ll be here for,¡± she admitted. ¡°He didn¡¯t really specify. But I was told you are one of the bestbat students. I¡¯m eager to see what you can really do.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± I said in return. I paused for a moment as I stared around her face. ¡°Do you happen to know where Professor Enzo is? It¡¯s odd that he took off without a word to his students.¡± She frowned and shook her head. ¡°Family issues from my understanding,¡± she exined with a shrug. ¡°It sounded urgent when he called me on the phone though. He asked if I could take over the ss for the time being but didn¡¯t really specify much more.¡± A knot formed in my stomach, and I suddenly wasn¡¯t feeling so well. He called her? Who was this woman to him? ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to her, forcing a smile on my lips as I turned away. ¡°I should be going.¡± Categories Search¡­ I left without another word. What kind of family problems would keep Enzo froming to work? I roamed through the halls, feeling almost like a ghost. I ignored most of those who walked past me; I heard some saying hello to me, but they sounded so distant, and I felt so hollow. This feeling was unfamiliar and strange to me. Is this what having a mate was like? Feeling this overwhelming sense of dread whenever I wasn¡¯t around him? Why couldn¡¯t he just reject me already? ¡°Do you honestly want him to reject you?¡± Val purred within me. ¡°Kind of,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°Enzo could never love me¡­ it¡¯s foolish to think otherwise.¡± ¡°Why do you think so little of him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think little of him. I respect him very much actually,¡± I answered. ¡°But the truth of the matter is, he doesn¡¯t want a mate. He certainly wouldn¡¯t want a Vna as a mate. You saw his face when he found out the truth¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little bit curious about him?¡± ¡°Of course, I am,¡± I said in return. ¡°But we are after different things in life. We are very different and that was clear to see. Besides, he¡¯s, my professor. What kind of rtionship could we really have?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the board understand that he is your mate?¡± I went to answer, but a new voice cut through my thoughts. ¡°Oh, hello, L.¡± I turned to see Miss Grace standing at the doorway of her ssroom. My art professor and my assigned guidance counselor. ¡°Hello, Miss Grace,¡± I say with a kind smile. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that this semester¡¯s big project is due in a few days. A painting of your inspiration or role model. I can¡¯t wait to see the work you have done.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. I have been working for thest couple of weeks on a family portrait. It¡¯s kept in my dorm room under a silk nket and ready for viewing. I couldn¡¯t wait for her to see it as well; it counts for half of my grade for this semester. ¡°You¡¯re going to love it,¡± I tell her. I pause before walking away. ¡°Miss Grace, as my guidance counselor, could you grant me permission to take the next couple of days off from my courses?¡± I asked, raising my eyes to meet hers. She frowned for a moment, thinking about my request. ¡°I could, yes,¡± she answered with some hesitation. ¡°But why would you want me to do that?¡± She asked, cocking her head to the side. ¡°There has been an emergency at home that I need to tend to. My family said it was fine if I couldn¡¯t get the time off. But I wanted to ask anyways. I¡¯ll be back before the due date of the project.¡± She thought about it for a moment longer before nodding. ¡°Have one of your peers collect your homework for you in your absence so do you don¡¯t fall behind. Swing by my officeter and I¡¯ll get you that permission slip.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to her before passing her in the halls. I hated lying to her, but I needed to find out what was going on with Enzo before Ipletely lost my mind. There was no way I would be able to concentrate on my lessons without knowing the truth. I had to go to the Calypso pack and find him. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°You haven¡¯t left my side in over 24 hours, darling,¡± my mother said, peering up at me from her hospital bed. ¡°You look exhausted. You should go home and get some rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I told her, shaking my head. ¡°Not until you are back on your feet.¡± ¡°That could take a while; I don¡¯t heal as quickly anymore. Besides, I¡¯m already feeling stronger than I did yesterday,¡± she assured me. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a job to do? You¡¯re not just an Alpha, you¡¯re also a professor.¡± ¡°I asked a friend to take care of the ss for me until I return,¡± I exined. This was true; I called Connie, a friend of mine, yesterday and asked if she could substitute for me. As long as the ss is being taught, it¡¯s not like anyone would notice my absence. ¡°Are sure nobody would notice your absence?¡± Max teased. ¡°You can¡¯t think of one person who would care. Perhaps someone you ditched the day prior without saying a word too?¡± Per usual, I chose to ignore my wolf. I wasn¡¯t going to think about L right now. I couldn¡¯t. ¡°What is it?¡± My mother asked, raising her brows at my expression. She always knew how to read me well. ¡°Something is bothering you.¡± That wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I assured her, kissing her gently on the forehead. ¡°I just wish you would let me protect you ande home with me to my pack. I can keep you safe.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just abandon the others, Enzo,¡± she breathed. ¡°They need me, and I need them. They are my family too.¡± It pained me to hear those words from my mother, but I understood. As long as my father¡¯s men were out there, hunting for Vnas, my mother and the others weren¡¯t safe. Years ago, my mother, a Vna wolf, had taken medication to get rid of her abilities. Same with those who live with her in the rogue territory. She feared my father so much that she was willing to take away a part of herself to hide from him. These men are dangerous when ites to Vnas and as long as they are around, Vna wolves aren¡¯t safe. L isn¡¯t safe. I couldn¡¯t be with L knowing the danger I would bring to her life. These men are constantly watching my every move. If they knew that L was a Vna, it¡¯ll be her in this hospital bed next. Or worse. Now that L had her wolf, her Vna scent was going to be more evident. I didn¡¯t have the time to waste. She needed to stay as invisible as possible. Not only would having her as a mate cause me to be distracted frompleting my duties, but I would bring her a world of danger. That was something I wasn¡¯t willing to risk. I stood from my mother¡¯s bedside. My mind was officially made up. She narrowed her eyes at me, confused by my expression, I¡¯m sure. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m going to return home for the night.¡± I said my goodnights before leaving; I needed to return to the academy and find L. I needed to officially reject her. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 L¡¯s POV ¡°L?¡± Ethan said, staring at me in surprise as I stood outside the Calypso packhouse. I felt my face grow warm as he stared at me. I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to exin why I was here. Do I tell him I was worried about Enzo? No. I couldn¡¯t say that. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He finally asked after it was clear that I wasn¡¯t going to speak. ¡°Professor Enzo wasn¡¯t in ss today and I wanted to make sure he was okay,¡± I answered. My voice sounded distant and small when I spoke. I hated that I was feeling weak right now. Ethan raised his brows as he stared around my face. ¡°You traveled this far to check on him?¡± He asked. I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that, but thankfully, he didn¡¯t wait for me to do so. ¡°He has some family problems,¡± he exined. ¡°He¡¯s been at the hospital all morning with his mother.¡± Now it was my turn to raise my brows; I rose my gaze to meet his and saw the serious expression on his face. ¡°His mother?¡± I asked. Enzo hasn¡¯t really spoken about his mother. I didn¡¯t think she was even in the picture. What could have happened to her? Ethan stepped aside so I could enter the packhouse; though, I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to at that point. I felt foolish for being there right now. I shouldn¡¯t be prying into Enzo¡¯s family affairs. From the look on Ethan¡¯s face, I could tell that it was a very serious matter, and it wasn¡¯t my business. Categories Search¡­ But he motioned with his head for me to enter. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. stepped inside. ¡°There¡¯s been a terrible attack the other night and he had to rush to the hospital,¡± Ethan continued to exin. The other night? It must have been the night of the feast. That¡¯s why he left as quickly as he did and without a word. ¡°Is his mother okay?¡± ¡°She should be fine,¡± Ethan answered. ¡°Just a lot of bruises. I think he¡¯s nning oning back this afternoon if you want to stick around and wait for him.¡± ¡°That would be nice,¡± I say in return. Before Ethan had the chance of saying anything more, the door of the kitchen opened, and Dee stood at the entryway. She had flour and chocte all over her clothing and skin, including her face. She looked incredibly panicked and winded. Her eyes fell on mine and she looked almost relieved for a moment. ¡°Oh, good, I thought I heard your voice. How are you at baking?¡± She asked. I rose my brows. ¡°Decent I suppose,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Perfect, grab an apron and help me in the kitchen,¡± she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her. I turned back to Ethan who just shook his head with dismay written all over his face. As I went into the kitchen, I paused when I saw that the counters were aplete mess. I frowned as I stared around all the pots and pans that Dee had scattered across her usually wlessly clean stainlesssteel counters. There was flour smeared upon surfaces, including the ground, and dirty utensils in the sink. Despite the mess though, the kitchen smelled amazing. It smelled like a bunch of baked goods at once. Like a bakery. ¡°The bake sale for the grade school is this afternoon and I promised I would make the food for the sale. I¡¯m way behind on the deadline though,¡± Dee said with a worried look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dee,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping.¡± I grabbed an apron off the hook on the far side of the kitchen and we got to work. We baked brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and muffins. As we continued to bake, Dee started ying some music on the speaker. She shuffled through some songs beforending on an upbeat tune. She started to sing it in a low voice, not thinking I could hear her. She had a nice voice. I watched as she began swaying her hips from side to side, making me smile. I mimicked her movements, also swaying my hips as we traveled around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess while the baked goods were in the oven. She noticed me dancing along with her and she started tough, which made meugh as well. Together, we danced and sang. Twirling around the kitchen without a care in the world. I only stopped when I realized Enzo was standing at the door. His dark gaze poured into me, causing my entire body to freeze. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to return so soon,¡± Dee chuckled as she stood by my side. ¡°We were just baking for the bake sale this afternoon. L was nice enough to give me a helping hand. I¡¯m not as quick with baking as I used to be.¡± Enzo¡¯s eyes never left mine. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at the academy?¡± He asked in a low tone. ¡°I took some time off,¡± I tell him, proud that my voice didn¡¯te off as nervous as I felt. ¡°I got permission first.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡± His words caused me to flinch, which was visibly noticeable for Dee who nced at me with a small and curious frown. ¡°Why exactly shouldn¡¯t she havee here?¡± Dee asked, ncing back at Enzo. ¡°Because she should be in school, that¡¯s why,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯m already ahead of most of my ssmates. I can take a day or two off,¡± I tell them both. He looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn¡¯t. He nced at Dee momentarily. ¡°I¡¯m going to steal her for the time being,¡± he told her; my heart fell into my stomach. This was it¡­ he was going to take me away and reject me. I heard being rejected was incredibly painful. I had to prepare myself. Dee nodded to him, a worried frown still on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on her. I like having her around.¡± She gave me a wink as she said that. He didn¡¯t answer her; instead, he turned back to me and said, ¡°Come with me.¡± I took in a steady breath as I followed him out of the kitchen. He walked down this long corridor that led to a wide set of double doors. My heart was racing rapidly in my chest, unsure of where he was taking me. Enzo paused as he reached the set of doors and he turned toward me. ¡°I need a favor,¡± he surprised me by saying; his tone turned from hardened in front of Dee, to soft once we were alone. I met his eyes and saw that they were also softened. Whatever this favor was, it must have been serious. ¡°Okay?¡± I urged him to continue. ¡°My mother is in the hospital for the next unforeseen future, and I would like to give her something to brighten things a little. She¡¯s always loved art and I wanted to make her something she could really enjoy.¡± I was an art major, so it would make sense that he woulde to me for this kind of thing. I¡¯m assuming he wanted me to paint a picture for his mother. Without another word, he turned toward the double doors and pushed them open, revealing arge and glorious art studio. I gasped as I walked inside. I instantly smelled the scent of paint. Canvases wereying everywhere on top of arge white tarp; not to mention mountains of paint cans. There were also beautiful paintings all over the walls and I wondered who created them. Enzo turned back to me and narrowed his eyes. ¡°The problem is, I don¡¯t paint. Which is where I need your help,¡± he continued. I gazed up at him in amazement. ¡°You want me to paint a picture for your mother?¡± I asked, raising my brows. He nodded his head once. ¡°Of course, I would love to help,¡± I tell him. I felt pleased that he feltfortable enough with me to ask me for this favor. Dare I say, I felt honored. ¡°What do you think she would like? Perhaps a beautiful forest with a lot of flowers and sunlight?¡± Or maybe the moonlight?¡± ¡°Actually, I want it to be a portrait.¡± I scrunched my brows together as I looked at him. ¡°A portrait?¡± I asked. ¡°Of who?¡± There was a moment of pause where he chose his next words very carefully. ¡°Of me, L. I want you to paint a portrait of me.¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Enzo¡¯s POV I sat on the loveseat on the far side of the art gallery while L sat in front of her canvas. She had this perplexed look in her eyes as she fixated her gaze on her painting. I had given her some old clothes so she wouldn¡¯t get paint all over her outfit, along with an apron. Her tongue was out slightly, touching the top of her lip, as she often did while concentrating. I had taken note of that while watching her. She bit onto her bottom lip slightly, tugging at it between her teeth. I watched as it grew red and swollen from the intensity of her bite and I wondered at what point she would release it. She had paint smeared on her features as she sttered the brush across the canvas. It¡¯s been a couple of hours since we began the painting; she had to have been almost done by now. ¡°What happened to you wanting to reject her?¡± Max asked with a little humor in his voice. It was true that I was nning on going to the academy to reject her, but as I got close to the packhouse, I started thinking about my mother and what I could do to make her morefortable. She deserved to have something nice, and she always said she wished she had more pictures of me. ¡°You can¡¯t reject her after you ask this type of favor from her,¡± Max said, shaking hisrge canine head. I could see him clearly in my mind¡¯s eyes. Rejecting her would definitely be harder now; I set myself up for that. But I ignored my wolf, not having a proper answer for him. L finally ced the paintbrush down gently and leaned back in her chair, taking in her work. There was a faint smile on her face as she scanned the picture with her eyes. ¡°This is probably my best work yet,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. I stood to my feet and walked around the canvas to look at the painting and I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. It was like a photograph; it was the most glorious painting I had ever seen. She even captured that couch I was sitting on and the background pictures as well. She included a couple of flowers on the table that sat beside the couch. Categories Search¡­ ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± I said in only a whisper. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Her face lit up as she peered up at me. ¡°I hope your mother likes it,¡± she said. ¡°And I hope that she gets well soon.¡± I tensed at her words, but I didn¡¯t say anything in response. ¡°Thank you for your work,¡± I said to her in the most professional way I could manage. ¡°I can pay you for the service.¡± She rose her brows, but she shook her head. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± she said with a light chuckle. I went to grab the painting, but she stepped in front of it quickly. ¡°Let it dry. It¡¯s still wet,¡± she scolded. Oh. Right. I nodded and turned away from her; we hadn¡¯t spoken during the entire painting process and I wasn¡¯t nning on sticking around and speaking to her now. I was still upset that she came all the way to the Calypso pack by herself. Without any protection or guards with her. She was incredibly stupid for acting so carelessly. She¡¯s aware of the dangers around the world; especially knowing what she is. I couldn¡¯t keep the aggravation off my face, and I was afraid that if I turned to face her, she would see it clear as day. That wasn¡¯t something I was going to exin to her. Not right now. ¡°Professor?¡± I heard her small voice behind me before I had the chance to reach the door. I froze before grabbing the door handle. Something about her voice sent a warmth through my entire body. ¡°What happened with your mother? Why was she beaten so badly?¡± Who had told her that my mother was beaten? I pressed my lips firmly together as more aggravation and annoyance surfaced within me; it must have been Dee. I would have to have a talk with her about speaking about my personal affairs. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m dealing with it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that; but why would they target your mother? What did she do to them?¡± My entire jaw tensed; it wasn¡¯t about what she did to them, it was about what she is. It¡¯s about what L is. If I wasn¡¯t careful, the same thing could happen to L. I don¡¯t think I could live with myself if anything like that happened to her. ¡°Enzo?¡± L spoke my name so effortlessly like she¡¯s done it a thousand times before. I realized I was standing with my back toward her and not saying anything for a long while. I turned to face her, meeting the concerned look in her oddly colored eyes. ¡°My mother did nothing to them. It¡¯s a dangerous world, L. Things like this happen.¡± She furrowed her brows together as she processed what I had just said before she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± she said in return. ¡°There might be bad people, but the world itself isn¡¯t dangerous. Not when there are people out there to protect it.¡± ¡°Look around!¡± I nearly shouted, waving my arms around dramatically. ¡°There¡¯s nobody here to protect the world. At least not yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± L said firmly, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°My father is one of the greatest men I know, and he¡¯s set out every day to protect the world from men like your father.¡± As soon as those words left her lips, I could tell she regretted them. She gasped and covered her mouth with the palms of her hands, peering up at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± she said in only a whisper. ¡°Yes, you did,¡± I said, keeping my eyes steadily on hers. ¡°And you¡¯re right. My father was a terrible man. The world needs protecting from those like him.¡± She dropped her hands to her sides; at this point, it almost looked like she wanted to cry. I wondered what was running through her mind. ¡°Was it his men that hurt your mother?¡± I was surprised by her question; she was incredibly smart, and I knew I couldn¡¯t keep something like that from her for long. ¡°What do you know about his men?¡± I asked in return. She lowered her gaze. ¡°I know they are still out there; terrorizing those like me. But they also fear my father and mother after what happened with ise. So, they typically stay out of Elysium. But I know they are still out there¡­ they don¡¯t just go away like that.¡± She really was smart. ¡°My parents shield me from them because they don¡¯t want me to worry about the rest of the world right now. They want me to worry about myself and my education. But I¡¯m not stupid¡­ I know they are out there, and I know there are other Vnas out there too. But what I don¡¯t understand is why your mother was targeted by them.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to give up until I answered her question. ¡°My mother was hunting them. She¡¯s a bounty hunter. They found her first.¡± I was lying. She knew I was lying. The look on her face proved that she could see through my lie. But she was also smart enough to know that I didn¡¯t want to tell her the truth. She looked as though she was going to say something more. But she didn¡¯t. I turned back toward the door to leave and then she spoke again. ¡°Can we go to the bake sale?¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Val said within me. ¡°I didn¡¯t think our mate would be a liar.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be our professor either, but here we are,¡± I say in return, trying to brush the previous conversation out of my mind. I couldn¡¯t believe he could just lie to me so effortlessly. His mother wasn¡¯t a bounty hunter; I could tell he was lying from the look in his eyes. He should know, more than anything, that mates can see through each other¡¯s lies. Hearing that his mother was attacked by ise¡¯s men gave me an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. Enzo hadn¡¯t said a word about it since our conversation in the art gallery. That was over two hours ago. We pulled up to therge elementary school in the middle of the town and I already saw Dee in the distance setting everything up for the bake sale. ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± I heard the voice of a small child in the distance as I approached. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± Another child yelled, pointing directly at me. ¡°It¡¯s L!!!¡± Chapter 28 L''s POV I took a step backward as children came running toward me. Their excited faces lit up as they got closer. "I can''t believe we are actually meeting you!" One of the girls said happily. "You are a legend around here!" "A legend?" I asked, raising my brows in pure confusion. I nced over at Dee who had a smile on her face. "I don''t understand..." "You fought the bad guys and saved that woman!" One of the kids exined. "Everybody is talking about it!" "Word travels fast," Dee said with a shrug. "You are like a hero to the kids." "We want to be just like you!" "Teach us how to fight! "We want to fight like the incredible L!" I must have looked as shocked as I felt because Dee startedughing at my expression as she stood beside me. "Can you teach us, L?" One of the kids asked again. I always had a soft spot for children and saying no to them didn''t sit right with me. As I stared around at all the eager faces, I knew it would be impossible to refuse them this. "Of course, I''ll teach you," I told them. To my surprise, they all started cheering and pping. My face grew incredibly warm at the sudden attention I was receiving. Enzo had gone to help some of the men of the pack with setting up the equipment before the bake sale began. I was surprised the kids weren''t asking Enzo to be their teacher. He was incredibly skilled inbat, and he was their Alpha. I nced over at Enzo in the distance; I was thinking he wasn''t paying any attention to me, but to my surprise I see his eyes wandering in my direction. His brows knitted together in such a formation that Iughed out loud; I knew this was going to bother him. I turned away from him to face the kids. "Let''s pick a day and I''lle to teach you everything I know about fighting," I tell them. They all looked at one another before they began shouting out random days of the week. "Tuesday!" "Friday!" "No, Saturday!!" Another smile tugged at my lips. "How about Sunday?" I suggest. Sunday would be the best time because I don''t have sses or homework usually. "Okay!" They all said in unison with more cheering andughing. "Okay, children. Let the adults finish setting up for the sale," Dee saiding around therge table the baked goods sat upon. "Run along and y." "Okay Miss Deanna," some of them said as they took off toward the yground. "Bye Dee! Bye, L!" The others said as they took off as well. I stared after them for a long while, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face. "It''s sweet that they look up to you," Dee chuckled. "It''s surreal," I said in return. I nced back over at Enzo who was no longer looking at me. "But why didn''t Enzo tell me that everyone was talking about this?" Dee frowned and nced in Enzo''s direction. "I don''t think he knew. He''s been in his own little world thest few days," she exined. I turned to face Dee. "Because of his mother?" She paused what she was doing; I could tell this wasn''t a subject she wanted to talk about. What was it about Enzo''s mother that bought everyone''s silence? Dee eventually sighed and peered over at me from her side eyes. "Enzo has always been very close to his mother; when he heard that she was hurt, it destroyed him. So, I don''t me him for being in his own little world," she exined. "If he was so close to his mother, why hadn''t he mentioned much about her?" I asked. I was finding it hard to believe that he was really that close to her if he doesn''t talk about her that much. I''m close to both my parents and I talk about them all the time. Of course, I don''t say that. I just wait patiently for Dee to speak again. "Enzo doesn''t talk much about family," Dee said; she was no longer looking at me. She was hiding something. "I wouldn''t take it personally." "I''m not taking it personally," I say; but even I don''t believe my words. I nced at Enzo onest time and this time, I met his eyes. What secrets is he holding? Enzo''s POV She''s getting toofortable. L cannot getfortable in this pack; if she gets toofortable, then she won''t ever leave. "Do you really want her to leave?" Max asked with humor in his tone. "Yes," I answered dryly. "If she stays, she will be in danger." "Then, we will protect her." "We can''t always be here to protect her," I replied. "Sure, we can. She''s, our mate. It''s our job to protect her." "Staying away from her is protecting her," I reminded him. "In what world? She''s a Vna. She has the scent and the look. Eventually, they will figure it out and find her without our help." "Hey Alpha, can you move those speakers to that area over there?" Someone asked from a far distance. I managed to pull my eyes away from L''s long enough to go to the speakers. As the evening went on, students started to return from the yground upon Dee''s request. Their parents had also arrived and some others from the Calypso pack. Dee started to y this light pop music that had all the kids dancing and singing. I stayed in the distance, keeping a watch over everything as I often did as Alpha. I ordered some of my gammas to keep watch in different parts of the schoolyard. I didn''t want to be too careful, especially after the attack on my mother. I knew the attackers were still out there somewhere and I refused to let them get past me. L was with some of the children, selling the baked goods. She had a smile on her face that lit up brighter than the sun. Her dark hair glistened under the rays as she brushed her fingers through it. She was speaking to some of the women while the children sold baked goods around her. L''sugh echoed through the schoolyard, making its way into my ear, and causing Max to howl in delight. He was smitten with her, but I knew it couldn''t happen. By the end of the evening, the school had reached its goal for profit, and we were ready to leave. L had a huge smile on her face when she returned to my car. It waste in the evening, and I could see just how tired she was. I would let her sleep at the packhouse tonight, but then tomorrow, she needs to go back to school. The ride back to the packhouse was quiet; L gazed out the window. She was thinking about something. What I wouldn''t give to find out what it was. Knock it off, Enzo. You can''t go down that rabbit hole. I scolded myself. I parked the car out front of the packhouse and she quickly got out. It was like she was purposely trying to avoid me. She went into the house as if she owned the ce and went straight for the stairs; I followed after her, a little reluctantly. As she reached thest step, she walked toward the room she was in thest time she was there. She remembered her way around this ce well. I don''t think she noticed that I was following her because once she reached the door and grabbed the handle, I grabbed her arm to stop her, and she looked up at me shocked. "Enzo?" She breathed. "I didn''t realize you were there. Were you following me?" "Why did youe here?" I asked her, keeping my tone low and my grip on her arm tight. She narrowed her eyes at me as she thought about what to say. "I''ve already told you... because you weren''t in ss and-" "Why did you reallye?" My tone was harsh; I was aware of that. Her breathing grew heavy as she kept her eyes locked on mine. "I was worried..." she admitted in only a whisper. I was only inches from her; I looked down at her plump lips that were open only slightly. Our breathing became unison. "You''re incredibly dumb foring here by yourself..." "Are... are you saying you were worried?" She asked, her nose and cheek area became pink, and her voice came out breathless.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. I pressed my body against hers until she was pinned between me and the doorframe. She didn''t seem to mind; or at least, she didn''t fight me. She nced at my lips, a sparkle in her eyes, she was giving me silent permission. This was wrong on so many levels; but at that moment, I didn''t care. I leaned down and kissed her. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Enzo¡¯s POV What the hell was I doing? Everything about her just tastes and smells so good. Her lips are soft and sweet. I thought she would try to push me off her, but she didn¡¯t. She stood limp against the wall; he eyes fluttered shut as soon as I made contact with her. I bit onto her bottom lip; something I¡¯ve been wanting to do for a while. I nibbled on it; drawing it firmly into my mouth and sucking on it like it was a piece of candy. Once I released it, I paused the kiss. I didn¡¯t push it any further than that. As much as I wanted to continue the embrace, I had to stop myself. She was breathing heavily; I watched as her chest heaved up and down. Her eyes remained closed, and her fairplexion was turning cherry red. ¡°Our mate is growing extremely warm. If you aren¡¯t careful, she will go into heat.¡± No. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I had to get out of here. ¡°Take a cold shower,¡± I muttered. I left without another word. ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°Oh, my goddess!!!¡± Val screamed, rattling my brain. ¡°What just happened?¡± I gasped; I opened my eyes and Enzo was gone. Categories Search¡­ My heart was racing rapidly against my chest and my entire body trembled. I held my arms together, ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. trying to keep myself still. My legs felt likeplete jelly; I thought I was going to fall over if I even attempted to move. ¡°He kissed us! Our mate kissed us!!¡± Val reyed the events in my mind. I could still feel his lips against mine. He tasted so good. Why would he kiss me like that? ¡°I thought he wanted to reject us,¡± I murmured. My entire body was incredibly warm; way warmer than it¡¯s ever been before. The more I thought about Enzo, the more my mouth watered. Why did he have such an effect on my body like this? ¡°I do believe we are beginning our estrus,¡± Val exined. ¡°It¡¯s what happens when wee of age.¡± I¡¯ve heard of this, of course. It meant I was going into heat soon if I didn¡¯t do something about it quickly. Take a cold shower. His words yed again in my mind and I was suddenly realizing what he meant. I gasped loudly; covering my mouth with my hands as realization struck me. He knew I was going into heat. I felt all sorts of humiliated at that moment. I just wanted to run away and hide for a lifetime. I slid back into the guest room before anyone else could see what was going on with me. Thest thing I wanted was for Dee to walk around the corner and see that I was going into heat. As soon as I was back in thefort of the room sealed away from those around me, I slid into the bathroom and stripped off all my clothing. I couldn¡¯t get them off fast enough; the longer I waited, the hotter my body became. This was so embarrassing. I could hear Val chuckling in my mind as I scrambled to turn on the shower, running the icy water through my fingers and sighing at the relief it brought me. I stepped fully into the shower, allowing the cold water to soothe my steamed flesh. Once I was sure the heat had gone away, I got out of the shower and wrapped my now frigid body with a warm towel. ¡°I wonder what Enzo¡¯s mother is like,¡± I found myself saying to Val as I made my way back into the room to search for my nightgown. ¡°I wonder if she¡¯s as cold as Enzo.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think our mate is cold,¡± Val said in return. ¡°I think he¡¯s misunderstood. It¡¯s kind of sexy. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Misunderstood isn¡¯t what we want for a mate,¡± I reminded her. ¡°We want someone who understands and epts us for who we are. We want someone who can love us unconditionally. Enzo isn¡¯t that kind of guy.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that yet. We¡¯ve hardly even scratched the surface.¡± ¡°He¡¯s our professor. He could lose his job if word got out about this.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t help who his mate is. The board will understand,¡± Val said; I knew she was shrugging nonchntly as she said that. ¡°Maybe the board would¡­ but would my father?¡± I wanted to believe that my father liked Enzo enough to be okay with him being my mate. But I wasn¡¯t so sure. He was ise¡¯s son after all. The same ise who tried to kill my father and marry my mother so he can have a Vna wolf to himself. Out of everyone who could have been my mate, why did it have to be ise¡¯s son? ¡­ Morning came quickly. I hadn¡¯t even realized I fell asleep until I heard a loud knocking on the door. I groggily lifted my head to peer out the window and saw the faint outlining of the sun shining through the closed blinds. It was still very early. I forced myself out of bed and made my way to the door, forgetting that I was only wearing a light and loose-fitting nightgown that left no mystery of whaty underneath. At the right angle, my entire naked body could be seen. As soon as I opened the door and saw Enzo staring at me with wide and shocked eyes, I knew he was standing at that right angle. He scanned my body briefly before refocusing on my face. ¡°Get dressed, we need to leave soon,¡± he said, turning away from me quickly. At that point, I realized what had happened and I jumped backward, covering my body with my arms. My face grew warm again and I had to turn away before he noticed it. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I managed to squeak. ¡°I¡¯m bringing you back to school.¡± I didn¡¯t argue with him; I knew his mind was made up. Enzo was waiting for me downstairs once I got dressed. He was holding the portrait I had painted of him. ¡°I was thinking that maybe it would be nice to add a couple more flowers and maybe my mothers¡¯ name engraved somewhere on it?¡± He said as I approached him. I rose my brows up at him. ¡°Are you asking if I could do that for you?¡± I asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be saying this if I wasn¡¯t,¡± he said, meeting my eyes. ¡°I would be appreciative.¡± A smile tugged at my lips as I took the portrait from him. I liked when he asked me for favors; even though I knew how ufortable it made him. ¡°I¡¯ll work on it tonight and have it to you by tomorrow,¡± I tell him. He nodded his head, but he didn¡¯t smile. I¡¯ve heard that he doesn¡¯t often smile, which almost makes me determined to get him to smile at least once. Enzo took me back to school in my car; he said he wanted to make sure I actually went back. He was nning on staying in his room for the night and then Beta Ethan would being in tomorrow to pick him up. It was probably a good thing that I went back to school; I wanted to make a few adjustments to my own painting for my project in the morning. This was going to be half my grade for this semester, and I needed to make sure it was good enough to present. The next morning, Enzo was nowhere to be found. My art ss was starting soon; he would have to wait to get his painting until after ss. I shrugged off the thought and took my project to the ss. ¡°I¡¯m excited to see what you have for me,¡± Miss Grace said as I entered the room. I ced my draped painting on the table with the others and took my seat. One by one, each student stood and presented their projects. They were met with ¡°ooooh!¡± and ¡°aaaaaah!¡± Along with a round of apuse. By the time they got to me, the room fell silent. They knew I was one of the best painters, so they saved mine forst as the finale. I stood to my feet and made my way to the front of the ss. ¡°L, tell us about your painting,¡± Miss Grace said with a fond smile. ¡°Well, the theme that was given to me was ¡®role models.¡¯ So, I wanted to paint my inspiration in life,¡± I exined. I grabbed the cloth that covered my project. ¡°I hope you like it,¡± I said as I tugged at the cloth, revealing my painting. Everybody in the room gasped, and I saw a bunch of shocked faces, including Miss Grace. The entire room waspletely silent; I couldn¡¯t even hear anyone breathing. This wasn¡¯t the reaction I thought my painting would have. I furrowed my brows together, wondering what was so shocking until I looked at the painting and gasped as well. What was supposed to be a family portrait, was actually a portrait of Enzo. I grabbed the wrong painting. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 L¡¯s POV ¡°Is that Professor Enzo?¡± Miss Grace asked in a whisper as she slowly stood to her feet. I felt the blood rushing to my head as I stared at the portrait of Enzo. This meant the painting I had for this ss was still in my room. How did I make such a terrible mistake like this? ¡°He¡¯s so handsome,¡± Val breathed lovingly as we took in the picture. I did a really good job at capturing every one of Enzo¡¯s charming features. He had so much personality in his dark eyes that made my stomach flip. I had to think of something to say, and quickly. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, turning toward the ss of startled and curious eyes. ¡°This is Alpha Enzo. He¡¯s incredibly inspirational. He¡¯s the youngest Alpha and my father speaks highly of him. He has huge ambitions. I also found out recently that he¡¯s caring for his ill mother, on top of being an incredible professor. I don¡¯t know how he has time to sleep, honestly. But I find myself wanting to be like him. He might not be my biggest inspiration, but I am inspired by him. I¡¯m honored to have him as my professor.¡± There was a long pause of silence as everyone processed what I had said, I was hoping I was convincing enough. Soon, the silence ended with a round of apuse; some students even stood to give me a standing ovation. A flood of relief washed over me, and I felt my body rx. I smiled at the excited faces. Even Miss Grace seemed pleased. Her eyes lit up for a moment as she took in my portrait. Categories Search¡­ ¡°You are certainly correct,¡± she said, still eyeing the picture. ¡°He really is an incredible man. Very nice job capturing that, L.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you, Miss Grace,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Do you think we can speak after ss?¡± I frowned instantly; she was still looking at the picture, fondly, and it started to make me feel a little uneasy. There was a part of me that wanted me to step in front of the picture and shield her eyes from Enzo, but I didn¡¯t. I stood my ground and managed to give her a head nod. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I said in return. Without thinking, I grabbed the sheet and ced it over the painting, watching as Miss Grace blinked a few times, breaking out of her trance. She forced a stered smile when she realized I was staring at her. ¡°You can take your seat now,¡± she instructed. I nodded once and went back to my seat. What was that? Why was she staring at my painting like that? And why did I care so much? ¡°Miss Grace is certainly beautiful. I wonder if Enzo notices that as well,¡± Val chirped in my ear. I ignored her, not wanting to grow jealous over someone who doesn¡¯t care for me. I shook the thought out of my head and sat through the rest of the ss. By the end of ss, everyone went straight into the halls as soon as the bell rang, leaving me alone in the room with Miss Grace. ¡°You wanted to speak to me?¡± I asked as I went toward her desk. She nced up at me from herputer and gave me a sweet smile; the same smile she often gives me if I pass her in the halls or say hi to her at lunch. ¡°Yes; I really wanted to emphasis how gorgeous your portrait is,¡± she breathed. ¡°Though, I find it a bit inappropriate to use your professor as your muse,¡± she admitted, a small frown now evident on her lips. I frowned as well. ¡°I apologize. I just wanted to think outside the box. Everyone was expecting I would paint my family and I almost did. But I really wanted to shock and wow everyone,¡± I lied, but it sounded convincing enough. She thought about that for a moment before sheughed. ¡°You certainly aplished that,¡± she said, shaking her head stillughing. ¡°And Enzo was okay with this?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have done this without his permission,¡± I lied again; I hated lying but she couldn¡¯t know the truth. ¡°I¡¯ve just known him for a while and he¡¯s never been the type to model for a painting,¡± she said thoughtfully. This made me frown even more; how well did she know him exactly? I kind of wanted to ask, but I didn¡¯t find that to be appropriate. Would Enzo tell me if I asked him? ¡°But anyways, I wanted to nominate this painting to be chosen for the Hig art show next week,¡± she said, a wide smile on her face. ¡°I think it has a real shot at winning.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked, my eyes wide and rmed. ¡°Yes,¡± she chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t think Enzo would mind, do you? I could always ask him and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him,¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°Can I let you know tomorrow?¡± She nodded, staring at me carefully. ¡°Yes; the sooner the better.¡± I nodded my head before scurrying out of the ssroom. She wanted to nominate Enzo¡¯s portrait, the one I painted for his mother, to the art show? How was I going to exin this to Enzo? ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Hello, Alpha Enzo?¡± Leah said into the phone. I woke up early to my phone ringing and it was Leah¡¯s photography. She told me she would call me once the photos were ready for viewing. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Do you have the photos?¡± ¡°Yes, they are all set. Would you like to swing by my studio this morning?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± I said before hanging up. It was still early, so, I knew L was most likely still sleeping. I would have to wait to get that portrait from her. I mindlinked Ethan toe to pick me up and bring me to Leah¡¯s studio. He arrived within the hour, and we went straight to the studio. Leah was much younger than I thought she would be. She looked around L¡¯s age. It was no wonder I didn¡¯t notice her at the time of the party because she blended in with most of the guests. She had a kind smile when I entered the studio. ¡°Good morning, Alpha,¡± she said, motioning for me to join her at her desk. ¡°I have the photos for you, just as you requested.¡± ¡°I really appreciate that,¡± I said to her. She grabbed the stack of photos from an envelope and handed them to me. ¡°I haven¡¯t even given them to Alpha Bastien yet,¡± she admitted. ¡°I wanted to edit and make them perfect before I presented them to him. But you wanted the unedited version.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something specific.¡± ¡°For the person who poisoned L?¡± I didn¡¯t entertain her with an answer. There were a lot of photos of L and seeing her in the palms of my hands excited Max. I tried to keep him calm enough to focus. We weren¡¯t here to gaze at photos of L. We were looking for the person who poisoned her. I went through the entire stack of photos, almost feeling defeated until I got to thest picture. I paused. It was a picture of L on the couch; she was talking to one of her friends and she had a wide smile on her face. Behind her was the ss that got drugged and leaning over it, was none other than Sarah. This was it. I finally had proof that Sarah poisoned her Chapter 31 Chapter 31 L¡¯s POV I can¡¯t believe I messed up so badly that I presented Enzo¡¯s portrait as my project in ss. He was never going to forgive me for this. Maybe if I switched the portraits after hours. I sat in the student lounge which was oddly empty, and I could gather my thoughts. I was doing some homework, but I found it difficult to concentrate. I still hadn¡¯t heard from Enzo all morning or afternoon and I was starting to wonder if he was going to return. He had to return; I still had his portrait. He would want that back so he could give it to his mother. Unless something happened¡­. Just as I was about to pull out my phone, I felt his presence. His scent roamed through the lounge causing my heart to pick up speed. Val perked her head up, taking in his scent as it grew more potent. I turned and saw him taking long strides through the lounge and in my direction. My mouth hung open when his aura was practically glowing around him. His dark eyes poured into me and I saw a smirk appearing on his lips. How was it possible for him to get even more attractive whenever I see him? ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ we are going to bete,¡± he spoke as if we had a previous conversation. I frowned, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Late for what?¡± He rose his brows, surprised by my question. Categories Search¡­ Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± ¡°The school board is having a trial this evening. I have evidence that it was Sarah that poisoned you. Your father will be attending as will hers. You were supposed to be informed an hour ago when everything got situated. We need you to testify.¡± I stood to my feet quickly, staring down at the jeans and blouse I was wearing. I certainly wasn¡¯t dressed for a trial. I couldn¡¯t believe I wasn¡¯t informed of this. Who was supposed to tell me? Before I could ask, Enzo rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t bete for this.¡± I nodded and followed him out of the lounge and into the halls. The campus courtroom was across the school grounds and in a separate building. We don¡¯t have an actual judge, so the council is the one who decides who¡¯s innocent and guilty and they decide what the punishment will be. When I entered the courtroom, following Enzo, my eyes fell on Sarah in the front of the room. She was seated in a chair beside arge man that presented himself as someone of importance. Of course, I knew he was her father. My father sat on the other side of the courtroom near the school board, who sat in a row of chairs at the head of the courtroom. My father¡¯s eyes fell on me, and he gave me a small and reassuring smile that made me calm down. Enzo walked with me till I sat in the chair beside my father, he handed my father a folder that I assumed was the evidence before walking across to the other side of the room. ¡°L, thank you for joining us,¡± one of the boards said, peering down at me. ¡°Thank you. I was only told about this trial a few moments ago,¡± I exined. ¡°L, we ask that you tell us the truth about the night of your birthday. Do you remember that night clearly?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a head nod, ncing back at Sarah. ¡°I remember everything.¡± ¡°So, walk us through your night.¡± ¡°It started off amazing. I was joined by family and friends to celebrate my 18(th) birthday. I didn¡¯t even know that Sarah and my ex-boyfriend were there. But even so, I wouldn¡¯t have minded. My ex¡¯s father is an Alpha and also attended. I wouldn¡¯t have found it weird to see them. As the night went on, I started to feel extremely sick. Lightheaded, nausea, shortness of breath, a rapid heartbeat, and a fever. I thought I was going to pass out. I was also feeling a strange loopiness; like a little drunk but I¡¯ve only had a few sips of wine.¡± I paused for a moment as I gathered my thoughts. The courtroom remained quiet while I continued. ¡°Then, my mother brought me to bed and called the doctor,¡± I went on to say. ¡°I was told that I was poisoned. That was when I found out from a third party that Sarah was also at the party. But we didn¡¯t have proof that it was her that poisoned me¡­¡± The board nced over at my father. He had the folder that Enzo had given him in his hands. ¡°And you have the proof of this serious usation?¡± They asked. My father nodded, standing, and stepping toward their seated area. He shuffled through some of the papers in the folder before cing them on the table before them. My father took his seat beside me while they conversated. For what felt like an eternity, the board examined the photos presented to them. They were whispering and talking amongst themselves. At one point, they brought my father, the head of the Alpha committee, in to speak to them in private as well. My heart was racing at lightning speed; I couldn¡¯t help but look over at a very tense Sarah. She was avoiding my eyes. I didn¡¯t want this to escte to a trial; I wanted to handle the situation on my own, but she wouldn¡¯t give me the time of day to talk. After a long while, they called her father over to speak with them as well. Enzo didn¡¯t seem as worried though. He was leaning against the wall on the far side of the courtroom, his eyes falling upon me and darkening. What did the darkening of his eyes mean? For some reason, I was finding it hard to look away from him. Why was he so attractive? ¡°Okay, we¡¯vee up with a conclusion,¡± one of the board members said. My father took his seat beside mine; I didn¡¯t look particrly pleased, which gave me a heavy heart. ¡°Due to some unusual circumstances, we aren¡¯t going to expel Sarah. Instead, we will give her a month¡¯s suspension. Once she returns, she will be monitored on school grounds to ensure no more incidents happen under our noses. If another ill attempt happens, we will be obligated to expel you. Are we understood, Sarah?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sarah answered, her tone hard. ¡°We will see you in a month. You are all dismissed now.¡± Everyone stood from their ces and one by one they began leaving the courtroom. My father remained, along with Sarah¡¯s father. ¡°I hope there are no hard feelings, Alpha Bastien. Kids will be kids,¡± her father said, reaching his hand out to shake. My father stared at the hand for a moment, I knew he didn¡¯t want to shake it. But he did anyways. ¡°Just make sure my daughter doesn¡¯t get harmed in this way again,¡± my father said, his tone dark and threatening. ¡°Understood.¡± They parted ways; Sarah gave me onest icy look before she left. I realized Enzo had already gone and I couldn¡¯t help the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. Once again, he left without saying a word to me. Why did he keep doing that? ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV There was no point in staying in the courtroom after that verdict. I had never felt this wave of fury before. ¡°It¡¯s because that asshole basically owns the school. So, they went easy on her,¡± Max hissed. I went back to the academy center; I wanted to blow off some steam in the arena. If I didn¡¯t, somebody was going to get hurt. ¡°Alpha Enzo! Do you have a moment?¡± I paused when I saw the Art teacher, Miss Grace, standing outside her ssroom. I really didn¡¯t want to have a conversation with anybody, but I didn¡¯t have a real excuse to give her. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, joining her in her ssroom. ¡°I just wanted to thank you for being so kind to one of my students, L. She really looks up to you and I admire that so much. To be honest, I was a little surprised that you let her paint you for her project. But it came out so well!¡± I frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? Paint me?¡± She narrowed her eyes, a frown forming on her lips. ¡°Um, yes,¡± she said, furring her brows together. ¡°Did you not give her permission to paint you? She said you were aware of it and encouraged her.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± There was hesitation for a moment but then she turned and walked toward the row of covered paintings until she reached one of the biggest ones in the center. She unveiled the painting and my heart plummeted into my stomach at the sight of it. It was a painting of me. It was my portrait. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Enzo¡¯s POV This portrait was supposed to be a gift to my mother, and she used it for her art project. Was this her n this whole time? Did she ever intend to give this portrait back to me? How could she think this was okay? Now everyone was going to think I gave her special favors. The look Miss Grace was giving me was of concern; it was clear she had no idea that I was blindsided like this. If I told her the truth, then L would get in trouble, and she would fail this ss. Painting meant a lot to her as an Art major. I couldn¡¯t take that away from her. ¡°Oh yes,¡± I said, taking a step away from the painting. ¡°I forgot she painted that. It was a while ago. Good for her though for getting a good grade.¡± Miss Grace rose her brows. ¡°So, you really did permit her to use this painting as her project? You¡¯re okay with this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think L is the type to lie, do you? I¡¯ve only been her professor for a short time, but she seems like a good student. I¡¯m d she looks up to me as not only her professor but an Alpha too.¡± Miss Grace seemed to have rxed at my words, which was exactly my goal. ¡°I should get going though. Thank you for informing me of this,¡± I said as I turned away and walked toward the door. ¡°Be gentle on our mate,¡± Max warned. ¡°There might be an exnation.¡± ¡°Whatever this exnation is¡­ it better be good.¡± ¡­ Categories Search¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°L? Are you okay?¡± Rachel asked, peering over at me as I leaned against the wall. I was suddenly feeling incredibly dizzy. My heart was racing quickly in my chest. It¡¯s been a couple of hours since the trial ended, and Sarah had just left the campus with her father. I didn¡¯t eat or drink anything all night, so maybe that was why I was feeling sick. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and reached for the nearby chair. We were in the student lounge and students were beginning to fill the area. Rachel helped me get to a seat; I could see the concern in her eyes as she sat next to me. ¡°Just breathe,¡± she coached. ¡°What got you feeling this way? You were fine a few minutes ago?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I said, shaking my head and trying to get my thoughts clear. I just felt like I had this overwhelming sensation lurking inside of me, begging to be released. But how could I exin that to Rachel? ¡°Could it be the full moon?¡± She asked, I raised my brows and met her eyes. ¡°I know that can affect a werewolf. This is your first full moon as a full wolf. Maybe you¡¯re having a reaction to it.¡± ¡°It makes sense,¡± Val agreed. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s our Vna abilities surfacing and building up.¡± Oh no. Could it be because I¡¯m a Vna? What did that even intel? Before I could ask my wolf any questions, I started to feel electricity jolting from my fingertips. I gasped, hiding my hands behind my back before Rachel had the chance to see them as well. I tried not to look like I was in pain, but the electricity was powerful against my flesh. This wasn¡¯t good. If I couldn¡¯t control my powers in this lounge, that meant that everybody in here was going to be in danger. ¡°I have to go,¡± I said quickly; I stood up, startling Rachel. ¡°We just got here¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said as I ran toward the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter!¡± I knew she was calling after me, but I was long gone and I wasn¡¯t nning on stopping. ¡­ Third Person POV Back in Elysium, in the Nova Packhouse, Selene finished cooking dinner for her twin children. It was only the three of them this evening. Bastien was spending the night in Hig. It wasn¡¯t often that Selene got to spend this much time alone with her other children, so she made it a point to make their favorite foods for a small feast. They both seemed to enjoy it because they gobbled it up quickly. The twins, Corrine, and Flynn named after Selene¡¯s mother, and Bastien¡¯s best friend, who sadly passed away, were splitting images of Bastien. They both had the same beachy blonde hair and blue eyes. It made Selene smile looking between the two of them. She was proud of all her children. L was working on her career as an artist; she also has a strong goal of protecting Vna wolves from those who wish them danger. She¡¯s been learning to strengthen herbat skills even though she¡¯s already so good at it. Pretty soon, she will have to work to strengthen her Vna abilities as well. The world is still such a scary ce for Vna to lurk. ise still has men that support him long after his death. They wish to cause harm to Vnas, and it makes Selene much more worried for L¡¯s safety. But she also knows that L can handle her own. Flynn has been working hard to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps. He¡¯s going to be the next Alpha once Bastien retires. Corrinne was working alongside Donovan to be a gamma warrior. She wishes to protect Flynn during his journey as Alpha and be his number one warrior. It makes Selene proud to see her children following the same path and sticking together during this journey. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. But still, a ping of anxiety surfaced in Selene¡¯s stomach as she watched the twins finish their meals. She frowned, ncing out therge window that overlooked the night sky. The moon wasrge and full, shining down on Elysium and lighting everything up. It would have been a peaceful night, but something didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°Mom?¡± Corrine asked, peering up at her. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± That wasn¡¯t a question she knew the answer to. She thought about calling L, but there was something inside of her telling her not to. She knew that tonight was L¡¯s first full moon as a full wolf; she wondered if this was going to mess with L¡¯s abilities as well. She hasn¡¯t trained in how to control them yet and this could be a challenge for her. ¡°Mom?¡± Corrine said again, worry in her tone. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± she lied as she stood to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to be leaving for the evening. Uncle Aiden will be here if you need anything.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Flynn asked, watching as Selene made her way to the doorway. ¡°I need to make sure your sister is okay.¡± ¡­ It didn¡¯t take long for Selene to reach the academy. The wind was incredibly powerful the closer Selene got. She traveled in her wolf form and as the academy came into view, she paused. This feeling in the pit of her stomach grew that much more overwhelming. ¡°She¡¯s not at the school,¡± her wolf eximed. ¡°The woods!¡± In the distance, there was a woond area. There was a dark aura circling it, and the moonlight appeared to be extra strong in that area. Selene, in her wolf form, sprinted as fast as she could until she reached the opening of the forest. She walked inside, she realized it wasn¡¯t a dark aura circling the forest, it was shadows. Sitting in the center of these rapidly moving shadows, with her knees pressed to her chest and tears falling down her features, was L. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 L¡¯s POV I didn¡¯t know where else to go other than the forest. As soon as the electricity left my fingers and the shadows lifted from the ground, I knew I needed to iste myself until it ended. I covered my head and ran from the school; I needed to get far away. But not too far. I still needed to be in a reachable area in case I needed somebody. What I wouldn¡¯t give to have my mother with me right now. She would know exactly what to do at this moment. I couldn¡¯t stop the tears from falling down my face. This was humiliating. I am L. The daughter of Bastien and Selene. I was good at so much stuff and rarely failed. So, why was I struggling with this thing that¡¯s supposed to be a part of who I am? Val had no answers for me which worried me that much more. Was I seriously just on my own with this? I felt a little better when I reached the forest. I kicked off my shoes and crouched to the ground. I felt ground, surrounded by woond trees and dirt. My toes sunk into the dry dirt; I felt in touch with nature. The forest always made me feel safer even before I got my wolf. The dirt helped keep the electricity in my body, but not much more. The shadows were still emerging from the ground, circling me. It felt like they were growingrger, surrounding the entire forest. My heart was racing heavily in my chest. What if I couldn¡¯t stop this? Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Categories Search¡­ The intensity of the moonlight was almost too much for me to handle. I had to duck my head in myp to shield my eyes from the bright rays. More tears pooled in my eyes. Val was busy trying toe up with a solution, and I was starting to feel hopeless. ¡°L?¡± I heard the familiar andforting sounds of my mother¡¯s voice emerging through the darkness. The moonlight danced off her bright and worried features, reflecting her lc and blue eyes. A frown was ced on her lips as she neared me. ¡°Mom?¡± I asked hoarsely. ¡°Oh, L bean,¡± she breathed, picking up her pace. She kneeled on the ground before me, reaching her hands out to grasp mine. ¡°Just breathe, L. It¡¯s going to be okay. Just take in a deep breath,¡± she said as she took in a deep breath herself. I met her eyes and I saw how the worry was lessening in her gaze. Her hands were warm, which sent a warmth through my body. Having her here wasforting; for a moment, I didn¡¯t believe she was actually here. I thought maybe she was a figment of my imagination. Or maybe I summoned her? How did she know I needed her here? ¡°L¡­¡± she instructed, her tone firm as she kept her eyes locked on mine. ¡°Take in a deep breath.¡± I did as she said, taking a much-needed deep breath. I realized at that moment that I wasn¡¯t sure I was breathing until that point at all. The deeper breaths I took, the calmer my body became. Once my body was calm, the shadows started to take form in the ground once again and the moonlight rays weren¡¯t as intense. ¡°There you go,¡± she said fondly with a kind smile. ¡°If you lose control of your emotions, your abilities will be harder to manage. It¡¯s important to stay calm and keep breathing during these situations¡­.¡± I nodded, blinking away the stray tears that had formed in my eyes. I was so happy to see her. She really was here. ¡°Oh, Mom,¡± I cried, throwing my arms around her and burying my face in her chest. The sound of her heartbeat wasforting as she held me close. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t prepare you for this,¡± she whispered in my ear. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad. But now that I know you have your full abilities, I can help you. I can coach you¡­¡± ¡°You can?¡± I sniffled, peering up at her. She gave me a softugh and nodded. ¡°Of course, L. Do you think I learned how to manage my abilities on my own? I had a wonderful friend who helped me. You were still so little, but she was a good friend of mine. She was a witch. She taught me about my abilities and coached me through how to use them.¡± I vaguely remember a woman my mother used to hang out with, and I remembered sensing such a strong powering from her whenever she was around. But the memory was distant. ¡°You aren¡¯t alone, and you don¡¯t have to do this alone,¡± my mother assured me. She cupped my face in her hands and brought my gaze up to meet hers. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too,¡± I said in return. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L wasn¡¯t in the lunchroom or the student lounge. It was nearing dinner time and she was nowhere to be seen. It didn¡¯t even smell like she was on campus. Where could she have gone to? It was infuriating that she thought it was okay to use my portrait as her school project. She must have been out of her mind. I spent time practicing mybat skills in the arena before I went to search for her. I needed to blow off steam so I didn¡¯t lose my temper. She might have been fierce, but she was also fragile and if I lost my temper, it would probably make her cry. However, I couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. I saw her roommate, Reba, in the student lounge, and her friend Ba in the cafeteria. There were a few other girls I¡¯ve seen L hanging out with as well in the cafeteria. But L wasn¡¯t among them. Wherever she was, she was in huge trouble with me. It wouldn¡¯t be long before I started getting questioned about that portrait. Miss Grace was already questioning me. ¡°Alpha Enzo. We picked up a foreign scent in the nearby forest in our pack. It might be a lead on who attacked your mother. Should we follow the scent and find out where it¡¯sing from?¡± Beta Ethan mindlinked me. I thought about it for a moment before answering him. This might be a distraction that I needed right now. I was going to drive myself crazy sitting here. Besides, I just finished myst ss an hour ago so it¡¯s not like I had anything better to do. ¡°I¡¯ll be returning this evening. I want to investigate my mother¡¯s attacking myself. Whoever attacked her, is going to pay the cost. They will have to answer to me.¡± Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Enzo¡¯s POV Beta Ethan was right, their scent was strong in the forest that surrounded the Calypso pack. It reeked of outsiders, and I knew that scent all too well. They were my father¡¯s followers; at least a couple of them. They had no reason to be lurking around my pack, they knew they weren¡¯t wee here. They knew I would tear them from limb to limb if I saw them with my own eyes. But yet, their scent is fresh. They were staking out. Waiting. But waiting for what? A heard a twig cracking as I continued my search in the forest. I¡¯ve been out here for hours and haven¡¯te across a single wolf. It was bingte, or early. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the sun began to rise. I¡¯m not sure they would stick around in the broad daylight. It was the night of the full moon so wolves were typically stronger when the moon shined down upon them. I certainly felt stronger. Max wasn¡¯t going to give up until we found those assholes though. He was hot on their trail; sniffing and searching every corner of the forest. We came across a dark cave; the cave reeked of outsider fur. Max growled fiercely; his sharp teeth revealed in his long and narrow mouth. Fury was boiling through my body. It was the same scent I smelled on my mother from after her attack. This had to have been the hideout of these wolves. ¡°About time you showed up,¡± a dark voice emerged from the shadow region. Categories Search¡­ I lowered my head, getting ready to lunge if necessary. ¡°You have no right to be on our property,¡± I said through gritted teeth. ¡°You know you are no longer wee here.¡± I recognized the wolf that came to greet me. He was once a pack member but was told to leave once I came into power. He did the pack no favors and tried to turn everyone against outsiders such as rogues and Vna. I wasn¡¯t going to have any part of that considering my mother was both. ¡°This was once my home if you don¡¯t remember,¡± he sneered in return. ¡°I have every right to be here like any other of your pack members.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been a pack member in a long time, Bruce,¡± I said, trying to keep my temper under control. ¡°Why have you returned?¡± ¡°Because I can sense my pack is in trouble. You¡¯ve been bringing around a Vna wolf¡ª¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your pack¡­ it¡¯s my pack. Whom I bring here isn¡¯t any of your concern.¡± ¡°There are some wolves in this pack that I still consider family and vice versa. They tell me things, Enzo. They tell me that there is a young Vna that has been staying in your packhouse. They tell me they can sense her abilities and they fear for their lives. They asked me to run and take care of the problem.¡± That didn¡¯t make any sense. There was no way in hell anyone in his pack would reach out to someone who causes trouble. Someone of my father¡¯s following. Everybody in the pack seemed to love L. Even the children adore her. Bruce had to have been lying. ¡°What are you really doing here?¡± I asked, curling my lips up in disgust. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? How else would I know to return here? Right when you bring that Vna around. How did you think I knew to be here, Enzo?¡± I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised; I knew bringing L around and being around her would put her in danger. ¡°I¡¯m d I dide back when I did. I didn¡¯t realize how bad it was. You have Vna wolvesing out of your ass,¡± Bruce spat, shaking his long and narrow wolf head in disgust. ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°There was a woman lurking around the rogue territory. She was older and didn¡¯t look like a standard Vna. But she reeked like one.¡± My mother. ¡°You were the one who beat her?¡± I asked, feeling a rise of anger in my chest, boiling across my features. The smirk that Bruce had on his face was the answer I needed. Before he had the chance to say anything, I lunged. He didn¡¯t seem surprised by my attack; in fact, it was like he was expecting it. He swung his ws out at me, only missing me by a hair. I was too fast for him. I growled loudly into the night sky, ripping at his throat with myrge canines. The earth shook under the intensity of our weight. I shoved him hard to the ground, ripping through his fur with my ws. He growled loudly, using his body weight to kick me off him. I stumbled backward but managed to recover myself with ease. ¡°You¡¯ve gone in deep,¡± Bruce hissed. ¡°Your father would be disgusted with you.¡± ¡°Good thing I don¡¯t care what my father thinks,¡± I said in return, lunging at him once again. This time he cackled. ¡°You should; if you want to follow in his footsteps and be the best Alpha there is.¡± ¡°I will never be anything like my father,¡± I vowed loudly. ¡°He isn¡¯t a man I will ever look up to. As for you and your men¡­ you are not wee in my pack.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Bruce hissed, swinging at me again. This time he managed to connect with my wolf¡¯s face. I tasted blood in my mouth but that wasn¡¯t going to stop me from getting a few more whacks in. I lunged again, knocking him to the ground. He winced in pain as my ws dug into his shoulder de. The more I stared into his dark eyes, the angrier I grew. At that moment, I was thinking a lot about my mother. The pain she went through because of this asshole. The torment of the beating; the fear she must have felt. It was all because of this jerk. I wanted to make him pay for all the damage he had done to her. I wasn¡¯t going to let him get away with this. I growled, echoing through the forest as I ran my teeth down. I was only inches away from biting through his neck when I felt a sharp pain in my back, making its way to my stomach. I screamed out in pain as the wind knocked from me. I stumbled off him just as he startedughing and I realized quickly that he wasn¡¯t alone. There was a man in his human form standing behind me. My vision was starting to grow blurry. I stared down at my stomach and saw the pointed end of a dagger sticking out of it. Somebody had stabbed me in the back and it was showing through my stomach. I poked the dagger with my fingertip and more pain jolted through my body. I screamed out as I fell to the ground. I realized quickly that I had shifted back into my human form, involuntarily. I had been stabbed numerous times in the past, but it never hurt quite like this before. What the hell? Bruce and his friend stood before me, staring down at me with grinning faces before they took off through the forest. ¡°The dagger¡­¡± Max howled, trying to contain his own breath; he was growing weaker by the moment and his voice was getting more distant. ¡°The dagger¡­ It¡¯s made of pure¡­ silver¡­Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 L¡¯s POV I woke up with a start, ncing around my dark dorm room. It wasn¡¯t like I had a bad dream or anything, but it certainly felt like I had. A feeling like this had never happened before. I nced over at the clock, frowning that it was only 3 am. I nced over at Rachel from across the room and saw that she was sleeping soundly in her bed. My mother had left hours ago to return to Elysium, but I told her I would be going there over the weekend to work on practicing using my abilities. She told me as long as I keep calm, I can control them. I thought maybe this was just my abilities resurfacing, so I took a deep breath. It wasn¡¯t until Val woke that I realized it wasn¡¯t my abilities that were causing this feeling. Val¡¯s words only confirmed my fears. ¡°It¡¯s our mate,¡± she gasped. ¡°Something is wrong!¡± ¡­ I don¡¯t know how I knew where he was. I shifted into my wolf form and allowed Val to take me to the Calypso pack. We raced through the quiet streets until we were enclosed in the Calypso Forest. His scent was all over the ce and it was so intoxicating. I had to stop for a moment to gather my thoughts, but then I smelled the fresh scent of blood and I knew I didn¡¯t have time to sit and think any longer. My heart was racing so wildly, I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. I heard the soft sounds of groaning as I continued through the forest. Val knew exactly where to go and then we stopped when we saw him. Enzo was leaning against the tree, and it seemed the color in his face was draining before my eyes. Categories Search¡­ I realized that his shirt was covered in blood. Even as weak as he looked, he was ripping his shirt off his body, revealing the gaping and darkening wound on his stomach. That¡¯s when I saw the dagger sticking out of his back. With trembling fingers, he pulled the dagger out and screamed in pain. The wound was giant and filled with so much blood, but I also saw that it was turning ck around the Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. edges. My heart squeezed violently in my chest. I waspletely frozen as I stared down at him. I don¡¯t think he had noticed me yet and if he had, he wasn¡¯t paying me any attention. He was attempting to stop the bleeding with his ripped shirt but to no prevail. The dagger clinked to the ground. ¡°It was a silver dagger¡­¡± Val whimpered painfully. Silver daggers were terminal for wolves, even Alphas. Although, a normal would have been dead by now. Alphas were stronger though and could fight a little longer. I thought back to earlier when my mother taught me a few abilities that I had. She said our powers were healing and we give off an energy that could heal the toughest wolf. I didn¡¯t have a lot of practice with it, but I needed to try. I finally found motion in my legs again and I moved closer to him. His eyes finallynded on me, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He asked in a pained voice. He didn¡¯t want me to see him like this and I couldn¡¯t me him. I knelt in front of him and reached my hands out to him, cupping his broad face in the palms of my hands to get him to meet my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you,¡± I assured him, keeping my tone calm. ¡°I just need you to rx.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± he seethed through his teeth. ¡°You weren¡¯t just stabbed with a silver dagger.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going to tell me who did this to you once I¡¯m done,¡± I told him firmly. Whoever did this was going to have to answer my wolf now. He looked like he was about to protest, but another wave of pain coursed through his body. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was in agony. His heart was racing, and I worried it was going to stop altogether. I swallowed hard and ced my hands over his wound. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I felt the warmth of the moonlight dancing off my features. I thought about the healing energy that circtes my body and warms my fingertips. I thought about the moon goddess blessing me with a gift to save my mate. I thought about his wound getting smaller. His body seemed to have rxed and gone limp. His breathing seemed to have slowed as well. Then, he gasped. I dropped my hands to my sides and opened my eyes, amazed that it worked! His wound waspletely gone. He was staring at his stomach in awe before he raised his gaze to meet mine. ¡°You just saved me¡­¡± he breathed, still in awe over my abilities. Tears filled my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t help the stupid smile that spread across my face. I just felt so relieved. I let out a small sob and augh as I sat against the tree beside him, finally able to rx my own body. ¡°Yeah, I guess I did,¡± I responded after a moment. ¡°How did you know you could do that?¡± He asked, peering over at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Vnas could heal.¡± ¡°It was something my mother taught me,¡± I exined. After a beat of silence, I asked, ¡°Who did this to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important,¡± he muttered, standing to his feet. I raised my brows as I stood to my feet as well. He started to pick up his shirt off the ground and walk in the direction of the clearing. ¡°They almost killed you,¡± I said, following behind him. ¡°It kind of seems important.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not worth our time. Hopefully, they won¡¯t be back for a while.¡± I paused when I realized something. ¡°Was it who attacked your mom?¡± I asked. ¡°Is that who stabbed you? Was it the same wolf?¡± He paused as well; his silence was all the answer I needed. ¡°In what direction did they go?¡± I asked, feeling a wave of fury boiling through me. He snapped me a look and I saw anger shing in his eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to do anything. You are going to stay clear of them. Understood?¡± He seethed. His tone was dark and sent a chill down my spine; I knew better than to argue with him. But these monsters couldn¡¯t get away with this. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do anything?¡± I asked; I couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment in my tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± he said, turning away from me and walking toward the packhouse. ¡°Then, why can¡¯t I help?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not your battle, L,¡± he said; he was sounding annoyed now. I knew better than to press him. He paused in his tracks, making me run into him. I looked up, startled by the quick stop. ¡°I saw my portrait in the art room earlier,¡± he said coldly. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°I can exin¡­¡± ¡°Exin why a portrait that was meant as a gift to my injured mother is sitting in the art room waiting to be submitted to the art exhibit?¡± ¡°I was going to tell you¡­¡± ¡°Tell me how you used me to get an A on your project?¡± I was surprised by his usation and a little hurt. He really thought I would use him like that? ¡°It was a mistake,¡± I exined, shaking my head at him. ¡°I grabbed the wrong painting. I had another portrait I was going to present. A family portrait. But I grabbed yours instead¡­¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to correct that mistake? Instead, you lead Miss Grace to believe that I gave you permission to present my portrait as your project. You lied to her and left me to clean up the mess.¡± Clean up the mess? Oh, goddess. What did he do? I lowered my gaze, feeling an overwhelming sense of dread. I was going to fail this ss and make Enzo hate me. My heart was so heavy. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to upset you,¡± I breathed, keeping my eyes fixated on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll apologize to Miss Grace first thing in the morning. Maybe it¡¯s not toote to submit my actual project.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother; she already thinks my portrait is your project. The damage is done.¡± He turned away again and began to walk. I stood my ground, confused. ¡°I thought you said you cleaned up the mess,¡± I called after him. ¡°I did,¡± he muttered. ¡°I confirmed your lie and told her I gave you permission.¡± He paused and nced over his shoulder, staring at my stunned face. ¡°Now we are even.¡± Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Enzo¡¯s POV Her powers were truly incredible. I could no longer feel the sting of the dagger and the wound was completely healed. It was as if it was never there, to begin with. L used her powers so casually as if she¡¯s done it a thousand times before, but I¡¯m beginning to realize that maybe she hasn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t say anything after I told her that she could use my portrait for her project; she trailed after me silently, keeping her head down. But I could sense that she was pleased. Max praised me for my generosity toward her. A small smile was tugging at her lips, but she was stifling it. She was afraid to show me any kind of emotion. I suppose I haven¡¯t been making it very easy for her. Encountering the wolf who attacked my mother was only proof that L wasn¡¯t safe, and I needed to do whatever I could to keep her safe. Even if it means rejecting her. ¡°Funny how you haven¡¯t rejected her yet,¡± Max teased. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for the right time,¡± I say to him in return, but even I don¡¯t believe my words. I wasn¡¯t sure why I couldn¡¯t bring myself to reject her. Every time she was around, my brain would just forget for a moment that I needed to reject her and be done with it. I would forget the dangers that swirled around us every time I was near her. ¡°Have you ever thought that maybe being close to her is what¡¯s going to keep her safe?¡± Max asked. ¡°Why would you want to be far away from her? You won¡¯t be able to protect her that way.¡± ¡°She has a less chance of being found out if I don¡¯t hang around her. These men are constantly on my trail, watching my every move. If they see L, especially if they find out she¡¯s my mate, then they would do anything they can to get to her. I won¡¯t let that happen. As far as they know¡­ L means nothing to Categories Search¡­ me.¡± At that point, I realized L had stopped walking. It was like she had heard my thoughts. Could that be another Vna wolf ability? Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. I stared around her sunken face; she lifted her gaze to meet mine. ¡°I¡¯ll make you another portrait,¡± she said softly. ¡°Come by the art room tomorrow evening and we can get started. ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°I¡¯m really d you decided to submit your project to the art exhibit,¡± Miss Grace said with a fond smile. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a huge hit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s if it gets epted,¡± I reminded her. ¡°It¡¯s one out of hundreds of submissions. Do you really think I have a shot?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°I really do.¡± At sat in front of my nk canvas; it was after hours. ¡°You should get something to eat and rest,¡± Miss Grace said as she grabbed the coat off her desk chair. ¡°I will in a bit, I just want to finish some stuff up,¡± I told her. It wasn¡¯t odd for me to stay longer than Miss Grace. Sometimes I would lock up for her; she trusted me enough to do so. She smiled and nodded as she handed me the keys to the art room. ¡°Just put the keys in the usual spot for me,¡± she told me as she walked towards the door. ¡°Have a good night, Miss Grace,¡± I said to her kindly. ¡°You as well, L.¡± She was gone without another word. I turned back to the canvas frowning; I was ready to repaint Enzo, but I needed him here as a model before I began. I told him to meet me here after hours, but he didn¡¯t confirm if he would be there or not. ¡°He didn¡¯t deny it either,¡± Val reminded me. ¡°Have some faith in our mate. He will show up.¡± I wanted to believe her, but a part of me didn¡¯t. A part of me knew how badly Enzo couldn¡¯t stand being around me. I could tell by the way he looks at me and how he acts around me. He didn¡¯t want me as his mate; he didn¡¯t want me as his anything. I suppose that wasn¡¯t a bad thing; I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted him either. He wasn¡¯t what I thought having a mate would be like. I wanted a redo. As time grewter, I realized I was right, Enzo wasn¡¯t going to show up. I could feel Val¡¯s pure disappointment as I started to pack up my things. But then the art room door creaked open, and I got a familiar scent in my nose. Val perked up instantly, wagging her tail like she was amon dog. I could feel her excitement, which made me excited as well. Enzo stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame, and pouring his dark gaze into mine. For a moment, I had forgotten how to breathe. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were going toe,¡± I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t,¡± he said in return. ¡°But then I thought about my mother and how badly she wanted that portrait. I figured it¡¯s the least you could do.¡± He walked into the room, closed the door behind him, and made his way toward me. I cleared my throat, ced my things back down, and sat in front of my canvas. I pointed to the empty chair on the other side of the canvas. ¡°You can sit there,¡± I told him. He did so without hesitation, crossing his leg over the other and entwining his fingers. It was the same pose as the other portrait. I began to work quickly and effectively. I didn¡¯t want to linger too long after hours in the art room, but I also wanted this portrait to be just as good, if not better, than thest one. I traced all his features with a pencil before I went in with some paint. As I got to his lips, my eyes lingered on his actual lips for a long while. They were so full and the memory of kissing them invaded my mind. My heart began to race quickly as I pulled my eyes away from his face and started painting on the canvas. The silence between us grew thick as I continued to work and then he spoke, which surprised me more than anything. ¡°How long have you been into art?¡± I nced over at him briefly before continuing. ¡°For as long as I could remember,¡± I answered. ¡°My mother taught me to draw when I was young, and I wanted to be able to capture everything I could. Pictures don¡¯t do justice; they¡¯re only pixels. A painting is like looking through someone else¡¯s eyes and seeing what they see.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s what you want to do with your life? Painting?¡± I raised my brows at his question; why was he showing interest suddenly? ¡°You act like that¡¯s a bad thing,¡± I said in return. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s the only thing I want to do. I want to do a lot of things. But I want to paint the journey ahead of me as well. I don¡¯t want to simply take pictures of everything I aplish and every road I take. I want to capture it on a canvas and put it in a gallery for everyone to see and enjoy. I want them to see the world through my eyes.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything in response to that. I soon finished the portrait anyways, so it didn¡¯t really matter. I stood to my feet, pleased with myself as I turned the portrait to face him so he could see it as well. He stayed in his seat, and I stood next to him; he was quiet for a long while, processing what he was seeing. I couldn¡¯t tell from his facial features if he liked it or not. He was just¡­ quiet. ¡°What do you think?¡± I finally asked. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± I was relieved to hear that and made that known when I sighed and rxed my body. ¡°Can I ask you a question now?¡± I asked, peering down at him; he remained in his chair, but he nced up at me with almost curiosity in his gaze. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t want me as your mate¡­¡± I found myself saying before I could stop myself. ¡°So, why haven¡¯t you rejected me yet?¡± He stared at me for a long while, trying to process my question. As soon as I asked, I regretted it. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I felt foolish and embarrassed. He hasn¡¯t rejected me yet, but he was certainly going to do so now. But then, his arm wrapped around my waist, and I was being pulled onto hisp before I could even grasp what was happening. I gasped as his lips neared mine and with a heated passion burning through his hungry eyes, he kissed me. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Enzo¡¯s POV What the hell was I doing? She just smelled so good, and she was standing so close to me. It was either this or my wolf lost control completely and I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. She did a beautiful job on my portrait; it was even better than thest one. Watching her hard at work was hypnotizing. The way she bit her bottom lip when she concentrated and stuck her tongue out a little to lick the top of her lip whenever she was pleased about something. The sparkle in her eyes showed just how much passion she felt for what she was doing. I couldn¡¯t help but ask her about it. I wanted to know what made her want to be an artist. I was more than impressed with her answer and it made me want to talk to her more about it. I knew she was good atbat, but her intelligence is beyond me. It made me want to bend her over the canvas and have my way with her. But I couldn¡¯t. But she was so close to me, and she was so proud of the work she had done. When she asked why I haven¡¯t rejected her, I didn¡¯t have an answer for her. I knew I should have rejected her, but I couldn¡¯t do it. I just wanted to have a small taste of her. That small kiss a few days ago wasn¡¯t good enough; I wanted more of her. I needed more of her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into myp with ease; she went willingly, despite being shocked. She let out a small gasp as I pressed my lips firmly against hers. For a moment, she remained still as I deepened the kiss, pressing my tongue against her closed mouth until her lips opened slightly, granting me ess. Categories Search¡­ Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Her breath was warm and smelled sweet; like fresh strawberries, she had just eaten. She doesn¡¯t wear makeup, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about getting lipstick on me. But her lips were just naturally soft. They were full and chewable as well; it made me desire her that much more. She wrapped her arms around my neck. cing the palms of her hands on the back of my neck to keep my head steady. She was enjoying this. Max was enjoying this. The member in my pants was enjoying this as well. I tucked my hand into the back of her shirt, cing my palms on her bare back, and tracing her long spine with my fingertips. She seemed to have rxed due to my touch, but I noticed goosebumps forming on her arms as well. It made me smile knowing I had such an effect on her. I bit onto her bottom lip, drawing it into my mouth and sucking on it like it was a piece of candy. She didn¡¯t resist me; she allowed me to do these things to her without question and without any hesitation. Her body trusted me. I moved my hand further up her back, bringing her shirt with it. I wanted to rip it off her body and have my way with her in this art room. My cock was getting harder as the anticipation grew throughout my body. I was growing excited to have her; my hunger and desires were only intensifying with every passing moment. She soon grew a little risky herself and poked her tongue out of her mouth; she wanted to explore me just as I explored her. I parted my lips, allowing them to go still so she could have full ess. But just as she did, the doorknob of the art room began to turn. We both went still for only a moment. I saw pure panic in her eyes as she realized what was happening. She quickly jumped up from myp and adjusted her shirt; I remained seated, not worried, or bothered by the least. If there was one thing, I knew about this school was that people here were unable to comprehend normal social cues. As long as neither of us was undressed, there wasn¡¯t anything we needed to worry about. It was when we acted suspiciously that people would start questioning us. ¡°L?¡± The man at the door said, narrowing his eyes. It was Mr. Conley from the History ss; it was odd that he was in this section of the school. History is at the opposite end of the building. ¡°Professor?¡± Mr. Conley said as his eyes trailed over to me; there were questions in them, that much was clear. Questions I wasn¡¯t going to answer. ¡°Hello, Mr. Conley,¡± L tried to say as casually as she could, but her face was flushed, and her voice came out as a squeak. ¡°We were just leaving.¡± ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± Mr. Conley asked. ¡°It¡¯ste in the evening. Shouldn¡¯t you be with the other students in the dining hall for dinner?¡± ¡°I was just heading there now,¡± she said, turning to the canvas. ¡°Professor Enzo was just helping me with a project.¡± Mr. Conley nced at the portrait and raised his brows. ¡°You painted your professor for your art ss?¡± ¡°The assignment was to paint a noble role model outside of family,¡± she lied so easily. ¡°Enzo was the only one I could think of on short notice. He¡¯s the youngest Alpha and the bestbat teacher. I would have been stupid not to choose him.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Mr. Conley said, still in a questioning tone as he nced between the two of us. I remained in my seat, tugging at the grin that desperately wanted to appear on my lips. I was enjoying L¡¯s excuses and awkward behavior. I suppose I could have jumped in to help her, but I didn¡¯t feel the need to. ¡°Well, you should get to the dining hall before dinner ends. You need some nutrition,¡± Mr. Conley said, eyeing her carefully. ¡°I¡¯m on my way there right now,¡± she said with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the morning Professor Enzo.¡± She packed up her things quickly and without giving me another look, she left the room. Mr. Conley stayed behind for a moment longer to look at me. There were still questions in his eyes, but he said nothing as he too turned away and left the room. I might have underestimated him. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I was surprised the next morning when I went into thebat arena and saw that Professor Connie was still there. She wore a tight outfit that revealed half her stomach and ended just under her breasts. She wore tight sweatpants, perfect forbat. Her long hair was pulled out of her face and into a low, sleek, ponytail, revealing her bright and beautiful features. I almost forgot about her until I walked in and saw her standing where Enzo usually stands. Enzoes into the room momentster; he looked just as handsome as ever with his shirt off and his baggy sweatpants. He looked like he had just run a mile with the sweat glistening on his strong chest. He held a water bottle in his hands, and he took a swig of it as he walked through the crowd of students, past me, and took his position right beside Connie. My stomach formed a tight and ufortable knot. ¡°Listen up,¡± Enzo said to the students, and everyone silenced right away. ¡°Connie is contracted for a couple more days. So, until the contract of her substitution ends, we are going to be working together. You will have to answer to both of us. They were going to be working together? As partners? Chapter 38 Chapter 38 L¡¯s POV Enzo and Connie demonstrated a move together and it made me want to vomit on the spot. She had her back turned toward him and he wrapped an arm around her waist to spin her around to face him where he kept her in a headlock. She swung her leg around and did a spin to get free. They were so close to one another, and they worked so effortlessly. She was incredibly beautiful. I wondered how long they have known each other. ¡°L?¡± Ba said from beside me; I realized everybody was already performing this move and I was standing in the center of the arena, staring at Connie with a grimace. ¡°Are you ready to try the move?¡± ¡°Oh, yes,¡± I said, pulling my eyes away from Connie. However, I could still hear herughing loudly as she ced an arm on Enzo¡¯s bicep; he was saying something to her that was funny. Though he wasn¡¯tughing with her, she didn¡¯t seem to mind it. She stood close to him; her perfect figure was only inches from him, and she continued to speak and laugh. I felt my blood boiling; I clenched my fists, trying not to let it get the best of me. ¡°L?¡± Ba said again with a worried frown. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I lied. I turned to Ba who turned her back to me; I wrapped an arm around her waist to get ready to spin her when the sounds of Connie¡¯sughter made its way over to me once again. I closed my eyes, trying to center myself and tune out the sound, but to no prevail. I grabbed Ba¡¯s arm and spun her around quickly, not realizing how much force I used or that she was already dizzy. She nearly tripped on herself as I put her in a headlock. She said something I wasn¡¯t listening to because I was too busy listening to Connie flirting with Enzo. Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I also wasn¡¯t paying attention to the surge that was beginning to pulsate through my fingertips. Just as I went to grab her again before she could get out of the headlock, the electricity escaped my fingertips. It happened so quickly, yet it felt like it was in slow motion. Her entire body lit up as the bolts shot through her; her screams pierced the arena, shocking everybody including Enzo and Connie. I gasped as I released Ba¡¯s arm and watched her fall to the ground; nearly paralyzed from being electrocuted. The electricity was still bouncing off my fingertips. Everybody was backing away from me withrge and frightened eyes. There were fearful murmurs from those around me, but I couldn¡¯t hear them. Everything had gone silent. I couldn¡¯t pull my eyes away from Ba who remained lifeless on the ground. What had I done? ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­.¡± I finally found my voice, though it came out as an inaudible whisper. Enzo rushed past me and kneeled in front of Ba, cing his fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. ¡°Someone, call the infirmary. We need to get her there as soon as possible,¡± Enzo ordered over his shoulder. Connie was standing beside me when she pulled out her phone. I can¡¯t believe this happened. Ba¡­ Enzo was lifting her off the ground and walking with her out of the arena just in time for the tears to spill from my eyes. The electricity in my fingertips was gone. Connie turned away to talk to the infirmary on the phone when I noticed the others were still staring at me. Did they see the electricity too? They had to have seen it. ¡°What happened?¡± Someone finally asked, finding their voice. I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that question; I was too stunned to move or speak. I waspletely numb from head to toe. ¡°Did you do this to her? Why did she light up like that?¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but Connie¡¯s voice cut through, stepping in front of me to face the others. ¡°Get back to practice,¡± she ordered them. She nced at me. ¡°You should get to the infirmary.¡± There were zero emotions on her face, and I wondered if she knew what I had done. I felt nothing but shame; I had to leave before I began to sob. I turned away, finding the willpower to move my legs, despite them feeling like jelly. I made my way across the campus and to the infirmary where I saw Enzo standing outside the door and speaking to the nurse. They both turned and looked at me as I approached. ¡°I¡¯ll go check her out,¡± the nurse said in a low tone. ¡°But she might need the actual hospital. I can¡¯t promise that the police will let this go. They will be here soon.¡± Enzo lowered his gaze as she went back into the infirmary. The police? She had called the police? Of course, she had. A student was seriously injured during his ss; why wouldn¡¯t she call the police? What had I done? To not only Ba but Enzo as well. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Enzo finally said, keeping his eyes lowered and his tone emotionless. ¡°I wanted to check on her¡­¡± I said, trying to keep the pain out of my voice, but failing miserably. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough for right now.¡± ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± ¡°You should go¡­¡± he said, meeting my eyes. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°I wanted to¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do for her right now. She hasn¡¯t woken up; the nurse is looking at her as we speak, and she might need to be transferred to the hospital.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯s going to be okay?¡± I asked in a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to tell; she has a faint pulse, but it weakened even more by the time we got here,¡± he answered. ¡°Seriously, L. You need to leave.¡± He could hardly even look at me; he felt so much shame being around me, and he wanted nothing to do with me. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I choked back a sob. I didn¡¯t want him to see me so broken. I did something terrible; I was never going to forgive myself if something were to happen to her. There was a part of me that wondered if I could heal her just as I did with Enzo the other day. But with how my emotions are right now, I knew it would be better if I didn¡¯t try. I turned away, allowing a few stray tears to escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks. My heart hurt way too much. ¡­ The ambnce was outside the infirmary within the hour; I stayed a distance away, but I sat on a bench in the center of the campus, watching as they moved Ba from the infirmary and into the ambnce. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to walk away or attend my other sses. My entire body waspletely numb still; it was like it was no longer my own. I thought about calling my mom, but I knew she would be so disappointed in me. I couldn¡¯t face her after what I had just done. The police were also outside the infirmary, and they were speaking intently with Enzo for a long while. Periodically, Enzo would catch my eyes from across the campus. He knew I was sitting there and watching. He could feel my presence. After a long while, it finally quieted down and everyone went back to their duties. Connie managed to convince everyone that it wasn¡¯t me that did this to Ba and that something else happened that caused it. I was oddly grateful to her for that. After a couple of hours of sitting on the bench outside, I decided to go inside and back to the arena. I wondered if Enzo was still there and if he had a minute to talk. But as I got to the arena, I heard a couple of voicesing from inside. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, Enzo¡­ she¡¯s dangerous. She¡¯s a Vna wolf. I wish I had known this before. She has no business being at this school.¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 L¡¯s POV I took a step away from the door. I wasn¡¯t surprised by what I had just heard. But I suppose I was a little disappointed. I¡¯m sure Enzo was probably thinking the same thing; that I didn¡¯t belong at this school. That I caused nothing but pain and destruction wherever I went. I hurt mybat partner and friend. I wouldn¡¯t me her for never forgiving me. I could hear the murmurs continuing in the arena, but I didn¡¯t stick around to listen to the rest. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°How could you say that when you know what my mother is, Connie?¡± I asked in disbelief. Her face fell slightly. ¡°Your mother is different¡­ she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°L is top in her ss,¡± I said, interrupting her words. ¡°She¡¯s incredibly intelligent and great at what she does. I don¡¯t think she meant to hurt anybody. Just like my mother would never hurt anybody.¡± ¡°Why are you protecting her, Enzo?¡± Connie asked, peering up at me withrge and worried eyes. ¡°As many years as I¡¯ve known you, you¡¯ve never once stood up for anyone like this. You didn¡¯t even tell the cops about her.¡± ¡°Do you know who her father is? He would have my head if anything happened to that girl.¡± That wasn¡¯t the reason I was protecting her, but Connie didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°You saw what happened today. Imagine if that happened again? To someone else? Next time, it could be fatal.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Look, Connie. I understand your concerns, but this is my ss still and I protect my students, just like I protect my pack.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s quite noble of you,¡± Connie said. ¡°I just worry about my old friend, that¡¯s all.¡± I had known Connie since we were children. She was basically my sister. We had trained together and fought together on many asions. She was there for me to take care of my mother during many of her illnesses. ¡°How is Mom doing?¡± She asked, lowering her tone. She thought of my mother as our mother because of how long she¡¯s known us. ¡°She¡¯s recovering well,¡± I answered. ¡°She should be ready to return home in a few days.¡± ¡°To the rogue territory? She still won¡¯t move into your packhouse?¡± I shake my head. My mother was incredibly stubborn, but I understood why she didn¡¯t want to leave her home. ¡°She wants to be there to protect her people,¡± I exined. ¡°It would take a lot to get her to leave.¡± ¡°I was thinking about visiting her after work today. Want to join me?¡± Connie asked, raising her brows as she met my eyes. I wanted to bring my mother the portrait this afternoon, so I agreed to apany Connie to the hospital. ¡°Connie!¡± My mother said as soon as we entered the hospital room. Connie lowered herself onto her bed, grasping my mother¡¯s hands. ¡°I heard what happened. I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Connie breathed, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°I wish we could have protected you.¡± ¡°There was nothing you could have done, my dear,¡± my mom said, reaching her hand up and running it down the side of Connie¡¯s face. ¡°They would have found me one way or another and the oue would have been the same.¡± ¡°We can make sure this never happens to you again,¡± Connie said firmly, ncing over at me. I hadn¡¯t told them that I already confronted the bastard that did this; it would only bring them both worry. I didn¡¯t want to add to any stress. I heard some talking in the halls from a couple of doctors and nurses; it sounded like they were talking about electrocution. At that point, I remembered my student, Ba, was currently at this hospital. ¡°Excuse me for a minute,¡± I said, dismissing myself as I slipped into the halls. ¡°I had never seen an electrocution ident this severe before. She¡¯s lucky to be alive,¡± one of the doctors said in a hushed whisper. ¡°Has she woken yet?¡± The nurse asked. ¡°Not yet, and there¡¯s a chance she won¡¯t wake up at all.¡± ¡°Poor girl¡­¡± the other doctor breathed, gazing at the ground. ¡°Have the police been involved?¡± ¡°They were called to the scene, but they left shortly after they spoke to the professor. It seems they ruled it as a freak ident.¡± ¡°Something like this isn¡¯t a freak ident,¡± the nurse hissed. I decided to make himself known to them before they discussed this matter any further. I loudly cleared my throat, startling them. ¡°Alpha Enzo,¡± one of the doctors said, straightening his stance. ¡°We didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m inquiring about a student of mine¡­ Ba,¡± I said, staring around their paling faces. They all looked at one another before turning back to me. ¡°She¡¯s your student?¡± One of the doctors asked, swallowing the lump in his throat. I nodded my head once. ¡°How is she doing?¡± I asked again, looking between them all. ¡°She just got out of surgery, so it¡¯s a little too soon to tell,¡± he answered. ¡°She¡¯s still in aa, but her vitals are good, and everything seems to be functioning properly. She¡¯s very lucky to be alive.¡± ¡°Alpha, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡± the nurse began. ¡°How exactly did this happen? We¡¯ve heard it was in the middle of your ss¡­¡± ¡°Faulty wiring with one of the tools we were using,¡± I answered without hesitation. ¡°Just as I told the police, it was aplete ident and product failure. There will be awsuit against the manufacturer.¡± I pulled out a business card and handed it to one of the doctors. ¡°Give me a call and keep me updated on her condition,¡± I said, turning away from them. ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± they all said in unison. ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°Your father is heading to the hospital now to check on her condition,¡± my mom breathed into the phone. I clutched the phone close to my ear as I curled up in bed. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to worry too much about this until we know everything,¡± she continued softly. ¡°Oh Mom¡­ it was just so awful,¡± I said in return. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I did that¡­¡± ¡°It was because you lost control of your emotions. What got you feeling that way, L Bean?¡± I couldn¡¯t tell her the truth; I couldn¡¯t tell her it was because of my jealousy toward Connie and her rtionship with my mate. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the very thought of it. ¡°I guess I just got in my head a little,¡± I said; I was aware that wasn¡¯t an answer, but she didn¡¯t press any further. ¡°You should get some rest,¡± she sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day and you won¡¯t do any good if you¡¯re sleep deprived.¡± She was right; I was exhausted, but I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d be able to sleep. Not until I knew if Ba was going to be okay. Rachel wasn¡¯t back yet, which meant she was off with the guy she¡¯s been seeing thesest few weeks. ¡°Good night; I love you,¡± I said to my mom. ¡°I love you, L. Forever and always.¡± I hung up the phone just as more tears ran down my features. I sniffled and wiped them away with the back of my sleeve when my phone started to ring again. I didn¡¯t recognize the number, but I answered it anyway. It could have been the hospital or something. ¡°Hello, is this Miss L?¡± A woman said on the other end of the phone. ¡°Yes, speaking,¡± I answered, trying not to sound too broken. ¡°Hello, this is Cassidy-Anne, I¡¯m the owner of the Hig Art Gallery. How are you doing this evening?¡± I sat up in bed quickly. ¡°Hello, Miss Cassidy-Anne. I¡¯m well. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good as well. I apologize for calling at thiste hour, but I couldn¡¯t wait to reach out and speak to you for myself. I received your submission and I¡¯m taken aback by the glorious portrait of Alpha Enzo you have created. I must ask, why did you create a painting of him?¡± I scrambled to find the right thing to say. ¡°The project topic assigned to me was to paint a role model who wasn¡¯t family. Alpha Enzo is not only the bestbat and shifting professor at the Shifting Academy, but he¡¯s also the youngest Alpha. He works the hardest out of everyone I know because he has a reputation to build and uphold. He¡¯s part of the Alpha Committee and works alongside my father and my father always has something positive to say about Alpha Enzo. It would have been foolish of me to choose anyone else as a role model.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a beautiful thing to say and I must say, I¡¯m incredibly impressed,¡± Cassidy-Anne said in awe. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°I am pleased to inform you, L, that I would like to feature your painting in the next art exhibit I am holding this weekend. Congrattions and I can¡¯t wait to finally meet the artist behind the portrait.¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 L¡¯s POV Today was the big day; my art piece was going to be shown to hundreds of people and I had never been more nervous in my entire life. My heart was racing rapidly in my chest as I stared myself over in the mirror that hung in my dorm room. I wore a casual evening gown and kept my hair down and slightly curled at the bottoms. I wanted a more business casual look. Rachel wore her usual ripped jeans and ck gaming blouse with her pixiestyle hair dyed purple. I liked her style; it was the opposite of my style and I think that¡¯s why we got along so well. I pressed the palm of my hands to my stomach, feeling a wave of nausea forming in my throat. ¡°Are you excited?¡± Rachel asked with a wide grin. ¡°I¡¯m terrified,¡± I admitted. ¡°And also, a little guilty¡­ I just wish Ba could be here too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel guilty. What happened to her wasn¡¯t your fault. Plus, she¡¯s going to be fine. She woke up yesterday, remember?¡± Rachel reminded me. It was true that Ba was going to be okay, and I was relieved to hear that when my father called me yesterday. It could have been bad. It also seems as though she has no memory of what happened. ¡°You¡¯ll have to take a lot of pictures for her,¡± Rachel said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m sure she would love to see them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m nning on visiting herter this evening,¡± I said, turning away from the mirror. ¡°I want to see for myself that she¡¯s truly okay.¡± ¡°I cane with you if you¡¯d like.¡± I shake my head, giving her a thankful smile. ¡°I think it¡¯s something I need to do by myself,¡± I tell her. Categories Search¡­ She nods with understanding as she stands from her bed. ¡°We should go to the exhibit though. It¡¯s starting soon and everybody is probably already there,¡± she said casually. She draped an arm through mine and pulled me alongside her. I took a deep breath, ignoring the nagging feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. The art gallery was bigger than I could have ever imagined. It didn¡¯t take long for us to get there because it was only a couple of miles from the academy. Instantly, I saw my mom and dad both smiling proudly at me as they rushed toward me. There were so many people that I felt overwhelmed. But I knew they weren¡¯t just here for me; there were so many other pieces of art to enjoy and mine was only a small part of it. But I saw my friends and family right away and they were all here for me. My mom wrapped her arms around me and held me close; I hadn¡¯t seen her since our time in the forest when she was training me on how to control my powers. ¡°Congrattions,¡± my father said, reaching his arms out to hug me as well. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you!¡± ¡°Have you talked to Ba?¡± I found myself asking him, keeping my tone low. He nodded but his face was unreadable. ¡°We will talk about itter, but for right now, Cassidy-Anne wishes to speak with you.¡± I couldn¡¯t wait to meet her too, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it was my father wanted to talk about. ¡°L!¡± Brianna says as she runs over to me, hugging me tightly. ¡°I just saw your painting! It¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bri,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I want to see it,¡± Rachel said, stepping toward Brianna who smiled and grabbed onto her arm. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show ya!¡± Bri said, pulling Rachel along with her. I couldn¡¯t help butugh at my two best friends. Cassidy-Anne was talking casually with some people as we approached, but when she saw me alongside my father, she quickly dismissed those she was talking to. ¡°You must be L,¡± Cassidy-Anne said. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to finally meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s honored,¡± I said, bowing my head slightly to her. ¡°I¡¯ve always loved your work. I can¡¯t believe you chose my portrait.¡± ¡°I would be stupid if I didn¡¯t,¡± she said, and then she lowered herself, so she was at eye level. ¡°And I¡¯m not stupid,¡± she winked. A smile spread across my face. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I said. ¡°After seeing your painting, I¡¯ve decided that I really want you to work for me,¡± Cassidy-Anne said with a twinkle in her eyes. I gasped at her words, staring at her in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯d start off as my assistant and then work your way to the top. I think you have what it takes to be the next big artist in the world. Of course, you will bepensated for your hard work, and we can work around your school schedule.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I breathed, staring between her and my father. This almost felt undeserving after what happened this past week, but I was in such awe I could hardly form words. ¡°Say you¡¯ll ept,¡± Cassidy-Anne said with a fond smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to be my assistant.¡± I looked at my father again who gave me a nod of encouragement. ¡°Yes, of course, I ept,¡± I said widening my smile. ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll text you the details in the morning and we can discuss when you start.¡± She paused as she nced behind me at a few different people. ¡°Excuse me, there¡¯s someone I need to speak with. It was lovely meeting you, L. I¡¯m sure we will talk more as the evening goes on.¡± ¡°Thank you again,¡± I said after her as she disappeared into the crowd. Before I could say anything to my father, I got a familiar sense that washed over me, causing Val to perk up instantly. I knew this feeling all too well. Enzo. He appeared through the crowd; it was like the crowd of people was creating a path for him to walk through as he made his way over to me. His face was hard to read, but that part wasn¡¯t what surprised me. What surprised me was the fact that he dressed up. Was he dressed up for me? Was he here to support me? ¡°Of course, he is!¡± Val cooed. We hadn¡¯t talked since before I heard him and Connie talking in the arena the other day. A knot formed in my stomach at the very thought of it. I didn¡¯t realize my father had already walked away until Enzo was directly in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you came,¡± I said, trying not to sound too awkward. ¡°I figured I should, considering it¡¯s my picture that hanging up,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. I felt my face reddening under the intensity of his stares. ¡°Right,¡± I said with a light chuckle. ¡°Ba is going to be okay, in case you were wondering,¡± Enzo said, eyeing me carefully. He didn¡¯t sound angry, but he didn¡¯t sound pleased either. ¡°I heard,¡± I tell him. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit herter.¡± ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± he agreed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t remember anything that happened.¡± I nodded, indicating that I knew that part too. I couldn¡¯t stand this awkward talk anymore; the memory of Connie invaded my mind every time I saw him, and it was destroying me on the inside. I cleared my throat and turned away from him. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to mingle with others,¡± I say to him as I walk through the crowd of people. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV For most of the night, L seemed to not have noticed me. Her painting of me hung beautifully on the featured wall, and she was talking with a bunch of others, including those I recognized as her friends and family. But she wouldn¡¯t look in my direction at all. I don¡¯t know why I found that to be incredibly irritating. I shouldn¡¯t want her attention, but I certainly didn¡¯t want her to ignore me either. She had finally nced over in my direction, but it was only briefly. Soon, she was walking through the crowd of people, and I couldn¡¯t help but follow her this time. Max was going crazy not being around her and I worried I would soon lose control of him. She walked around the corner and into the women¡¯s bathroom. What am I thinking? I asked myself as I checked behind me to make sure nobody was looking as I too shoved my way into the women¡¯s room. She was standing in the mirror, breathing heavily, and meeting her own eyes. She was alone in the bathroom, thankfully. I wasn¡¯t sure how I would exin why I was in the women¡¯s room to anyone else if they were to see me. She noticed me quickly and she looked shocked to see me standing before her. Before she could open her mouth and utter a single question, I was rushing toward her, lifting her onto the sink, her legs wrapped around me, and her pelvis pressed against mine; I firmly pressed my lips against hers.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 L¡¯s POV Everything happened so fast; my heart was racing at lightning speed as Enzo lifted me onto the sink. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around him; mainly to keep myself from falling off the sink, but also because it just felt right. I felt him between my legs, pressing himself against me and growing through his pants. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and felt his lips closing in around mine. I closed my eyes as he kissed me. His lips were so soft and inviting; everything about him was just so good. The way he smelled, the way he felt, the way my heart raced whenever I was around him, and I can¡¯t forget about the sweet bliss Val felt. I could feel her runningps in my mind¡¯s eye and howling in delight as Enzo continued the embrace. He bit onto my bottom lip and brought it into his mouth hungrily. At this moment, he wanted me as much as I wanted him. Nothing was in my mind; I didn¡¯t think about Connie or what she had said previously, and I wasn¡¯t thinking about how Enzo had treated me. Is this what it truly feels like to have a mate? His hands ran down my back, sending goosebumps across my flesh as he yed with the zipper on my dress. He wanted to take my dress off and I wanted to let him. Just as I heard the zipper being sent down my back, the door of the bathroom swung open, and I heard a loud gasp! Enzo jumped away from me like I was infected, and I found myself vulnerable on the sink, about to fall. Thankfully, he realized quickly what he had done and caught me before Ipletely fell to the ground. ¡°L?!¡± I heard a familiar voice as the door mmed shut andtched. I turned to see Brianna standing before us with wide and rmed eyes. Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± She breathed, staring between Enzo and me. ¡°Bri¡­¡± I said, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I struggled to get my zipper back up, something she had also noticed. She nced down and I realized that Enzo¡¯s manhood was very much still excited and still visible through his dress pants. He turned away from her and she broke her eyes from him to look at me. ¡°I can exin,¡± I tried to say; before I had the chance of saying anything, she turned away from me. I saw a sh of hurt on her face before she fully turned her body from me and that broke my heart more than anything. ¡°I need to go,¡± she muttered. I went to say something to her, but she had already run from the bathroom. I was breathing heavily; the shame was lying thick, and I couldn¡¯t even form the proper words. I looked up at Enzo with sad eyes and he met my gaze. ¡°You should go after your friend,¡± he muttered. He seemed casual and back to his normal self; I will never understand how he can do that so easily. He cleared his throat and without saying another word, he was also leaving the bathroom. I waited a couple of minutes before I left the bathroom too. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice my absence. Everybody was still cooing and gawking at the paintings. Cassidy-Ann was still talking to the same people she was before, and my father was talking to some of the other Alphas. Enzo was heading in their direction to join in on the conversation. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and went outside. I knew Brianna would be out there, probably waiting for her cab home. I found her standing at the curb with her hands folded across her bare arms. I knew she was crying without even looking at her face based on the sniffling and the small whimpering that I could hear as I approached. ¡°Bri¡­¡± I said in a low and calm tone, standing beside her I stared at her saddened side profile. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you.¡± ¡°Whom you get with is not my business¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°But I thought that as your best friend, you would tell me these things¡­¡± ¡°I know¡­ ¡°I breathed. ¡°It just kind of happened and¡ª¡± ¡°With your professor out of all people?¡± Bri said, shooting her tear-filled eyes at me. ¡°And an Alpha? Since when is that your thing, L?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my ¡®thing¡¯,¡± I muttered, shaking my head at the thought. ¡°I can¡¯t control whom I¡¯m mated with. Believe me¡­ I¡¯ve tried.¡± Her eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. ¡°Mate? ¡° She gasped. ¡°Alpha Enzo is your mate?¡± She said that a little too loudly, so I shushed her and covered her mouth with my hands. ¡°Nobody knows, Bri. You can¡¯t tell anybody,¡± I pleaded. She swiped my hand away but remained still as she stared around my desperate and serious face. ¡°You¡¯re being serious¡­¡± she whispered in awe. ¡°He¡¯s actually your mate¡­¡± I nodded my head once, keeping my eyes locked on hers. ¡°I wish I wasn¡¯t serious. This isn¡¯t how I envisioned my mate.¡± ¡°How could you not tell me?!¡± She said, the sadness was gone from her face and was reced with pure enjoyment and eagerness. She was happy about this news. ¡°I haven¡¯t told anybody,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of it. He doesn¡¯t want a mate and I don¡¯t know if I want him as my mate.¡± She rose her brows at my words. ¡°You both looked like you wanted each other very much a little bit ago,¡± she said, a smirk appearing on her lips. I felt my face warming and I nced down at my feet. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I told her with a quick shrug. ¡°He isn¡¯t the romantic type. He¡¯s not always nice to me¡­ he cares more about his work than anything else. I¡¯ve heard from everywhere that he doesn¡¯t want a mate because he finds them to be a distraction.¡± I paused for a moment as I met her eyes once again. ¡°I don¡¯t think he believes in love, Bri¡­¡± ¡°And you need someone who¡¯s as crazy about love as you are,¡± she said with a sigh; it wasn¡¯t a question. Brianna knew me better than anyone because we¡¯d known each other our whole lives. I should have told her about this to begin with and not hidden it from her. I didn¡¯t me her for being upset with me for that. She knew how important finding my mate was to me. I had envisioned the perfect romance and Enzo did not live up to that expectation. She had a sad look in her eyes when I nodded at her statement. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s more to him than you know,¡± Bri suggested with a kind smile. ¡°You never know unless you try.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to try.¡± ¡°That moment in the bathroom looked like he wanted to try,¡± Bri said, a sly smile spreading across her lips. ¡°It was a moment of weakness. His wolf was taking over, and I was losing control over mine. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something that¡¯ll happen again,¡± I told her with a sigh of my own. The sun was setting, and I had just remembered I wanted to visit Ba before visiting hours are over. ¡°Oh! I need to get to the hospital,¡± I said quickly, ncing back at the exhibit. I didn¡¯t want to leave without saying goodbye, but I was also cutting it close to visiting hours and needed to leave right away if I wanted to see her tonight. ¡°Go on,¡± Bri said, nudging me away from the exhibit. ¡°I¡¯ll cover for you.¡± I smiled, relieved, at her and then I hugged her tightly. ¡°Thank you,¡± I breathed. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Love you too, boo,¡± she said in return just as we parted ways. ¡°Call meter!¡± She shouted after me. ¡­ I managed to get to the hospital 30 minutes before visiting hours ended. When I got to Ba¡¯s room, she was lying in her bed and scrolling through her phone casually. I could hear the beeping of her heart monitor and it seemed steady. She had a couple of IVs in her arms, and she looked pale as a ghost. I felt sick knowing I did this to her. She nced up at me and her eyes widened as soon as I walked into the room. ¡°Ba¡­¡± I breathed, trying to hold back the tears I wanted to cry. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting what came out of her mouth. ¡°What did you do to me¡­?¡± ¡ª My dear readers, Thank you for stopping by and reading this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I¡¯m trying my best to update assp. I¡¯ll appreciate it if you explore my other stories as well. Please follow my f b page and group Caroline Above Story if you wanna chat keep updated on my writing schedule. My dear readers, Thank you for stopping by and reading this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I¡¯m trying my best to update assp. I¡¯ll appreciate it if you explore my other stories as well. Please follow my f******k page Caroline above story and group Caroline above story if you wanna chat or keep updated on my writing schedule. Yours£¬Caroline above story Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Hey, Enzo!¡± Bastien called me over from across the exhibit. He was with a few other Alphas. I wondered if they saw me leaving the bathroom area with L trailing behind me. But when I turned to nce in L¡¯s direction, she wasn¡¯t there. She was smart; she must have been waiting a couple of minutes before she walked out of the bathroom. ¡°I was just telling the guys of your efforts to find the person who poisoned my daughter,¡± Bastien said with a proud smile as I approached. It oddly enough made me feel good that he was praising me for something I would have done without him asking me to. It shouldn¡¯t have mattered what Bastien thought, but for some reason, I was finding myself almost wanting his approval. Perhaps because he was the head of themittee and if I get in good with him, I can secure my future. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to tell yourself,¡± Max teased. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± Bastien continued, patting me on the back of my shoulder. I nodded to him. ¡°I wish more happened,¡± I confessed. ¡°A suspension doesn¡¯t seem like a good enough punishment.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do when Alpha Steven is her father. He funds the school, and the board is afraid to go against him,¡± Alpha John said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. Everybody has a specific role they y to make sure the kingdom runs as smoothly as possible. While Alpha Bastien is the head of the Alphamittee and oversees the decisions made for the kingdom, the board is in charge of the academy. Categories Search¡­ However, it¡¯s no secret that they fear Alpha Steven, despite him only funding the school, and not owning it. Bastien has to constantly remind him of that. But when ites to his daughter, the board wasn¡¯t going to take any chances. Without Alpha Steven¡¯s money and schrship programs, there wouldn¡¯t be a school. He also funds the primary schools around the kingdom, the hospitals, and multiple charities. ¡°Karma wille around in due time,¡± Bastien said, eyeing me carefully. ¡°So will good Karma for your good deed, Enzo. Let me take you out for a drink. I could use a round or two.¡± My frown deepened as I stared around at all the Alphas who were staring back at me. I don¡¯t usually go out drinking with them, so it would be a weird change of events. ¡°Come on, Enzo. Come out with us,¡± another Alpha said with a broad smile. ¡°It¡¯s a weekend and you¡¯re still young!¡± I reluctantly agreed. I was sure I was going to regret this though. ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°You remember¡­¡± I said, sounding as defeated as I felt. Her eyes were curious as she stared around my face; she didn¡¯t seem frightened of me but confused. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered, and she said nothing more as she looked back down at her phone; almost like she was dismissing me altogether. My heart was heavy. ¡°I heard that you didn¡¯t¡­¡± I breathed, ncing at my feet in shame. ¡°I lied,¡± she admitted; she said that so casually that for a moment, I stopped breathing. ¡°Why would you lie?¡± I asked, ncing back over at her. She nced up at me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to get in trouble if it were truly an ident,¡± she said. ¡°Was it an ident?¡± I took a step closer to her with pleading eyes. ¡°Of course, it was an ident, Ba. I got distracted and I¡ª¡± ¡°Electrocuted me¡­¡± She finished the sentence for me; her words were firm and cut through me like a knife. I couldn¡¯t help but flinch. ¡°You are a Vna wolf, and you lost control of your powers. Sarah had said you were dangerous, and you couldn¡¯t be trusted. I didn¡¯t believe her at the time because you were always so kind to me. But now¡­¡± her voice trailed off as she nced back at her phone. She was using her phone as a distraction, and I couldn¡¯t me her for that. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I admitted. ¡°I never meant to hurt you, Ba. You must believe that.¡± ¡°I do,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. ¡°I believe it was an ident. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not mad at you. But I am concerned about continuing to be your partner for this ss. Now that you have these abilities, it might make things a little moreplicated.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to be my partner anymore?¡± I asked. ¡°I was thinking, since I woke up, that Sarah is gone, and her partner will need a new partner. I could always be her partner¡­¡± ¡°What about me?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯d have to talk to Professor Enzo about it,¡± Ba said with a shrug. ¡°I just can¡¯t trust that this won¡¯t happen again. The doctors say I got lucky this time. But next time¡­ I don¡¯t know if my body will be strong enough to keep me alive. I¡¯m not sure I want to go through this again.¡± My heart was breaking from this conversation; all I wanted to do at that moment was cry, but I kept my calm and stayed silent. ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to be your friend, L,¡± she added, keeping her eyes locked on mine. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind being friends¡­ maybe not at this moment. Maybe over time. I just need to focus on getting better first. But eventually, I would like us to be friends. I just don¡¯t want to be yourbat partner. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t me you,¡± I told her, forcing a small smile. ¡°Thank you for being honest with me.¡± She gave me a kind smile in return and nodded her head once. ¡°As far as anyone knows, this was just an ident due to poor wiring with the equipment we were using. Nothing more and nothing less. This will stay between us,¡± she said sweetly. I was grateful for that; thest thing I needed was for everyone to think of me as a monster. I thanked her just as the nurse came into the room. She nced at me and gave me a smile. ¡°Hello, Miss L. Visiting hours will be over shortly,¡± she reminded me as she went over to Ba¡¯s bed to fix her IVs and give her medication. ¡°I was just leaving,¡± I assured her. I nced at Ba onest time as she took the medication and ss of water from the nurse¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at school when you are well, Ba,¡± I said to her, giving her a half wave. She nced at me and nodded her head, without saying anything. I sighed and left the room. ¡­ As I returned to campus, Rachel was already in our room. She was sitting on the ledge of her window, smoking a cigarette as she often did and blowing the smoke outside. She still made the room smell disgustingly like cigarette smoke though. ¡°That¡¯s so bad for you,¡± I said, grabbing a can of Lysol and spraying the room. She shrugged. ¡°We all die eventually anyways,¡± she muttered. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m a bear, remember? We don¡¯t have long lifespans like wolves do.¡± ¡°But still,¡± I say, rolling my eyes. ¡°You could have a longer lifespan if you just quick smoking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much work,¡± she chuckled, flicking the cigarette out the window before sliding her entire body inside,nding on the ground with a thud, and sealing the window shut behind her. ¡°Did you go to see Ba yet?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, I didn¡¯t want to tell her what our conversation was about, so I decided to keep it brief. ¡°She was doing well. She still doesn¡¯t remember what happened. They don¡¯t think she will remember, but it¡¯s probably for the best. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something she¡¯d want to remember.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,¡± Rachel said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m d she¡¯s well though. Must have been scary to have that many electric bolts go through you!¡± With that being said, Rachel made her body quiver and shake like she was being electrocuted. I sat on my bed across the room and rolled my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Rachel,¡± I scolded. ¡°It¡¯s serious. She could have died.¡± Rachel was stillughing but once she saw how serious my face was, she stopped. ¡°My bad. I was just trying to make light of the situation,¡± she said, sitting on her own bed. We were both quiet for a long moment; probably both thinking about Ba. Soon, Rachel shot to her feet, and I could see the excitement on her face. It nearly startled me. ¡°Do you know what we need?¡± Rachel asked, eyeing me carefully and excitedly. I frowned and shook my head. ¡°A party. We need to get our minds off the shit going on! Let¡¯s have a school dance!¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°You know, Enzo. You aren¡¯t a bad drinking partner,¡± Alpha John said with a drunken slur as he pped me on the back of my shoulder. I could smell the whisky on his breath, and it made me cringe. I¡¯ve only had a couple of beers, so I was far from drunk. But I couldn¡¯t say the same for the other Alphas. The only other one that had his shit together was Bastien. He didn¡¯t want to return to Selenepletely wasted and I respected that about him. He loved his family, and he loved his work; he didn¡¯t let the other Alpha convince him to drink more than he wanted, and I did the same, despite them trying. ¡°Enzo, when are you finally going to meet your mate and get married?¡± Alpha John murmured while peering over at me. ¡°You know it¡¯s hard to run a pack without a proper luna.¡± There was no way in hell I would tell them about L. I wasn¡¯t even sure if there was anything to say. We only kissed; nothing more happened between us. Besides, getting close to her would only put her in danger. I couldn¡¯t do that to her. I remained silent. ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing him,¡± another Alphaughed. ¡°Look at how red his face is. There must be something he isn¡¯t telling us.¡± The Alphas fell silent, even Bastien was staring at me curiously for a moment. Once it was obvious that I wasn¡¯t going to answer their questions, Alpha John spoke again. ¡°Get my man a shot of tequ!¡± John shouted to the bartender who looked at John with a deepened and disgusted frown. ¡°I¡¯m all set on the shot,¡± I said, meeting the bartender¡¯s eyes who nodded in understanding. ¡°I should honestly get going. I have some things to do in the morning.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Enzo! We never get you toe out with us. Stay for another round,¡± another Alpha hupped. I didn¡¯t want to hang around these drunks anymore. Categories Search¡­ ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to stay if he doesn¡¯t want to,¡± Bastien said firmly. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m thinking we should all get home to our packs.¡± ¡°Party poopers,¡± Alpha John muttered as he took yet another shot of whisky. ¡°We are responsible,¡± Bastien shot back, but there was a yfulness in his tone. ¡°Have a good night, Enzo,¡± he added, turning to me, and giving me a quick wink. I thanked him before leaving. ¡­ L¡¯s POV The next morning. ¡°We don¡¯t typically have school dances, L,¡± Mrs. Laurence, head of the board, said, peering up at me from her desk in her office. ¡°We don¡¯t have the funding or the support for it.¡± ¡°I just think it would be a good opportunity to bring the students together as amunity. We could use something to get our minds off schoolwork and just have a little fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t agree with you. But we don¡¯t have the funding or support. I also don¡¯t have time to n out a school dance. A lot of work goes into something like that.¡± ¡°What if you didn¡¯t have to do anything?¡± I asked; an idea circling my brain. She rose her brows as she met my eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I could n out this school dance myself and I could get the funding and the support necessary for it,¡± I told her. It was a lot of work, but it would be worth it. Mrs. Laurence stared around my face for a short while; processing what I had just said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s something you should do on your own,¡± she finally said, but she didn¡¯t sound At first, I didn¡¯t notice him. I was too busy trying to figure out how to approach Dee. I would probably need to speak to Enzo first, so he¡¯s not blindsided. We hadn¡¯t talked since our moment in the bathroom and the memory made my face feel warm and my heartbeat quickly. I paused when I noticed Brody was still there and he was watching me. ¡°Oh, I thought you had left,¡± I said, giving him a kind smile. Brody was also very kind to me; I wouldn¡¯t say he was my friend. In fact, he was more Scott¡¯s friend than mine. But he was gentle and sweet. For someone who was a jock, he didn¡¯t have a mean bone in his body, and he kept his grades up so he could stay on the team. He was a straight-A student and excels at almost everything he does. I respect him for that. ¡°No,¡± Brody said, rubbing his hands behind his neck and ncing at the ground. ¡°I actually wanted to talk to you.¡± He gave himself an awkward and nervousugh. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you okay?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°You aren¡¯t changing your mind about the committee, are you?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said a little too quickly. ¡°I like themittee very much.¡± ¡°Oh, good,¡± I breathed out in relief. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± He seemingly swallowed a lump in his throat as he stepped closer to me. ¡°The school dance,¡± he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine. I stood frozen. ¡°Okay?¡± I urged him to continue. ¡°I was wondering¡­ if maybe¡­ you wanted to go with me to the school dance?¡± He finally got the words out of his mouth. ¡°As my date¡­ Chapter 44 Chapter 44 L¡¯s POV Brody was asking me to the school dance? I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t taken by surprise. I honestly didn¡¯t even think I was his type. I stared at him for a moment longer before speaking my answer. ¡°I would prefer to just go to the dance alone,¡± I told him. I watched his face grow sad and he lowered his gaze to the ground. ¡°I see,¡± he breathed, clear disappointment in his tone. Brody was incredibly smart, and he was also good-looking, I had to admit that. Any girl would be lucky to go with him to the dance, but I just wasn¡¯t interested. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I bothered you,¡± he said as he started to walk past me. ¡°You aren¡¯t a bother, Brody,¡± I called after him. ¡°I hope that we can remain friends and maybe even share a dance?¡± He paused for a moment and nced at me. ¡°You¡¯d still dance with me?¡± He asked a ping of hope in his tone. ¡°Of course,¡± I answered. He looked relieved by my answer and nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± he said as he turned away and left the student lounge. ¡­ Enzo was in the arena by himself, practicing hisbat, when I entered. He was in the exact ce I knew he¡¯d be in and the first ce I looked. He paused his movements and he looked at me, narrowing his dark eyes in my direction. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I wanted to ask you a question,¡± I said, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. He turned away and continued hisbat, but it was clear to me that he was still listening. ¡°I was put in charge of the studentmittee and¡ª¡± ¡°The school doesn¡¯t have a studentmittee,¡± he interrupted in a mutter. ¡°Well, it does now,¡± I said in return. ¡°We are having a school dance and we need funding¡­¡± ¡°You want money from me?¡± He asked as he stopped hisbatting to re at me. I was taken aback by the usation and a little offended that he thought I woulde to him for money. The nervous feeling had slipped away, and it was reced with annoyance. ¡°I don¡¯t want your money, professor,¡± I nearly spat at him. I spoke the word ¡®professor¡¯ like it was a bad taste on my tongue. ¡°I want to know if you¡¯d allow me to speak with Dee about having a bake sale. I¡¯d like to raise the money for the dance.¡± He stared around my face; for a moment, it looked like he felt guilty for his usation, but that guilty look was gone, and he turned away to continue his practice. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I smiled, even though he wasn¡¯t looking at me so he couldn¡¯t see that I was smiling. But I felt overjoyed by this. I decided to ask him for another favor while I was ahead of the game. ¡°We will need security at the dance as well. Know anyone who would like to be head of the security team and make sure we are all safe?¡± I asked, batting my eyes at him. He paused to look at me again. ¡°You want me to be security?¡± He asked; he didn¡¯t sound upset, just curious, and nodded at my response. ¡°Please?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ll get a team together. Just let me know when the dance is,¡± he agreed. I wanted to hug him, but I thought about it and took a step back. ¡°Thank you, professor,¡± was all I managed to say. ¡­ Dee was more than happy to help me with the bake sale. I spent a lot of time with her over the course of the weeks, baking and selling until we had enough money for the dance. The rest of themittee spent time getting signatures and support from our fellow ssmates and faculty. Once we had everything, we needed it was time to start nning. ¡°We will have the dance this Saturday. We have tickets printed and ready for sale. All sales made for this will go into the dance funds and leftovers will go into the next event,¡± I announced to the student committee. We sat in the lounge, making a big list of things we would need for the dance. Ta and Jackie volunteered to go shopping for all the supplies while the others were going to be busy helping me decorate and selling tickets. ¡°So, do you have a date for the dance?¡± Rachel asked the night before the dance. ¡°No, I¡¯m just going to go by myself,¡± I told her with a shrug. I was curled up in bed, exhausted after a long day. ¡°That¡¯s some,¡± Rachelughed, shaking her head. ¡°There¡¯s nobody at all that you¡¯re interested in?¡± I couldn¡¯t tell her that I was mated with my professor. ¡°Let me guess, are you going with Ryan?¡± I asked teasingly, avoiding her question. ¡°Duh,¡± she said in return, tossing a pillow at me. Iughed as I caught it. ¡°Brody asked me to the dance, but I declined,¡± I admitted, tossing the pillow back at her. She shot to her feet and gasped loudly. ¡°What? Brody is fucking hot! Why would you decline him?¡± She asked a little too loudly. ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Are you insane? Any girl would be insane to turn him down.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m insane,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°I did however tell him we can dance.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s better than nothing,¡± she pouted as she sat back down. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you declined him though. Girl, you are wild for that.¡± ¡°Little does she know who our mate is,¡± Val cooed within me. ¡°There¡¯s nobody better looking than Enzo.¡± I had to admit that my wolf was right. Enzo was quite dreamy to look at. I could feel that Val wanted to be near him, and I didn¡¯t want to deny her that. I also kind of wanted to make sure he was all set for the dance tomorrow. He¡¯s head of the security team for the dance, and I had to be sure there was going to be a sufficient amount of security present. It was early enough that he was most likely still awake. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± I said to Rachel as I left our dorm. The faculty had their own section of the school called ¡°The faculty housing.¡± There were small homes set up at the edge of the campus grounds where the professors and other faculty members lived. Each one had their own home; it was their home away from home. It was because the school was somewhat further away than most packs and the board didn¡¯t want the faculty tomute back and forth daily. So, they had homes made. I had never been to any of these homes; technically, students weren¡¯t allowed to go to these homes. But Val knew exactly which one was Enzo¡¯s. He had a more private home; it was bordering the woods and you couldn¡¯t really see the other homes where he was located. I¡¯m guessing he requested that home for that specific reason. He was a very private person, and it didn¡¯t surprise me. My heart was racing as I stood at the front door; I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This was most likely going to end disastrously. It was a terrible idea to visit him here, especially at this hour. But I couldn¡¯t help myself. I wasn¡¯t in control anymore; Val was. I knocked on his door, ignoring the nervous feeling bubbling in the pit of my stomach as I waited for him to answer. I waited a minute before knocking again, even louder this time. There was a light in the house, so I knew he was home. After another moment, I heard the door utching and the knob began to turn. I took a step back, taking a deep breath to steady my rapid heart rate and my trembling body. He stood before me, staring at me like he had seen a ghost. I¡¯m sure he wasn¡¯t expecting me to be there. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. I had forgotten what I was there for, to begin with. I bit onto my bottom lip, trying toe up with something to say but no words came to my lips. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, I saw someone in the background. It was Connie. She was wearing nothing, but a towel wrapped around her naked body; her hair was wet like she had juste out of the shower, and she was searching the living room with a frown. ¡°Enzo? Have you seen my underwear?¡± Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Enzo¡¯s POV What in the actual fuck was going on right now? This couldn¡¯t have been happening. L stood in front of me with wide eyes, staring at Connie behind me. Connie, who was parading around in just a towel, was searching for the underwear she had misced. They both had terrible timing. L¡¯s body began to tremble as she took arge step away from me. What was she even doing here? This was the faculty housing. Students weren¡¯t allowed here. ¡°Enzo? Did you hear¡­¡± Connie walked closer to me and once she noticed L staring at her, she paused. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know you hadpany. A studentpany at that.¡± Connie raised her brows. ¡°I was just leaving,¡± L stammered as she turned around. She began to hurry away from the house. ¡°What were you doing here?¡± I called after her, shutting the door behind me as I stepped outside. I could hear Connie saying something from inside, but I ignored her. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t havee here,¡± L said quickly; she still had her back turned to me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Why did you?¡± ¡°I just wanted to make sure you were all set for tomorrow night,¡± she said in a soft tone; it almost sounded like she was crying. But that couldn¡¯t have been right. Why would she be crying? ¡°Yes, I have the security ready for the dance,¡± I answered. ¡°That¡¯s all you wanted?¡± She nodded. ¡® ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered; before I could say anything else, she was disappearing into the shadows of the night. Categories Search¡­ I sighed and went back inside to see Connie finishing getting dressed. ¡°What was that all about?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°She just wanted to make sure I had the security team ready for the dance tomorrow,¡± I answered. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have called?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°That seems a little odd.¡± ¡°Maybe she did, and I didn¡¯t hear the phone,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. That was all she said.¡± ¡°She left quickly. Was she upset about something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answered. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Yes, Enzo. It matters,¡± Connie scoffed. ¡°I think she was upset because she saw me. I think she might have a crush on you and that¡¯s an issue.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°She¡¯s my student.¡± ¡°Exactly; and you are incredibly attractive. If she has a crush on you, it could get you into trouble. You need to make sure she knows that you aren¡¯t avable to her. She can¡¯t just show up at your home like this. It¡¯s not appropriate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Why are you defending her so much? If the board knew¡­¡± ¡°The board isn¡¯t going to know and I¡¯m not defending her. I¡¯m telling you what I know and what I know is that L does not have a crush on me. Her father is kind of a big deal, and I promised him that I would keep her safe while at school. L feelsfortable with me for that reason and that reason alone. I¡¯m not sure why she came here knowing it was against the academy rules, but she did. I will have a talk with her in the morning. But my rtionship with her is nothing but professional and it¡¯s also nobody¡¯s business. Including yours.¡± I turned away and started to walk toward my bedroom; she stared after me, her mouth hanging open in shock at my words. I had never spoken to her like that before and she wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said from behind me. ¡°I just worry about you, that¡¯s all.¡± I understood that and if roles were reversed, I would worry about her too. I felt her hand on the back of my shoulder, causing me to pause before I reached my bedroom door. I turned around and saw herrge and curious eyes peering up at me through hershes. Her face was red slightly and she bit onto her bottom lip, chewing on it gently. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed for how I just behaved,¡± she said in a low tone. ¡°I just care so much about you, and I don¡¯t want to see you hurt or in trouble.¡± ¡°Neither of those things will happen,¡± I assured her. She stepped closer to me. ¡°Thank you for letting me crash here¡­¡± she said, still eyeing me carefully through hershes. ¡°Being only a temporary teacher, they haven¡¯t given me a house on campus.¡± Of course, I already knew that. She was only here for a couple of days, and I wasn¡¯t going to let her sleep on the streets. Connie was basically my sister; I had known her for most of my life. My mother raised both of us and it wouldn¡¯t be right of me to dismiss Connie after she had helped me take charge of my ss during my absence. But I didn¡¯t speak those words out loud; I just nodded to her and turned away again. ¡°I was thinking maybe we can attend the dance together,¡± Connie said quickly; I paused again. I was surprised by her suggestion, and she knew it from the look on my face. She gave a softugh and her face reddened even more. ¡°We could dance together¡­ it might be nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not there as a social thing. I¡¯m there doing a job,¡± I reminded her. ¡°I¡¯m the head of the security team; I won¡¯t have the time.¡± ¡°Just one dance, Enzo. It won¡¯t be the end of the world.¡± She stepped closer again, this time she was pressing her body against mine. I remained unmoved; she was trying to seduce me. That much was obvious. My question was, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We make a really good team, you know,¡± she said, lowering her tone even more. ¡°And we could make an even better one¡­¡± She ran her fingertips up my arm until they reached the top of my shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other our whole lives¡­ maybe that¡¯s a sign that we were meant to be together¡ª¡± I took a long stride away from her, causing her hand to fall from my shoulder and back to her side. She frowned as she peered up at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend this conversation didn¡¯t just happen, Connie. You are basically my sister. There¡¯s nothing more to it. Get some sleep,¡± I said as I turned away from her. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± She called after me, but I had already shut the door of my bedroom behind me, blocking out her words. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Tears were escaping my eyes quickly; I had to disappear for the time being before I lost control of my powers. Usually, when I got like this, my powers were unpredictable. I took a few deep breaths and allowed myself to feel the feelings that were coursing through my body. Seeing Connie standing in Enzo¡¯s home, basically naked, did something to me. I wasn¡¯t expecting these types of feelings, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. Val was inplete despair; as soon as we saw them together, it was like she hadpletely shut down. She gave me all control back and all I could think to do was run away. I knew now that it would never be me that Enzo wanted. It was Connie. Connie was his chosen mate. And I was nothing to himN?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 L¡¯s POV ¡°Enjoy the dance!¡± Megan said at the door as a group of students made their way past her. I stood outside, watching as students made their way into the dance. Everybody was dressed up so beautifully. I wore a long pink dress with noodle straps that went around my neck and hugged my body perfectly. I went shopping a few days ago with Rachel. She wore a red and ck dress; it was a lot shorter and ended just above her knees, revealing her killer legs. My dark hair was curled with an iron, thanks to Rachel, and put back with a pink headband that matches my dress. ¡°I hope you have a good night,¡± I said to the few students who walked past me. ¡°Girl, you look hot!¡± Rachel said as she walked up to me; she looked absolutely stunning, and Ryan was on her arm. He looked great as well. ¡°As do you,¡± I said in return. ¡°You look great too, Ryan,¡± I added with a smile. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, nodding his head at me. Rachel tightened her grip on him and led him to the doors. ¡°We¡¯ll see you inside!¡± She shouted after me; I can¡¯t help but chuckle at my friend. There were a couple of security guards standing outside and it made me wonder if Enzo was there yet. I could sense him, but that could mean that he was anywhere on campus. I had yet to see him walk past me. He was probably with Connie anyways. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they showed up here together. A knot had formed in my stomach at the very thought of it. Val was also feeling ufortable. I shook the thought out of my mind and turned toward the door. It was time to go inside and enjoy myself. Categories Search¡­ ¡­ Enzo was standing off in the corner for most of the night and he was alone. There was no sign of Connie anywhere. That pleased me, but I paid him no attention. I spent most of the night with Rachel and Ryan. There were a few girls that I was friendly with that wanted to join us in a group dance. The music was loud, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I worried that mayhem would break out because we were all wound up. Some were shifting into their inhuman forms. There were bears and wolves running around, and it was starting to get a little rough. Thankfully, Enzo was on it and put an end to anything that could be potentially dangerous. I was right to appoint him as head of the security team. I was d when I saw that a couple of members of the board also attended the dance and they seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself, L,¡± Mrs. Laurence said with a kind smile. ¡°I would be happy if you could keep themittee going forward and we can n out more events in the future.¡± ¡°That would be great. Thank you so much,¡± I said in return. This morning I had a text from Cassidy-Ann as well saying that my first official day will be on Monday. She agreed to wait until after the dance so I could focus on this instead of that. But now that I was going to be running the studentmittee and working as her assistant, I was going to be incredibly busy. I probably won¡¯t have time to even think about Enzo. Which will be good because I didn¡¯t want to be thinking about him. It was only a matter of time before he rejected me and took Connie as his chosen mate anyway. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV It was hard not to look at her; she wore the most beautiful dress, and itplimented her skin tone perfectly. We haven¡¯t spoken since she came to my campus housest night; for some reason, I felt the need to exin to her that it was a misunderstanding. Max made me believe that she was upset over the fact that Connie was there in nothing but a towel. She had to have known that nothing was going on between us. Connie was only a dear friend; sure, she made a pass at me, but I dismissed her right away. Not because of L, but because I wouldn¡¯t cross that boundary with someone I thought of as a sister. But as L stood with her group of friends across the dance floor, dancing andughing, I realized she hadn¡¯t looked over at me the entire time. She can sense me though; I know she can. ¡°Do you smell her?¡± Max breathed, I saw hisrge nose in my mind¡¯s eye, up in the air and sniffing it like he was in a pastry shop. ¡°The scent of honeysuckle is all around us. It¡¯s her and she smells delicious.¡± ¡°Calm yourself,¡± I muttered to my wolf, not wanting to get into it with him. Thest thing I wanted was for my wolf to lose control. Then everybody would know about me being mates with my student. I couldn¡¯t have that. Especially when the school board was here. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± I heard the familiar voice of Mrs. Laurence approaching me. ¡°I¡¯m d you made it; L certainly outdid herself. I must say, I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°She¡¯s an impressive woman,¡± I said in return before I could stop the word froming out of my mouth. Mrs. Laurence just stared at me with wide eyes. ¡°As my student, she¡¯s always been very impressive,¡± I rified. She looked like she bought it because she smiled. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I saw her painting of you in the exhibit. It was nice of you to allow her to paint that.¡± ¡°It was a favor to her father,¡± I lied. ¡°I promised that I would watch over her while she was here, and I intend to keep that promise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very noble of you, Enzo,¡± Mrs. Laurence said with a grin. ¡°I was just about to leave because it looks like everything is handled here. If you run into any issues, please call me. I¡¯m sure the students are in good hands with you and your security team watching over them.¡± ¡°Yes, mam,¡± I answered, giving her a head nod as she walked away. I turned back to L and this time, I noticed she was watching me. There was a curious look in her eyes, and I realized it was because she wanted to know what Mrs. Laurence was talking to me about. Once she noticed that I noticed her, I gave her a smirk and watched as her features grew red. She turned away from me quickly to talk with her friends again. She was avoiding me, or she didn¡¯t want me to know that she noticed me. She was ying a game and it was oddly enough a turn-on for me and my member. Our moment in the bathroom was fresh in my mind and I wanted to finish where we left off. I took a step toward her; I was going to pull her away. I knew it was probably something I shouldn¡¯t do, but I was giving in to my wolf¡¯s request. If I didn¡¯t, he would lose control and I¡¯d be screwed. But just as I started to get near her, I paused when I saw that she was talking to a boy. I knew the boy to be the school¡¯s baseball pitcher, Brody. He was giving her a lopsided grin and she was chuckling at whatever stupid thing he was saying. He held out a hand for her and I smirked, knowing that she was going to decline it. A smirk that instantly vanished when she epted his outstretched hand and went with him to the dance floor? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 L¡¯s POV I could feel his eyes on me when I was dancing with Brody. Enzo stayed off in the corner, but he was watching me like he was hungry, and I was his dinner. I wasn¡¯t sure why that excited me so much. Maybe because I finally had the advantage over him. If he could be with Connie without a second thought about me, then I should be able to dance with Brody without feeling guilty. It¡¯s not like he wanted me, so what did I have to feel guilty about? Brody had his hands around my waist when we danced; I had to admit that I felt a little bit ufortable, but I didn¡¯t stop him. I held myself close to him and swayed to the music. I promised him this dance after all. I caught Rachel watching us with a proud smile on her face and I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore her, but I chuckled at the same time. ¡°You look beautiful, L,¡± Brody said with a fond smile and a kind look in his eyes. ¡°You look great too,¡± I said in return. ¡°Did youe here with anyone?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°The one and only girl I asked and actually wanted to go with turned me down.¡± I frowned; he was talking about me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said to him. ¡°I thought it would be better if I just came alone.¡± ¡°And is it better?¡± He asked. I nced over at Enzo who was still watching me from across the room and then looked back up at Brody. ¡°I¡¯m d we are able to dance,¡± I said to him, avoiding the question. Just as the song ended, I stepped away from him. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to grab a drink; I¡¯ll talk to youter,¡± I said to him, walking past him and toward the refreshment stand. Enzo was near the refreshment stand. I shouldn¡¯t be going near him, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. There was a part of me that wanted to scold him for watching me like this. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± I muttered as I stood beside him. I was pouring myself a drink while speaking to him, so it didn¡¯t look like I was over there specifically for him. ¡°I can¡¯t help where my eyes wander,¡± he muttered, gazing around the room like he was doing his job and not causing suspicion. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know you and Brody were an item.¡± ¡°Does it matter if we were? For starters, it¡¯s not your business. Also, you are with Connie, so it really doesn¡¯t concern you who I¡¯m with.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop those words froming out of my mouth and I wished almost instantly that I could take them back. I definitely came off as a jealous girl. ¡°I¡¯m not with anybody,¡± he said between his teeth and tightened jaw. ¡°Connie is just a friend.¡± ¡°Yeah, she looked really friendlyst night when she was looking for her underwear,¡± I nearly hissed. Just as I was about to walk away with my drink, I felt a firm grasp on my wrist, halting me in ce. I quickly ced the cup on the table and turned to face Enzo whose eyes had darkened to match his re. He kept our hands low so nobody would see that he had a hold on me; he nced around for a moment to make sure there were no wandering eyes before pulling me away and alongside him. I sucked in a sharp breath, holding it until I felt like my lungs were going to pop. He pulled me into the halls and toward a hidden corner, secluded from everything and everyone. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± I tried to get out, but he pushed me against the wall and his lips were pressing against mine. I had half the mind to kick him or push him away, but I didn¡¯t want to. I allowed his lips to get close enough to me and then touch me. I allowed myself to be manhandled by him and be pressed into a corner with his firm body against mine. I felt the member in his pants hardening as he pressed himself into me. He ran his hands hungrily down the sides of my body, cupping my lower half and causing an intense heat to course through my flesh. I breathed him in and everything he had to offer at that moment. His lips were so inviting and tasty that I just wanted to bring them into my mouth. I bit onto his bottom lip and started sucking on it. I didn¡¯t care where we were and who saw us at that moment, I just wanted him. I felt my dress loosening just as he got the zipper undone and it fell around my feet, leaving me in only my bra and underwear. My bra was strapless and easy to ess. He stared at my chest with lust hidden in his eyes and it was exciting. Val was eager to be touched and kissed by him again. He brought his lips across my chest and yed with my breasts. He cupped one in his hands and ran his tongue across the other. He hadn¡¯t revealed them to him yet, but he was ravishing in my cleavage. Goosebumps formed on my body, but I didn¡¯t feel cold. In fact, it was quite the opposite, I felt warm everywhere. I threw my head back, feeling the softness of his tongue on my flesh. Feeling him kissing, licking, and sucking, every corner of my body that he could. I knew from the look in his eyes that he wanted to devour me, and I wiggled with excitement. I wrapped my arms around him and allowed him to lift me up so my legs could wrap around him as well. I felt his fingers ying with the straps of my bra, begging to release it and free the girls that desperately wanted to be touched. Every ounce of my body felt as if it was on fire. Just as my bra was about to fall to the ground, we paused when we heard talking from around the corner. There were a couple of girls walking in our direction. He looked at me for a moment before releasing me onto the ground. He grabbed my dress off the ground and threw it in my direction. I caught it with ease and struggled to put it on while he covered me with his body. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. My heart was racing at lightning speed, and I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to contain my breath. Just as they walked around the corner, Enzo was walking away casually, and I was fully dressed. ¡°L?¡± One of the girls I recognized from school said as she walked toward me. I was panting heavily while still pressed against the wall. I¡¯m sure my hair was a mess too because Enzo had his fingers in it, and I¡¯m also sure that my face was as red as an apple. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I managed to squeak. ¡°I think I just saw a mouse. It¡¯s really nothing.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer and then nced at the ground, looking around with a worried expression. ¡°Is it still around?¡± She asked, with a little fear lingering in her voice. ¡°No, it was just a shadow,¡± Iughed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she breathed, relieved as she met my eyes. ¡°We were just looking for the bathroom.¡± ¡°It¡¯s down the hall,¡± I said, pointing with my finger. They both smiled their thanks and went down the hall. That was a close one. But even after we almost got caught, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where Enzo had gone. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Go back there and take what is ours!!¡± Max roared, fury boiling through him. He was desperate to have L as his and I wasn¡¯t going to partake in such activities. If I were to be caught, I could lose everything I had worked so hard for, and I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. I had big goals and dreams to fulfill in order to lock my future down and I wasn¡¯t going to let a mate bond get in the way of that. Plus, if I were to get too close to her, it¡¯ll put her in danger. I¡¯m always being watched and hunted by my father¡¯s followers. They nearly killed my mother. I won¡¯t let something like that happen to L too. ¡® Not while I¡¯m alive. I was careless and weak. I acted with my dick and not with my head. I won¡¯t let that happen again. Though, I could still taste her sweet lips on mine and feel the softness of her skin pressed against me. It made me feel a way I had never felt before. However, I chose to ignore that feeling. I returned to the dance because I had a job to do and I couldn¡¯t just leave, but I made sure to avoid L for the rest of the night. Which was easy because it seemed she had left with her friends. Come to think of it¡­ Brody was gone too. ¡­ I was the first to arrive, after Bastien, at the monthly Alphamittee meeting. Bastien had everything set up at each section of the table; mainly an agenda for what we are going to be discussing today. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Enzo, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you are early,¡± Bastien said as he motioned for a seat. ¡°How is everything?¡± ¡°Good,¡± I answered. ¡°L did a great job with the dance. It seemed everyone had a good time.¡± ¡°She chose a great Alpha for the head of security,¡± Bastien said with a head nod. ¡°I appreciate you for keeping her and everyone safe.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course,¡± I said in return. Before any more words were exchanged, more Alphas entered. They were already engrossed in small talk when they came into the room and took their seats. ¡°Help yourself to some coffee and donuts,¡± Bastien said, pointing to the counter across the room where he set up coffee and donut stations. ¡°Once everyone is settled, we will get started.¡± Bastien set up hisptop while he waited for everyone to take their seats. Once everyone was seated, he began to speak. ¡°There are some concerns I wanted to bring up to everybody. There was an attack recently where a Vna wolf had gotten injured. We need to be wary of our surroundings and be on the lookout for anything suspicious. If we need to recruit more gammas in specific areas, please let me know and we can figure out a game n to be sure your pack¡¯s safety. Safety is the number one priority. I know from experience that ise¡¯s followers are not messing around, and they will attack anything and anyone that¡¯s different.¡± Everyone was silent as they processed his words. ¡°In other news, the central bank will need a new bank manager so if anyone is up for the job, or if you know anyone up for the job, please visit the central bank and put in an application. I will be reviewing them all over the weekend and will decide on interviews on Monday.¡± Alpha Bastien paused again as he nced around the table and his eyesnded on Alpha Steven, the richest Alpha amongst them all. Steven was an arrogant prick, and he always hated the fact that Bastien was in charge of the committee and not him. He wanted to be in control of everything and own everything, themittee was the one thing he couldn¡¯t buy, and it drove him crazy. ¡°The Shifter Academy had recently created a new organization for students, known as the student committee. My daughter, L, will be in charge of that. They will be nning new events for students in the future,¡± Bastien said, still staring at Steven whose eyes had darkened. ¡°I didn¡¯t approve of that,¡± Steven said through gritted teeth. ¡°You don¡¯t need to approve it; the board already approved it.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting who owns that school?¡± Steven sneered. ¡°It¡¯s owned by the kingdom and the board is in charge of the academy. You fund the academy, yes, but in the contract, you forfeit all rights to the school. You are not the owner.¡± ¡°I can pull my funding and the school will be run into the ground,¡± Steven growled, standing to his feet in a threatening manner. ¡°The school your daughter attends? Are you really going to disrupt her education because you can¡¯t get your way?¡± Bastien asked. ¡°How would that make you look as not only an Alpha but as a father as well? You will lose the respect of your pack and the kingdom if you did such a thing.¡± ¡°If anyone is going to be head of themittee, it should be Sarah,¡± Steven hissed, his eyes turning red. ¡°Due to your daughter¡¯s recent troubles and her current status as suspended, I¡¯m afraid she isn¡¯t allowed to be head of themittee. My daughter will remain in charge until further notice.¡± This silenced Steven; he wasn¡¯t happy about this, and it was taking everything I had not to smirk. He sat back down and continued to re at Bastien for the rest of the meeting. The meeting went on for another hour before the conversation started to slow down. By the end of the meeting, I was ready to leave and enjoy the rest of my day working on my curriculum for the rest of the week. Just as I started to pack up my belongings in my briefcase, I heard my name being thrown around the mouths of the other Alphas, causing me to freeze. ¡°Hey, Enzo!¡± One of them shouted from across the room once they were sick of talking about me behind my back. Now, they wanted to involve me in the conversation. ¡°You¡¯re 23, right? When are you going to find your mate?¡± ¡°Yeah, you are getting too old to be single. You should be settling down by now.¡± ¡°Got any she-wolves you are looking at?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting that. I just stared at them nkly for a long while as they all stared back at me with wide and curious eyes. The sad part was this time they weren¡¯t drunk. How was this any of their business? ¡°Guys, leave him alone. He will settle down when he¡¯s good and ready,¡± Bastien said with a faint smile on his mouth as he shook his head. ¡°He wants to get ahead though! An Alpha is only as good as his Luna. Without a Luna, how do you expect your pack to thrive?¡± Alpha John said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in this conversation,¡± I found myself muttering. I finished collecting my things and zipped my briefcase before turning toward the door. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡± I said, walking away. ¡°Hey! Wait up, Enzo!¡± Alpha John said from behind me, following me into the halls of the city hall. I paused and red at him; I was very unamused that he was following me to harass me about my love life. ¡°My daughter, Bethany, is back in town from her tour. She¡¯s a singer and quite good. You might have heard her music on the radio.¡± Bethany Rochelle; of course, I had heard of her music. She admittedly had a nice voice and a lot of students around campus listened to her in the lounge. Her music isn¡¯t to my taste, but I recognize that she has some serious talent. ¡°I might have,¡± I said in return, not giving him more information than that. ¡°Well, she will be in town for a while, and she was just saying the other day that she wishes to find a gentleman and settle down. She¡¯s sick of always being on the road and wishes to pursue a serious rtionship with a proper suitor.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t like where this was going. ¡°I was hoping I¡¯d be able to introduce you. You are quite the looker yourself, which is exactly her type. What do you say? Want to meet her and take her out for a date?¡± I saw the hopefulness in his eyes and for a moment, I almost thought of saying yes just to shut him up. But I didn¡¯t want to listen to Max¡¯sint about going out with another woman when he all wanted to do was be with our mate. A mate I wasn¡¯t even sure I wanted to keep. But, until I figured it out, it was probably better if I didn¡¯t pursue another she-wolf. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are mistaken about my rtionship status. I¡¯m actually in a verymitted and happy rtionship.¡± Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Third Person POV Bethany Rochelle. One of the most beautiful and talented women in the entire kingdom. She has been touring the world for the past year and releasing album after album. She seemingly had everything she could ever possibly want, except for one thing. A manly wolf to call her own, preferably an Alpha. She sat on her tour bus, on her way to her home pack to stay with her parents for a while, flipping through a magazine she had picked up during theirst pit stop. That was when she came across Alpha Enzo. The world¡¯s youngest Alpha was chosen to feature in the kingdom¡¯s famous magazine, modeling a pair of dress pants that fit him perfectly. He was shirtless in this picture and his abs were mouth-watering. She couldn¡¯t look away from his rippling chest and bulging biceps; she also couldn¡¯t seem to stop staring into the young Alpha¡¯s dark and inviting eyes. They were so seductive and hypnotizing; like he was looking directly at her. It says in the magazine that he is the Alpha of the Calypso pack. That pack sounded so familiar to her. ¡°Emily?¡± She called across the tour bus to one of her dancers and best friend. She was lounging on one of the couches, flipping through her own magazine and she looked up at Bethany with curiosity in her eyes. ¡°Have we heard of the Calypso pack? It sounds so familiar to me,¡± Bethany asked with a timid frown. Emily thought about it for a moment before realization crossed her eyes. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I think that pack is pretty close to your father¡¯s pack? It¡¯s just outside of Elysium. Maybe an hour¡¯s drive. I also believe that¡¯s the pack that ise had once run before he died.¡± This news caused Bethany to gasp once she realized the resemnce between Enzo and ise was uncanny. She had only seen pictures of ise and of course, she had heard of the terrible things he had done. There was no mistaking that this person was in fact ise¡¯s¡¯ son. So, that made this young Alpha Dangerous. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. How interesting. ¡­ ¡°You told me on the phone earlier that he was single, father. How is he taken now?¡± Bethany demanded to know. She was seeing red as fury rose throughout her body. ¡°I know¡­I thought he was, but I was mistaken. He said he¡¯s in a very happy andmitted rtionship,¡± her father said. ¡°There are other men in the kingdom, Bethany.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want another man, I want Alpha Enzo,¡± she sneered. ¡°Is this other woman his Luna?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s unmarried.¡± That gave Bethany a ping of hope. ¡°That means I still have a chance,¡± she said under her breath, turning her back to her father so she could process this new information. She turns to her father with a sweet smile. ¡°I would still like to meet him.¡± ¡­ ¡°B¡­ B¡­ Bethany Rochelle!?¡± A simple-looking redheaded man said from the doorway of the Calypso packhouse. He was not only starstruck but also in awe of her beauty. She was used to this kind of reaction. Her bodyguard stood a distance behind her, making sure she didn¡¯t get harassed on her journey to the Calypso pack. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe you are actually standing in front of me,¡± he stammered. ¡°I am a huge fan!¡± ¡°Of course, you are,¡± she said coolly, waving her hand dismissively. ¡°My music has made number one on the charts. You¡¯d be a fool to not be a fan.¡± ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± He asked. ¡°I mean¡­ not that I¡¯m not pleased. But holy cow, I can¡¯t believe you are standing in front of me. You are even more beautiful in person.¡± He was practically drooling over her; but sadly, this gentleman wasn¡¯t Alpha Enzo, and she wasn¡¯t going to entertain him for a moment longer. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Alpha Enzo. Is he around?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not¡­ it¡¯s Monday. He¡¯s over at the academy until Friday,¡± he said with a frown. Bethany rose her brows. ¡°The academy?¡± ¡°Yes, the Shifter Academy,¡± he answered. ¡°Is¡­ is he a student??¡± She had never heard of an Alpha being a student at an academy formon wolves. The thought made her want tough out loud. ¡°No, he¡¯s thebat and shifting professor,¡± he exined. That made more sense and for some reason, Bethany found that to be incredibly attractive. She couldn¡¯t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her perfectly shaped lips. ¡°I see,¡± she breathed. ¡°If he¡¯s there, then who is in charge of his pack?¡± ¡°When he¡¯s not here, I am¡­¡± he said, almost sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m Beta Ethan.¡± ¡°Beta?¡± Bethany asked, staring around at the man¡¯s unmanly fatigue. There¡¯s nothing about him that screams ¡®Beta.¡¯ Omega, maybe, but not a Beta. ¡°Yes,¡± Ethan said, bowing his head slightly. ¡°Of course, I report everything to Enzo when he¡¯s not here and Enzo returns every weekend and sometimes, he returns during the week for emergency situations. He¡¯s incredibly aware and active when ites to his pack.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said with fondness in her tone. Her future husband was certainly quite the man. Her heart was racing at the very thought of him. She must meet him right away; she knew for sure that once he met her, he would fall in love with her and wish to marry her at once. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll be going to the school for a visit,¡± she said as she turned her perfectly formed body and began walking toward her waiting car. Her bodyguards followed closely behind her. ¡­ Bethany had never been to a normal school; she had been homeschooled her entire life and she certainly never needed to go to college. She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about being there; she wasn¡¯t even sure where to start looking for Alpha Enzo. She kept herself in a disguise, not wanting to be recognized. She pulled her long blonde and thick hair into a ponytail and put on a pair of her designer sunsses. She wore a long coat over her morous outfit and pulled the hood over her head. She even made her bodyguards wait by the car. ¡°I will mindlink if I need backup,¡± she assured them. The first ce she decided to look was something called ¡°the student lounge.¡± It looked like arge number of students had just gone in there and surely one of them would know where she could find Enzo. As she went in there, she frowned at all the students who didn¡¯t recognize her through her disguise. Though, she got some strange looks from those who questioned her attire. She paid them no attention as she walked through; she frowned for she didn¡¯t see any signs of Enzo in this lounge. Where could he be? Across from the lounge, sitting at one of the tables, she saw a young girl with long dark hair and a pretty face. She was very young, maybe even the youngest one there. It wasn¡¯t the fact that she was young that stood out, it was her eyes. They were two different colors. How strange, she thought to herself. Bethany wasn¡¯t often threatened by other she-wolves, but this one made her uneasy. She approached the girl who was speaking with a couple of others at the same table; none of them noticed Bethany until she cleared her throat loudly to get her attention. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t see you there,¡± the girl said with a kind smile. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone, yes. He goes by the name Enzo. He¡¯s an Alpha and I hear he¡¯s also a professor here,¡± Bethany went on to say. The girl frowned and stared around Bethany¡¯s unrecognizable face. ¡°I¡¯m his student,¡± she said, standing to her feet. ¡°He¡¯s probably in the arena. He practices hisbat at this hour. I can take you to him if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°That would be lovely,¡± Bethany said, following the girl out of the lounge. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who did you say you were again?¡± The girl asked, peering over at Bethany as they walked across the campus and toward a muchrger building. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Bethany said with uninterest in her tone. ¡°I¡¯m Beth¡­ and I¡¯m the woman Enzo is going to marry.¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 L¡¯s POV What did she just say? The woman Enzo is going to marry? But what about Connie? I wanted to ask, but I thought against it. The woman seemed so sure of her words, and I had no idea who she was. Though I had to admit, she kind of looked familiar. It was almost like she didn¡¯t want anyone to see her face because it was covered with giant sses, and she had a hood over her head. I must have looked as dumbfounded as I felt because she stared me over carefully and then started to laugh. My face instantly started to warm, and I felt embarrassed for a moment as I turned away and continued to the academic center. ¡°Truth be told, we have yet to meet. But I¡¯m sure once he meets me, he won¡¯t be able to resist,¡± she said casually. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and suddenly, I wasn¡¯t feeling so well. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say in response. ¡°How do you know about Enzo if you¡¯ve never met him?¡± I asked, trying not to look at her; I didn¡¯t want her to see the sorrow on my face. ¡°I saw him in a magazine,¡± she answered. ¡°Plus, my father is an Alpha, so he told me plenty about him.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said, keeping my tone even. We finally reached the arena, and I was hesitant before opening the door. I was about to introduce my mate to his future Luna. Categories Search¡­ My heart ached at the very thought. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and pushed the doors open. My breath nearly got caught in my throat when I saw that Enzo was shirtless and fighting hard in the arena. He was alone and he looked incredible. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. My heart was racing as it often did whenever I was around him and our moments outside the dance invaded my mind. We hadn¡¯t really spoken since then; it was like he was pretending that moment never happened. Not that I could me him. I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed how handsome Enzo was, Beth was by my side instantly and gawking at him. I thought for a moment that she was going to start drooling. ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± she breathed. ¡°He¡¯s even better looking in person.¡± That was an understatement. I felt a growl escaping my wolf as this woman gawked at our mate; Val was not happy about this, and I didn¡¯t me her. Enzo noticed us soon enough and he frowned when he saw me standing awkwardly at the doorway with a woman he has never seen before. He dropped his fighting stick and strolled over to us; I bit my lip to keep from making any sounds. But my goddess, he was so hot. ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± He asked, staring directly at me. I couldn¡¯t even form the words to say, but thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to. Beth spoke for me. ¡°I apologize, I asked if she could bring me to you,¡± Bethany said, holding out her hand for him to take. He stared at it for a moment and then back at her face. ¡°And you are?¡± She chuckled. ¡°The woman you are destined to marry,¡± she cooed. At that point, she removed her hood, and took her ponytail out, allowing her thick and gloriously shimmering blonde hair to fall around her shoulders and down her back. Then, she started to take off her sunsses. I gasped loudly. That¡¯s why she looked so familiar! I had every single one of her albums!! Bethany Rochelle! I stared over at Enzo withrge and shocked eyes; he didn¡¯t look as shocked though. Or interested. He looked more bothered than anything. ¡°Goddammit, John,¡± he muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t me my father,¡± Bethany said, stepping closer to him. ¡°I was the one who insisted oning to see you for myself.¡± Were they talking about Alpha John? He was her father? How had I not known that? I was so shocked I couldn¡¯t even move or speak; I was just stunned in ce. I was staring between the two of them like a dear in headlights. My mate and my music idol. ¡°I have heard that you were in a rtionship already, but she isn¡¯t your Luna,¡± Bethany continued. Enzo¡¯s eyes flickered to me almost instantly and I felt my face warming; I had to look away. ¡°Which means, I still have a chance to get with you. As you see, I¡¯m the incredibly talented and beautiful Bethany Rochelle and I deserve the best. I believe that you are the best. We could make an incredible team together. You as my Alpha and me as your Luna.¡± She took another step closer to him, swaying her hips as she walked. She ced a perfectly manicured hand on his bicep and her eyes lit up with delight. ¡°You are quite the man I must say, Alpha Enzo. I can see I have made the right decision bying here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are mistaken,¡± Enzo said, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°I¡¯m not on the market for a shewolf. I¡¯m sorry you came all this way.¡± He started to turn around and walk away, but she stopped him instantly. ¡°I know what a man like you wants,¡± she said quickly, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You want to get to the top,¡± she answered. ¡°You want to prove that you aren¡¯t the same man your father was. That you aren¡¯t cruel. You want a better world and be rid of the evil that still lurks in the world. The evil your father had nted before he died.¡± When he didn¡¯t say anything, she smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve done my research, Alpha Enzo,¡± she exined. ¡°And if you had done yours, you would know that I have a strong following and I influence the world with my music. I influence men like your father¡¯s followers, and I can make any man fall to their knees.¡± I wasn¡¯t doubting that, but I wasn¡¯t liking where this was going. I wanted to leave and let them talk without me there, but my legs were frozen and wouldn¡¯t let me move. ¡°Why does that matter to me?¡± Enzo asked, eyeing her carefully. A smile yed on her lips. ¡°Because I can make them do as I please. I can get to them in a way you would never be able to. You want to rid the world of men like that¡­ I can help you do just that.¡± She stepped closer to him, this time her breast was nearly sitting on his arm, and he remained unmoved. I pressed my lips firmly together, trying to contain the aggravation of my wolf. ¡°We could make an incredible team, Alpha Enzo¡­¡± she breathed, lowering her tone in a seductive manner. ¡°If you¡¯d let me that is¡­¡± This time, I couldn¡¯t contain myself. I opened my mouth to say something; I wanted to tell her off. I wanted to tell her she can¡¯t just barge in here and say stuff like this to him without any warning and it wasn¡¯t fair to put him on the spot. I needed to say this without sounding like a jealous girlfriend. But just as I opened my mouth, Enzo snapped me a dark look. ¡°L, will you excuse us?¡± He asked, nearly staring into my soul. I stared back at him in shock. ¡°What?¡± I asked; the word caught my throat. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if Bethany and I have this conversation by ourselves. Please, excuse us.¡± He remained unmoved, and she nced at me with that seductive smile still on her lips. Then, she winked. ¡°Yes, L,¡± she said my name with a sneer. ¡°Leave me and my future husband alone for a while.¡± Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Enzo¡¯s POV There was a painful expression on L¡¯s face. She looked between Bethany and me, trying to figure out whether I was serious. I knew there was a part of her that wanted to leave. If she stayed any longer it would only hurt her that much worse, and my wolf wasn¡¯t able to handle feeling her pain. ¡°Okay,¡± she finally said in a soft tone. Bethany rose her brows at L as if silently asking her to leave; this irked me. L turned and left us to be alone. ¡°I knew you would see things from my view,¡± Bethany said, batting her longshes at me. ¡°We are going to make an incredible team. Now, let¡¯s discuss marriage.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be discussing anything of the sort,¡± I said, turning my eyes in her direction. She frowned, seemingly stunned. ¡°Excuse me?¡± She asked, raising her brows once again. ¡°You can¡¯t juste to my workce and talk about this nonsense in front of my students. It was incredibly unprofessional, and my personal business is not to be disyed as it was.¡± ¡°I apologize for being so careless and erupt but¡ª¡± ¡°As for your idea of bing a team, I don¡¯t work with anyone. I got to where I am today because of my dedication and my willingness to put in 100 percent of the work. Not because I used someone else to get ahead.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡± ¡°I know your intentions and I¡¯ve already told your father I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°I thought if I came to see you myself that¡ª¡± Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°That I would instantly fall for you? If you had really done your research, you would know that I am not that easy. I prefer to work alone and be alone. I don¡¯t have time for women and mates. Anybody who truly knows me would know that. I¡¯m sorry you came all this way only to be disappointed. However, I¡¯m going to ask you to leave this academy and don¡¯t return here like this again.¡± I turned my back to her and went to thebat equipment that I left across the arena. She stood in ce, staring at my back with her mouth hanging open. I knew she was stunned, and I had nothing more to say to her. She eventually left without another word. ¡­ Third Person POV That didn¡¯t go as nned at all. There was something seriously off with this situation. Not to mention there was something off with that girl who brought Bethany to see Enzo. L was her name. When Enzo asked her to leave, it was like she had seen a ghost. She was making Bethany feel rather ufortable. Enzo had looked at Bethany like she was nothing but gutter trash; Bethany was anything but gutter trash. She had never been looked at in such a heinous way before and she wasn¡¯t sure how to react to it. She clenched her fists in a fit of rage; it was taking everything she had not to punch something as she stalked out of the building. She paused when she saw that odd girl, L, standing nearby, leaning against the wall with her head hanging low. ¡°Oh, my goddess!!¡± A cheerful girl said from a short distance. She was with a couple of other girls who were staring at Bethany with wide eyes and gaping mouths. In the mix of all the excitement, Bethany forgot to put her disguise back on before leaving the building. ¡°You¡¯re Bethany Rochelle!!¡± ¡°The one and only,¡± Bethany said coolly, shing them her award-winning smile. The girls rushed over to her. ¡°Can we get your autograph?!¡± They all asked at once. They scrambled through their bags to find notebooks and pens. ¡°I suppose so,¡± Bethany said, sounding a little bored, but that was her natural attitude when it came to her fans. Don¡¯t get her wrong, she adored her fans. Without fans, she wouldn¡¯t be where she was. However, she didn¡¯t want them to know how much she adored them. So, she yed it off as they bored her. It was what kept her so cool and collected; her fans usually looked up to her attitude and aspired to be that calm during their daily lives. L had noticed Bethany at that point, and they locked eyes for a moment. Bethany wondered what this girl was thinking and why she looked so down. She wondered if it had anything to do with the handsome Enzo. The thought caused a flicker of a smile to tug at Bethany¡¯s perfectly formed lips before she pulled her gaze away from L and addressed her fans. They were shoving books and pens in her face; Bethany signed each book and added a little heart to her signature and kissed each one with her ruby-red lip gloss. The girls all cooed and screamed. Bethany¡¯s bodyguard was by her side quickly, forcing the girls away from her so Bethany could make her way back to her car. But not before she turned back in the direction of L and noticed that she was gone. How interesting. ¡­ Upon returning home, her father was sitting in his office and getting some work done. Bethany barged in like she was the one in charge. Her father nced up from hisputer with a frown. ¡°Beth darling, I¡¯m d you¡¯re home but must you barge in like that? What if I had a conference?¡± He asked, sounding annoyed by his daughter. ¡°I would hope that you would pause the conference for your daughter,¡± she said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She crossed her leg over the other and folded her arms across her busty chest. ¡°Of course,¡± her father said with a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He finally asked after searching her distraught face. ¡°I went to see Alpha Enzo and he turned me away,¡± she muttered. Her father rose his brows and narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°I told you that would happen,¡± her father said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°Enzo is already spoken for¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± she said firmly. ¡°He told me himself that he doesn¡¯t have any interest in women or mates.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s gay,¡± she said almost thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he said in return. ¡°Well, clearly you don¡¯t know much of anything about him then,¡± she snapped. ¡°Watch your tone, Beth. You might be a famous singer and my daughter, but I¡¯m still the Alpha,¡± her father said in a deep and threatening tone. ¡°As an Alpha, you should know more about the other Alphas.¡± ¡°I know what I need to know, and their rtionship history isn¡¯t something I need to know,¡± he informed her. ¡°It is odd, however, that he remains unmated and unwed. He can¡¯t run a pack properly if there¡¯s no Luna. It¡¯s shameful really. I tried my best to make him see that but clearly, he is unwilling to compromise.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a luna,¡± Bethany reminded him. ¡°Your mother was killed. That¡¯s different than never having one.¡± ¡°Mother wasn¡¯t your fated mate. She was your chosen mate. If I remember correctly, she wasn¡¯t interested in a mate either. What made her fall in love with you?¡± ¡°I had her live in the packhouse while she was in town for business. There was no other ce for her to stay and I knew I loved her the moment I saw her,¡± her father exined. ¡°It¡¯s true, she didn¡¯t love me, but she needed a ce to stay for a while and took me up on my offer. Once she saw all the things I could do and how true to my word that I was, she eventually started to open up to me. Sheter confessed to falling in love with me.¡± ¡°So, Mother living in the packhouse is what made her fall in love with you?¡± ¡°No,¡± her father said, shaking his head. ¡°But it brought her close enough to me where she eventually fell in love.¡± An idea surfaced in Bethany¡¯s mind, causing her to stand to her feet quickly. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± She breathed. ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯ll get him to fall in love with me. I¡¯ll move into his packhouse!¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha John is requesting a meeting with you,¡± Beta Ethan said during a mindlink. ¡°He agreed to meet you somewhere in Hig. Perhaps a coffee shop in the morning.¡± ¡°Did he say what it¡¯s about?¡± I asked, curiosity piquing my interest. It was odd that John would request a last-minute meeting like this. It was out of character. ¡°I asked and he said it was a personal matter,¡± Ethan said in return. ¡°I see,¡± I said, thinking carefully about this. ¡°All right. We can meet at the coffee shop in the morning. 8:00 am.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let him know,¡± Ethan said as he disconnected the link. ¡­ The next morning. The coffee shop was fairly busy in the morning with the college students all scrambling to get their morning coffee before their first rounds of sses. I knew I wasn¡¯t going to see L this morning because coffee wasn¡¯t something she typically drank. She was a tea drinker. I wasn¡¯t even sure how or why I knew that information. ¡°You think about her often,¡± Max teased. ¡°It¡¯s like you can¡¯t help yourself.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± I seethed between my teeth. Nothing else was said by my wolf. I saw Alpha John sitting in a booth with a cup of coffeeid out in front of him. He was sipping it gradually, staring at the dark elixir in the cup. I went to him and took my seat in the booth before him, and he genuinely looked pleased to see me. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Thank you for meeting with me,¡± John said with a faint, tired smile. ¡°What is this about?¡± I asked, wanting to get right to business. ¡°I have a ss starting soon and I¡¯d like to prepare beforehand.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± John said in return. ¡°As you know, my Luna passed away a couple of years ago and it¡¯s been really hard on not only myself but my daughter Bethany as well.¡± ¡°My apologies for your loss. I know it crushed the kingdom when we found out about her death,¡± I said with true sincerity. ¡°She hasn¡¯t lived at home in a long time and it¡¯s difficult for her to stay there when the memory of her mother. The pain of losing her is still fresh and I worry that Bethany can¡¯t handle it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure over time it will get easier. Once she¡¯s been here long enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure yes¡­ however, my Luna¡¯s killer is still out there somewhere¡­¡± ¡°I thought he was killed.¡± ¡°That was a rumor. He is free somewhere and I worry that he might try toe after my daughter next,¡± John said, lowering his gaze to his coffee. ¡°He vowed to take everything from me. Now that Bethany is back in town, she¡¯s easier to track. I don¡¯t want her to be worried, so I haven¡¯t told her any of this.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say a thing,¡± I assured him. ¡°But I¡¯m a little confused about what you would like me to do.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t protect her in the way that I would like. I worry if she¡¯s in my pack and living under my roof, she will be a target for the killer. I want to protect her in any way that I can.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, leaning back in my seat; I was beginning to realize what he wanted. ¡°You¡¯d like for her to stay in the Calypso pack in my packhouse.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. I could think of a thousand reasons why that would be a bad idea. But it wasn¡¯t like Alpha John toe to me for a favor like this. I didn¡¯t wish harm on Bethany, despite her being annoying. As an Alpha, I Owned by N?velDrama.Org. understood that it was our duty to protect her, even if she isn¡¯t a part of my pack. ¡°Yes,¡± he finally answered. ¡°She would think I¡¯m sending her to live there because the memories of her mother are too much for her to handle. But it¡¯s really to protect her against this killer.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I finally said after a long pause. ¡°She can stay at my packhouse. But it¡¯s only until the killer is taken care of. Then, she will return to your home.¡± ¡°Yes, Alpha Enzo,¡± John said, a relieved smile spreading across his lips. ¡°Thank you so much! And please, keep this to yourself.¡± I shook his hand before standing to my feet. ¡°I should be going,¡± I said to him. ¡°I¡¯ll reach out to my Beta and exin to him what¡¯s happening. She can move in this evening. I won¡¯t be there for a couple of days, but my pack will make her feel more than wee.¡± ¡°I really appreciate this,¡± John said, chugging the rest of his coffee before standing to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you soon.¡± ¡­ Third Person POV Bethany packed her things immediately upon her father¡¯s arrival. The made-up story about her mother¡¯s killer being alive still was entirely Bethany¡¯s idea. The killer has been long dead, and Bethany isn¡¯t actually distraught about staying at their home. It was only to get Enzo to sympathize with the situation. Later that evening, after she was done packing, Enzo¡¯s Beta arrived in a car for her. She said her goodbyes to her father and went with Ethan to the car. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the Calypso pack. It was only about 20 minutes away from her father¡¯s pack. Once she arrived, she was greeted by a few pack members and workers. Ethan brought her stuff to her new room. ¡°Oh, Miss Rochelle. I am a big fan of yours,¡± one of the older women said. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to all your songs. Mainly when I cook in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Bethany said politely. ¡°I¡¯m d to have some fans here. But please, treat me like I was just another member of your pack. You may call me Bethany.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the woman said. ¡°I am Deanna. But most call me Dee. I¡¯m the house mother.¡± ¡°A house mother?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in charge of all the workers in the packhouse,¡± she exined. ¡°I do most of the cooking as well. Like a mother.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the head maid,¡± she said, almost dismissively. ¡°Got it.¡± Dee frowned at her choice of words. ¡°I¡¯ll be cooking dinner for this evening. If you¡¯d like to join me in the kitchen, that would be wonderful,¡± Dee offered. Bethany frowned at the suggestion and gave Dee a disgusted look. ¡°I don¡¯t cook,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°The help does that.¡± Dee tensed at Bethany¡¯s words before turning away. ¡°I see,¡± Dee muttered. ¡°Well, if you want to be treated like any other pack member, then I suggest you get off your high horse and help me in the kitchen. If not, then that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll fetch you once dinner is ready.¡± Dee wasn¡¯t afraid to tell it how it was and Bethany kind of admired that. Not that she would ever tell anyone that. Bethany decided to go to her new room and unpack her belongings. Her room was smaller than she would have wanted, but it had a nice view of the ocean out the bay window and there was a decent-sized bathroom inside the room. If she was going to be here for a while, she was going to have to decorate the room how she liked it. Floral designs were practically a crime. Knock knock! There was a small woman standing at her doorway. She had a faint smile on her face as she looked up at Bethany and her face reddened slightly. She looked a bit timid, but she bowed her head slightly. ¡°Dee asked if I could get you for dinner,¡± the woman said. Bethany said nothing as she brushed past this woman and down the stairs. She hadn¡¯t eaten all day, so she was kind of hungry. Not that she ate much anyways; she had a figure to maintain after all. She went into the kitchen and frowned when she saw the stew in a bowl on the counter. Dee nced at her and then at the stew. ¡°That¡¯s for you,¡± Dee said. ¡°Stew?¡± Bethany asked with a disgusted look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Dee assured her. ¡°Try it.¡± Bethany groaned, but she was too hungry to deny this meal, so she went to the bowl and took a bite. It instantly tasted odd; she didn¡¯t like it and she made it painfully known to Dee. ¡°What the hell is in it?¡± Bethany asked, pushing the bowl away. ¡°How do you fuck up making stew?¡± Dee¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I didn¡¯t mess anything up. It¡¯s a new recipe. A cob of two recipes actually,¡± Dee exined. ¡°It¡¯s half my recipe and half L¡¯s recipe.¡± ¡°L?¡± Bethany couldn¡¯t help but ask. The same name as that student at school. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s a young girl that visits asionally. She¡¯s a friend of Enzo. If you ask me, I think he has a little crush on her,¡± Dee chuckled. That piqued Bethany¡¯s interest. ¡°A crush you say? How interesting¡­¡± Who was this L girl? She couldn¡¯t possibly be the same person Chapter 53 Chapter 53 L¡¯s POV ¡°Professor Enzo will be running a little bitte. He got stuck in a meeting. But he should be here soon,¡± Connie announced once ss started. ¡°In the meantime, you can practice the moves we taught you the other day.¡± Everybody joined their partners and began shifting and attacking. I stood off to the side awkwardly. I didn¡¯t have a partner anymore. Ba was still in the hospital and even so, she didn¡¯t want to be my partner. I couldn¡¯t me her. I met Connie¡¯s eyes, and she walked over to me. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what to do with you yet,¡± she said, folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°I suppose you can just wait for Professor Enzo to return and then ask him.¡± The image of her naked in his house surfaced in my mind and formed a tight knot in the pit of my stomach. It was unsettling to look at and my heart ached at the memory. But I nodded to her just the same; hoping that the pain wasn¡¯t evident on my face. She turned away from me and swayed her hips as she walked. I lowered my gaze, fixating it on the ground and feeling kind of bad for myself. I knew I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this way, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Especially after my encounter with Bethany Rochelle. I wondered what she and Enzo spoke about after I left. I wondered if she convinced him to give her a chance. There was a part of me that wanted to ask him, but I didn¡¯t think he would tell me even if I did. I stood off to the side, watching as my ssmates worked effectively to show off their moves. Everybody was so good; I was good at thebat stuff, but I was still new at shifting. I¡¯m getting better at it though; however, I need to work on controlling my powers. I didn¡¯t want what happened to Ba to happen to anyone else. Categories Search¡­ Owned by N?velDrama.Org. I already felt bad for my nextbat and shifting partner. Just then, I felt a familiar presence and Val perked up. She could sense Enzo approaching. My heart was racing rapidly in my chest, and I couldn¡¯t help the excited feeling I felt in my body. But it was also mixed with pain as I thought about him not being excited to see me. I knew in his mind; I was nothing but a lowly student. What he wanted was either Bethany or Connie. They would probably make better suitors for him anyways. As he walked in, his shirt was already off, and he was freshly glistened in sweat. My mouth was nearly hanging open when he neared the front of the room; the light illuminated his skin and made him look like he was practically glowing. I couldn¡¯t pull my eyes away from him, as much as I knew I should. Connie was also red in the face when he approached. She brushed her slender fingers through her hair and allowed it to fall around her shoulders. I noticed she wasn¡¯t wearing her hair in her usualbat ponytail, but she left it down. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was because of Enzo. Was she trying to impress him? ¡°About time,¡± she teased with a grin. ¡°Sorry, I had to take care of some stuff. Where are we in the lessons?¡± He asked, peering across the room, and scanning the students. ¡°I¡¯m having them practice the moves we taught them the other day,¡± she exined. Her eyes flickered to me. ¡°She still needs a partner.¡± Her voice dropped to a whisper. His eyes locked onto mine and for a moment, I had forgotten how to breathe. There was a thought in his mind; that much was clear. Soon, he was stepping away from Connie and making his way toward me. ¡°I¡¯ll be her partner,¡± he muttered. Both Connie and I were shocked by his words. I didn¡¯t have the time toprehend what he had just said because he was taking me by the arm and guiding me further away from the rest. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I whispered to him; hardly able to contain my voice. ¡°You need a partner that can handle whatever your powers might do,¡± he said in a hushed tone. ¡°As an Alpha, I can handle whatever you throw at me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you,¡± I told him in return. He stopped walking and turned to me; there was humor on his face. I wondered how he was able to show his humor without actually smiling. It was all in his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me,¡± he said in return before taking his stance. ¡°Now turn around and stop my attack.¡± I felt my face warming under the intensity of his stares, but I did as he said. I turned around with a quick beating heart. There was no way to tell when he was going to attack; that was the point. We had to be prepared for everything. I remained silent as he gained distance from behind me; he was trying to make me wonder when he was going to attack and at what angle. Then, I got a sense. I could hear himing from the left and his presence grew that much stronger. I quickly ducked as he reached me, but I kicked my feet in his direction. That was my main mistake; I attempted to do a front flip, instead of just shifting into my wolf form. I was supposed to shift at that point, but I was so used to attacking in my human form, I didn¡¯t think twice about it. Just as my handsnded on the ground and I went to kick my feet in the air to continue the flip, his arms were wrapped around my waist tightly. I felt his pelvis pressed into my back end and my entire face warmed at the feeling. I could feel him. All of him. His arms tightened around me, and his legs kicked mine from under me,nding me on the ground with him on top of me. We were both breathing hard with his arms still wrapped around me. At this point, I was lying on my back and staring up at him withrge eyes. He stared back down at me, scanning my body briefly a small growl escaping the depth of his throat. I bit my bottom lip; this feeling was unreal. I wanted him to touch me and take me as his right now. He brushed his fingers lightly down my arm causing goosebumps to form on my flesh. I swallowed the large lump that had formed in my throat. I wanted to touch him in return, but I waspletely frozen. Soon, I heard Connie clearing her throat loudly, causing Enzo to freeze as well. He looked in her direction and I saw the stern and questioning look she was giving him. He released me and quickly stood to his feet. ¡°You should have shifted,¡± he muttered, looking back at me. ¡°We¡¯ll do that again until you get it right.¡± I nodded, standing to my feet as well. What was that? Did I just imagine that? ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Her body was vulnerable to me, and I could have had her if I wanted her. She wore a tight tank top and leggings that shaped her body perfectly. Pressing myself into her backend caused me to be hard and I wonder if she could feel it. I wanted to have my way with her, but we were in the middle of ss. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Connie asked as soon as ss ended, and we were alone. ¡°You were nearly having sex in front of everybody.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that,¡± I said in return as I packed up my belongings. ¡°I was teaching her¡ª¡± ¡°How to have sex?¡± ¡°Stop that,¡± I said, shaking my head in disgust. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°I have eyes Enzo. Are you fucking her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Connie,¡± I muttered. ¡°She¡¯s my student.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± she said in return. ¡°You could get into so much trouble if the board found out that you are¡ª¡± ¡°The board isn¡¯t going to find out anything because nothing is happening. I give you my word. I¡¯m not having sex with any of my students. You should know me better than that.¡± ¡°I thought I did¡­¡± she said, taking a step away. ¡°But after seeing that¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to think.¡± She turned away and left before I could say anything more. I shook my head; there was nothing going on with L and me. There couldn¡¯t be. But still, Connie was right. I nearly took L¡¯s clothing off. What hade over me? And why? ¡°I can tell you why¡­¡± Max said, teasingly. ¡°You¡¯re attracted to our mate.¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54 L¡¯s POV ¡°Why are you spending the weekend at the Calypso pack?¡± Rachel asked from across our dorm as she watched me pack some of my belongings into my weekend bag. ¡°I told some of the children that I would help them with theirbat,¡± I exined to her. ¡°And Professor Enzo is okay with that?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°It took a little convincing. But eventually, he came around,¡± I told her. This much was true. Enzo was against it at first, but I asked him again the other day if I could go to his pack and train some of the local children and he finally agreed. Rachel looked questionably at me for a few moments before shrugging and plopping down on her bed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be here. Being bored out of my mind,¡± she said, grabbing one of her old magazines to flip through. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a couple of days.¡± I gave her a quick hug before leaving. ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m so happy that you are here!¡± Dee said as soon as I walked into the packhouse. She greeted with me wide open arms and I couldn¡¯t help butugh as she wrapped me in her tight embrace. ¡°You have been missed, L dear,¡± she breathed. ¡°Have you eaten? I can make you something delicious.¡± ¡°I ate not long ago,¡± I told her. ¡°Thank you though.¡± ¡°Enzo is in his office if you want to say hi,¡± she said, a knowing smile ying on her lips. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. My face warmed and I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to see me,¡± I told her. ¡°It¡¯s okay though. I¡¯d rather just get to one of the guest rooms and get some rest.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she breathed, running the palm of her hand down my narrow features. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you up some tea in a little bit.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, hugging her again. I turned to walk up the stairs, but just as I was about to take that first step, I saw someone at the top of the stairs. My heart fell deep into my stomach at the sight of her. A smile ys on her lips as she folds her arms across her chest. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it funny to see you here,¡± Bethany said coolly. ¡°I must say, I¡¯m a little surprised. Does your professor know you¡¯ve followed him to his home?¡± ¡°He knows I¡¯m here,¡± I told her, trying to keep my voice even. ¡°I¡¯m training some of the local children tomorrow onbat.¡± ¡°Combat?¡± Bethany said, raising her brows. ¡°You?¡± She scanned my body briefly before meeting my eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered as I began walking up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite good,¡± I added. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you are,¡± she nearlyughed. I wasn¡¯t going to entertain her with any more than that, so I walked past her and toward my room. I wondered what she was doing here but it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to find out right now. My heart remained heavy in my chest, and I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked. ¡°Oh, hello, L,¡± Laura, one of the pack workers, said as I walked by. ¡°Hello, Laura,¡± I said in return. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡± ¡°L?¡± I heard Bethany say from behind me. She sounded shocked for a moment but then came to a realization. ¡°So, it¡¯s true¡­ you¡¯re the same L after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯ve met before,¡± I reminded her.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but I didn¡¯t know you were that L.¡± What was that supposed to mean? ¡°Well¡­ anyways. I¡¯ll be staying here for a little while. I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± she said coolly, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder. ¡°Why would I mind? It¡¯s not my packhouse,¡± I told her, trying not to sound bothered. ¡°Right, but I¡¯ve heard you are here often and well¡­ as you know¡­ Enzo and I are kind of making things happen between us. He invited me to stay with him until the next unforeseen fortune. I was quite shocked by that.¡± My heart fell into my stomach at her words and this time, I was sure she could tell I was in pain. ¡°I see,¡± I managed to say. ¡°It¡¯s nice here¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I will too. I¡¯ll especially enjoy Enzo.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything in response to that, I turned away and went to the guest bedroom. ¡­ Later in the evening, after sessfully avoiding Enzo and Bethany, I went into the kitchen to find Dee preparing the packhouse dinner. She smiled when she saw me entering because she knew I wanted to help her. ¡°Where are we?¡± I asked as I washed my hands. ¡°I¡¯m really d you¡¯re here, L,¡± she breathed fondly. ¡°You can cut those vegetables. I¡¯m making stirfry.¡± ¡°Sounds delicious,¡± I told her. ¡°My mother always puts a little sugar in it for sweetness.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°Then we shall put sugar in it,¡± she said happily. I chuckled at her eagerness. ¡°How have things been at school? How was the dance? The bake sale was so fun. We¡¯ll have to do that again soon.¡± ¡°Everything is great. Thank you again for helping me with the bake sale. I couldn¡¯t have done that without your help.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure. I¡¯ll always be here to help you¡­¡± she said with a fond smile. Then her smile kind of shifted and I saw it turning into a frown. There was something she wasn¡¯t saying, something on her mind. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, the door of the kitchen swung open, and Bethany made her way in. ¡°Oh, hello Miss Bethany,¡± Dee said with a kind and yet stered smile. ¡°Dinner isn¡¯t quite ready yet.¡± ¡°Why is she in here?¡± Bethany asked, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°Oh, L helps me cook when she¡¯s here. It¡¯s one of our bonding moments¡­¡± ¡°You bond with Enzo¡¯s student?¡± Bethany asked, raising her brows. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit inappropriate?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it that way, no,¡± Dee said with a frown, ncing over at me. ¡°She¡¯s a very good cook and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m an even better cook.¡± ¡°I thought you said that¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m here now and I¡¯ll help you cook for our darling Enzo. It¡¯s the least I could do. He¡¯s given me a home that I could be happy at. I would like to do my part.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Dee said, questionably. ¡°Okay¡­ yes. I would love to have your help.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Bethany said as she went over to the sink to wash her hands. I nced at Dee; I felt a little sad and she could read that on my face. ¡°You can both help,¡± Dee suggested. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Bethany said, shoving me away from the vegetables. I allowed the knife to fall onto the counter. Thankfully, nobody got hurt. ¡°Thank you, but I got it from here.¡± I nodded and turned away; I wanted to cry, but I refused to do so in front of them. Later, Laura came to fetch me for dinner. I was expecting Bethany to be in the kitchen eating with Dee, but she wasn¡¯t. ¡°She went to eat with Enzo in his office,¡± Dee exined as I sat down on the high stool. ¡°I see,¡± I said, trying not to look too bothered. ¡°She¡¯s an interesting woman,¡± Dee said shaking her head. ¡°But Enzo apparently likes her enough to have her living here.¡± ¡°You think he likes her?¡± I asked; my voice sounded strained, and I was aware of that. ¡°There¡¯s no other reason for her to be here,¡± Dee said, shaking her head. ¡°I never actually saw them together but do believe that Alpha Enzo is quite smitten with this woman.¡± Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Third Person POV So, L is Enzo¡¯s student and his apparent crush. It¡¯s quite obvious that L has a thing for him as well, but it is simply a thing that can¡¯t ever happen. It¡¯s a scandal that Enzo wouldn¡¯t want to get out and Bethany was nning on eating that up. Whatever kind of crush he had on her, wasn¡¯t going tost with Bethany there. There was nobody like Bethany and she was going to make sure that everybody in this pack, including Enzo, knew that. Soon, they won¡¯t even remember L¡¯s name. Enzo was in his office when Bethany brought him his food. He¡¯s basically been living in this office since he arrived home. ¡°How about you take a break and have some food,¡± she said, cing a te of stir-fry in front of him. He nced at it briefly, uninterested, before looking back at hisputer. ¡°I thought maybe we could eat together,¡± she finally said after a long pause. ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± he said without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy.¡± ¡°I can see that, but even an Alpha needs to take a break,¡± she said as she sat in the chair in front of his desk. ¡°What are you working on?¡± ¡°We are opening a few food stands around the pack and I need to make sure we have all the documentation to support it.¡± ¡°That sounds interesting,¡± she breathed as she took a bite of her food. She winced; it was far too sweet. ¡°So, L is an interesting girl. She¡¯s your student, right? It¡¯s amazing that you allow her in your pack like this. Let alone allow her to stay in the packhouse.¡± That caught Enzo¡¯s attention. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to discuss L,¡± he said almost coldly. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She struck a chord. Dee was right; he was interested in this girl. ¡°You do know you can¡¯t have a rtionship with her, right?¡± Bethany said, raising her brows. ¡°She¡¯s your student and you could get into huge trouble if the board found out.¡± ¡°What are you on about?¡± ¡°I think you know exactly what I¡¯m on about, Enzo. You can¡¯t pursue a rtionship with your student.¡± ¡°She¡¯s nothing more than a student to me. She¡¯s here to help some local children with theirbat. She¡¯s incredibly talented when ites tobat. I made a promise to her father that I would protect her and that¡¯s all I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°Her father, you say?¡± Bethany asked, leaning forward. ¡°Who is her father?¡± ¡°Alpha Bastien of¡ª¡± ¡°The Nova pack¡­¡± Bethany breathed; of course, she heard of Alpha Bastien. ¡°She¡¯s from Elysium.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°She¡¯s a very talented young girl; she takes after her father. But I wouldn¡¯t cross the student-teacher boundary.¡± ¡°I hope you are being truthful,¡± Bethany said, gazing at him. He was so handsome she could hardly contain herself. He doesn¡¯t say anything in response to that. Instead, he took a bite out of the food, and he had a satisfied look on his face. ¡°I made it with Dee. What a lovely woman she is,¡± Bethany said with a kind smile. ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± he admitted, taking another bite. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I walked by Enzo¡¯s office just as Bethany was leaving it. ¡°Would you mind taking these to get washed?¡± She asked as she handed me the dirty dishes from dinner. ¡°Enzo and I are quite busy.¡± She turned away and went back into his office. ¡­ The next morning. The children gathered in the nearby field off the western coast of the Calypso pack. They were eagerly waiting for my arrival when I got there. I started to teach them simple moves and then got into more difficult ones. Most of them were doing quite well. I even brought fighting sticks for them to practice with and they ran around, whacking each other. I thought for a moment that they were going to hurt one another, but I managed to get them to settle down. One little girl, in particr, fell on her backside when she attempted one of the kicking moves. She began to cry until I knelt in front of her and ced my hand on her arm. My fingers started to warm her skin and she breathed in amazement. I was using my abilities to heal her sore body and she was in absolute awe over it. ¡°Wow¡­¡± she breathed. I gave her a kind smile and helped her to her feet. I helped her with the move a couple of times before she wasfortable doing it on her own. It took a couple of tries, but she eventually got the hang of it. ¡°Oh, hello, L,¡± I heard a familiar voice saying from a short distance. I turned and saw Bethany walking in our direction. Some of the children gasped, recognizing her instantly. ¡°Bethany,¡± I said, trying to keep myself calm and collected. Thest thing I needed was to lose control in front of all these children. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I hurt anyone. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± I realized she was holding Tupperware in her hands. ¡°I made some cookies earlier and I wanted to share them with you,¡± she said kindly. ¡°I outdid myself if I do say so myself.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ thank you,¡± I said, taking the Tupperware. ¡°You can share them with the children,¡± she suggested. All the kids began to cheer and p with excitement. I smiled at their eager faces as I opened the lid. The cookies smelled delicious, and all the kids were excited to get one. I had them form a single line so I can easily and quickly get them a cookie. They were all munching and talking amongst themselves, giving Bethany and me a little alone time. ¡°I need to make my mark on this pack anyway that I can,¡± she said fondly. ¡°I really like Enzo and I hope he likes me too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he does,¡± I said to her, and it pained me to speak that out loud. ¡°Dee actually thinks he¡¯s quite smitten with you.¡± ¡°Does she?¡± She asked, sounding surprised. ¡°Well, I guess we will see. He wants me to live here so I suppose that¡¯s something. Perhaps we will get a little more acquainted tonight.¡± I felt a low growl from Val emerging from my throat. I took a deep breath to calm myself. ¡°What makes you so good atbat?¡± She asked, peering over at me. ¡°He finds you quite impressive.¡± ¡°My father,¡± I answered. ¡°I grew up learning from him and some of the gammas in Elysium. They taught me everything I know.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°I will be honest, upon hearing about you the other day, I was a bit worried that Enzo was crushing on you a little. But I can see now that you are nothing more than a student to him. You are quite young and a little naive. Which isn¡¯t a bad thing¡­ you just have a lot of growing to do. But what Enzo needs is a woman¡­ a woman who can care for all his needs. Do you know what I mean?¡± I felt my face reddening. ¡°He needs more than just another warrior. You are skilled inbat sure¡­ but are you skilled in other areas? Would you know how to please him as a Luna? Would you even know how to run a pack?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why we are talking about this,¡± I said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is¡­ I hope my intuition isn¡¯t correct when it tells me that you have a little crush on your professor. Because just know¡­ there will never be a real rtionship between you two. It couldn¡¯t possibly happen. Not only could he lose his job¡­ but he will lose the respect of his pack and he will never get ahead. Which we all know is what he wants more than anything. I¡¯m here now¡­ I can be everything he needs and more.¡± ¡°I would never stand in the way of his happiness,¡± I went on to say, however just before I was able to say anything more, a familiar sense made its way to me, and Val grew excited. Enzo. I saw him in the distance making his way toward us. His face was stern, and his eyes were like daggers. They were staring directly at Bethany who hadn¡¯t noticed him just yet. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± He asked her in a low and almost threatening tone. But hisposure was incredibly calm. She rose her gaze to meet his. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, darling. I was just bringing L and the children some cookies. I hope I didn¡¯t make you worried.¡± He stared around her face for a moment before reaching toward her and taking her hand into his. Soon, they were both walking away. Hand-in-hand Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Something is wrong with our mate. She¡¯s feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. Her wolf is crying out to me,¡± Max said with a strained tone. I had anxiety boiling in my chest and I knew he was right. I didn¡¯t stay around the packhouse for long. I knew L was in the Calypso field with the local children, training them inbat. As I reached the field, I saw exactly what was making L upset. Or rather, I saw who was making her upset. Bethany stood beside her with a smile on her face as she spoke words to L that looked wounding. L lowered her gaze and for a moment, I thought she was going to cry. I couldn¡¯t exin the rage I was feeling at that moment. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. I knew I had to remain calm; I couldn¡¯t lose my cool in front of everybody. Including these children. The only thing I could think to do was approach them without making a sound. L, of course, could sense my presence. She saw me before I reached them, but Bethany waspletely oblivious. I had told Bethany countless times to stay away from L and she refused to follow simple orders. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± I asked, trying to keep my tone as even as possible. Bethany finally noticed me, and she turned her attention to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, darling. I was just bringing L and the children some cookies. I hope I didn¡¯t make you worried.¡± I stared at her for a moment longer; who does she think she¡¯s fooling? She has got to be kidding me. L looked like she wanted to say something, but I wanted to get Bethany as far away from her as possible. There was no telling what kind of nonsense she was feeding L¡¯s mind. Categories Search¡­ I would have to make it a point to speak with L aler to clear up any misunderstandings. But until then, I grabbed Bethany¡¯s hand and pulled her away from the field. L stared after us with a sad look on her face; a look that would be engraved in my mind for years to come. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Evening came quickly; by the time the sun started to set, I had the children return to their homes as promised. I stayed away from the packhouse for a little longer though. The thought of returning to see Bethany and Enzo gave me a sickened feeling in my stomach and Val wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it either. I decided to shift into my wolf form and sprint through the forest. The rays of the moon lit up my path as I circled around the forest grounds. I would never get used to being in this form. It felt so freeing, and I could sense everything for miles. All my senses were incredibly heightened, and Val felt stronger than ever. I realized quickly that I was channeling the light from the moon myself and basking in its warm rays as it filled me with energy. After a couple of hours, I decided it was probably time to return to the packhouse. As I got there, I could smell the delicious food cooked in the kitchen. My stomach was growling loudly. I hadn¡¯t eaten since this morning, and I was excited to see what Dee had cooked. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see Bethany in the kitchen with her though. They were bothughing and dancing around the kitchen just as I had done with Dee on my first night here. My heart ached in my chest as I watched the two of them get along so well. Dee stopped dancing when she saw me, and she gave me a kind smile. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Oh, good, L, you¡¯re here,¡± she breathed, rushing toward me. ¡°We just finished cooking dinner. It¡¯s pork tenderloin. It was¡ª¡± ¡°My idea,¡± Bethany said smoothly, interrupting Dee¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a family recipe. My mother used to make it before she died.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s delicious,¡± I said, forcing a smile of my own as I grabbed a te of food. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring a te to Enzo,¡± she said, grabbing a te for herself and then for Enzo before leaving the kitchen. I sat at the counter in my usual seat beside Dee and began eating the food. I hated that it was delicious. ¡°I will be honest, I was surprised when Enzo brought her here,¡± Dee said as she ate next to me. ¡°There was no warning. Beta Ethan just brought her here and she made herself at home.¡± ¡°Enzo is a gentleman like that,¡± I said in return. ¡°He was always so against having a mate and dating. Honestly, I thought you would be the one to break him out of that.¡± I nearly spit my water out when she said those words. ¡°I¡¯m his student,¡± I said quickly. ¡°He could lose his job¡­¡± ¡°I thought maybe for a moment that you could have been his mate. You can¡¯t help who your fated mate is, and the school board would understand that.¡± They might understand, but they wouldn¡¯t allow him to continue teaching. But I didn¡¯t want anyone to know that Enzo was my fated mate; especially not Dee. ¡°He¡¯s not my mate,¡± I told her. ¡°I haven¡¯t found him yet. But when I do, it¡¯ll be magical. Just like my parents.¡± She gave me a fond smile. ¡°I believe that as well,¡± she said in return. ¡°Perhaps Bethany is his mate after all. She seems to think she is at least.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, raising my brows. She told Dee that she was Enzo¡¯s mate? ¡°Yeah, she says she¡¯s his fated mate. So, I¡¯ve been making it a point to be kind to her. Even when she¡¯s not particrly kind to me.¡± Dee shook her head with dismay written all over her face. Bethany couldn¡¯t possibly be Enzo¡¯s mate¡­ I was his mate. Would it be possible to have two? The thought made me feel physically ill and I found myself no longer hungry. Dee frowned as she peered over at me. ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Are you okay, dear?¡± She asked with concern clear in her tone. ¡°Yes,¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°I think I¡¯m just tired though. I¡¯m going to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Don¡¯t worry about your dishes. I¡¯ll wash them,¡± Dee offered, taking my te away from me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said kindly as I slid out of the stool and made my way upstairs. As I reached the top step, I paused at Enzo¡¯s office door. The light under the door was off, which meant he wasn¡¯t in there. I wondered where he was eating his meal¡­ if he was even eating. Maybe he was off somewhere with Bethany. The thought was unsettling, and I tried hard to push it out of my mind. I shook my head at the thought and went toward my bedroom door¡­ or the guest bedroom door I should say. But as I reached the door, I paused when Enzo¡¯s bedroom door swung open, and Bethany walked out. She looked a bit frazzled and red in the face. Her hair was kind of a mess as well. That¡¯s when I noticed her blouse was unbuttoned. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Third Person POV ¡°You should seriously eat something, Enzo¡­¡± Bethany pouted as she stood at his office door. Enzo red at her from his desk; there was no trace of amusement on his face. Getting him to love her was going to be more difficult than she thought, but she certainly wasn¡¯t going to give up. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± he said, standing to his feet. ¡°I ate ate lunch.¡± Bethany knew for a fact that he wasn¡¯t being truthful. She doesn¡¯t recall him eating at all today. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed. Please, don¡¯t disturb me,¡± he said as he brushed past her and left his office. Bethany ced the tes of food on his desk and folded her arms across her chest. This wasn¡¯t fair. He clearly cares way too deeply for that lowly student of his. Even his packhouse staff seems to care for the girl for whatever reason. What made her so special? She wanted to find out everything she could about L, but until then, she was determined to get Enzo to want her. Perhaps if he saw what he could have, then he would change his mind. Instead of going to her own room, Bethany decided to sneak into Enzo¡¯s bedroom. As she entered the room though, she could hear his shower being turned on from his bathroom. This was a perfect opportunity for her to prepare for her night with her future husband. She took her hair out of her ponytail and allowed it to flow evenly around her shoulders and down her back. She had beautiful hair, and he was going to see that as soon as he opened that bathroom door. Something else she had that he would soon want was her body. She unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her incredibly busty breasts, and then slid her custom-made jeans off, kicking them to the floor, revealing her pink silk underpants. Categories Search¡­ As she looked herself over in the mirror, she was pleased with her appearance, and he soon would be too. She went to his bed and sprawled out on top, waiting for his arrival. His shower didn¡¯tst long; he left his bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He had droplets of water decorating his incredible chest and rippling abs, dripping down his biceps. His appearance made Bethany¡¯s mouth water. He paused when he saw her lying on his bed. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± He said, narrowing his dark eyes at her. ¡°I was waiting for you¡­¡± she said. ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± ¡°Get out of my room,¡± he nearly growled. She frowned and sat up. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± ¡°Get out.¡± He was calm when he spoke, but the look on his face was filled with fury and rage. It was humiliating for Bethany to be treated like this. She quickly stood up and grabbed her pants. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to¡ª¡± ¡°I said get out,¡± he said again, his tone darkening. She quickly put her pants on before he did something too harsh. He waited patiently as she scrambled out of his bedroom, sealing the door shut behind her. As she stepped into the hall, she saw L staring at her from the stairway, wide-eyed and stunned. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV What the hell was she thinking? What was I thinking about allowing her to live in this packhouse? How dare she juste into my room without being invited andy in my bed half naked. I shuddered at the very thought. I grabbed my pajama pants off my bed and quickly put them on. Just as I did that, I could hear light murmurs in the hallway and my entire body froze. Somebody must have seen Bethany leaving my room nearly naked. I went to the door and pressed my ear against it to hear who was out there. I definitely heard Bethany¡¯s voice because she was closer to my bedroom door than the other person. ¡°Are you stalking us?¡± Bethany asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it wasn¡¯t you in that room¡­ but you have no right to be stalking us. We were having so much fun that he couldn¡¯t even control himself¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you were having fun,¡± the other voice said. A lighter and sadder tone. L. My heart sunk into my stomach. ¡°Are you though?¡± Bethany teased. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to bed now. Enjoy your night.¡± Bethany¡¯s voice got smaller as she spoke thosest words and then I heard her bedroom door shut. First thing tomorrow I¡¯m calling John and telling him that I can¡¯t have her here anymore. I heard L¡¯s door shut as well and my heart began to ache just as hers was. I leaned against my bedroom door, regretting a lot of my decisions. ¡°We should check on her¡­¡± Max suggested. ¡°She¡¯s unwell¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said as I made my way into my own bed. But even as I said those words, I knew them to be untrue. She was in extreme pain from what Bethany had said to her. She¡¯s been in extreme pain since she arrived yesterday. My wolf was in agony with hers and I didn¡¯t particrly like this feeling. I¡¯ve been trying my best to avoid her and not get too close, but it seems to be hurting us both. Iy awake, unable to sleep. I stared at my dark ceiling as the hours went by. She was most likely asleep, but I could still feel the pain she was in. I knew at that moment that my wolf was right; L was unwell, and I needed to make sure she was okay. I slid out of bed and peered into the dimmed hallway. There wasn¡¯t a sounding from any room, so I knew everyone was asleep. I went to L¡¯s door and was pleased when I found it was unlocked. But as soon as I opened the door, I could hear her whimpering softly in her sleep. She was curled up in the corner of her bed with the nkets kicked off her body. Her face was stained with the tears she had cried. She must have cried herself to sleep. She wore a thin nightgown that revealed most of her body and I felt my abdomen growing warm. But that wasn¡¯t the reason I was there. I sighed as I made my way over to her bedside; I touched her face with my fingers. I didn¡¯t want to wake her, but I wanted to wipe the leftover tears off her face. I ran my thumb down her cheekbone until it reached her chin. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest the closer I got to her and the more I touched her. I grabbed her nkets and covered her body; she was shaking slightly so I knew she was cold, and her whimpering continued. She must have been having a bad dream. Without a second thought, I went around her bed and slid under the covers beside her. I wrapped my arms around her small body, pulling he close to me. In her sleep, she wiggled closer to me and allowed me to hold her. She fitsfortably in my arms like she was made for them. The scent of honeysuckle was filling her room and her flesh grew pink as she warmed. The whimpering stopped after a few minutes and so did the shaking of her body. I kept my hold on her, ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. keeping her close to me, not wanting to let her go. I finally felt tired enough to close my eyes and get some sleep. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 L¡¯s POV I woke up feeling an overwhelming sense offort and warmth. I had never felt this rxed before and it took me a minute to figure out why. As I opened my eyes, I wiggled against something, and his arms tightened around my body as his face nuzzled in my hair. I frozepletely when I realized that it was a man. ¡°Not just a man¡­¡± Val breathed lovingly. ¡°Our mate.¡± Enzo? I nearly gasped when I realized she was right. Enzo was lying in bed beside me with his arms tightly around me and he was snuggling against me. Or rather, I was snuggling against him. I turned my body to face him and saw that he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful that it put my entire heart at ease knowing that he was right beside me. But my question was, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because he could feel our pain,¡± Val exined. ¡°He wanted to provide us withfort.¡± My heart felt like a bolder had been lifted off it. Could that be true? Could he feel our pain and want to make it better? I didn¡¯t understand why though. Why did he care if I was hurting or not? He had Bethany now. He stirred in his sleep and murmured something that I couldn¡¯t understand. I couldn¡¯t help but gaze at his sleeping face. Even when he was fast asleep, he was handsome. The sun was beaming through the closed window shades which meant it waste morning. It was Sunday and I had to get back to campuster this evening. Categories Search¡­ I managed to wiggle out from under his arms and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I had a text from Cassidy-Ann saying how excited she was for me to be starting work tomorrow night. I almost forgot that my first day as her assistant was tomorrow. I also had a meeting with the studentmittee tomorrow afternoon. It was going to be a busy Monday for sure. But for right now, I really didn¡¯t want to get out of bed. I enjoyed being in bed with my mate, I slid closer to him and automatically he wrapped his arms around me again. I pressed my face into his chest and kissed it lightly. Being with him put my heart at ease and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. At that moment, I wanted him more than anything. He stirred in his sleep, and I knew he was waking up. Then, I felt his entire demeanor change and his body freeze. He was awake. He gazed down at me, questionably for a moment before he released his hold of my body, much to my dismay. We stared at each other for a long moment, and I thought at first, he was going to kiss me. His eyes were staring at my lips with a hungry expression, and I couldn¡¯t help but bite my bottom lip, anticipating for him to kiss me. But he didn¡¯t. He sat up in bed and looked around the room. ¡°I need to go and get some more work done,¡± he muttered and before I had the chance of saying anything, he was already gone, leaving me feeling empty and alone. ¡­ I returned to campuster in the evening and as soon as I parked my car, I saw a familiar face going into the student lounge. Ba. I was overjoyed that she was returning to school; this meant she was well again. I rushed to catch up to her and when she saw me, she gave me a pleased smile. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked, draping an arm through hers and walking with her the rest of the way to the lounge. ¡°Much better,¡± she said, sounding cheerful. ¡°I¡¯m d to be back at school.¡± ¡°Ba, I can¡¯t tell you how sorry I am for this¡­ I never meant to hurt you,¡± I told her in a hushed tone. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. I know it wasn¡¯t on purpose. I¡¯d prefer if we didn¡¯t talk about it though.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said in return. We made our way through the lounge and sat at an empty table. ¡°I gathered all the homework and assignments you missed. I took extra notes as well,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll give them to youter.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a pleased smile. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind that I still have a new partner for combat and shifting. I think it¡¯s what¡¯s best¡­¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I said quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel bad about that.¡± Besides, Enzo was my partner now and I was quite pleased with that. Even if Connie wasn¡¯t. ¡°Oh, my goddess, you guys!¡± Rachel said, running toward us through the lounge. ¡°Ryan¡¯s vacation home is vacant tonight and he¡¯s having an epic party!¡± ¡°A party?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°It¡¯s Sunday. All students need to be back on campus today, which means curfew starts tonight,¡± I reminded her. It was true; the only times we didn¡¯t have curfew was when we didn¡¯t have sses the next morning. ¡°It¡¯s just one night,¡± Rachel said, sitting down beside me. ¡°We would have to sneak out.¡± I nced at Ba who also looked unsure. ¡°That seems kind of risky,¡± Ba said, mimicking my thoughts. ¡°We could get in huge trouble.¡± ¡°Everybody who is anybody is going to be there,¡± Rachel said with a broad smile. ¡°Brody will be there too.¡± She looked at me and winked when she said thatst part. ¡°Brody?¡± Ba asked in wonder, looking at me. ¡°The baseball team pitcher?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Rachel said, nudging me. ¡°Come on, L. You must go. It¡¯s going to be so fun, and we get the entire house to ourselves. There¡¯s going to be alcohol¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I could use a party after the week I had,¡± Ba shrugged. ¡°Then,e to the party!¡± Rachel told her excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s going to be so fun!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there. What time does it start?¡± ¡°8 pm,¡± she answered. ¡°We are going to sneak out at 7:30 pm though to give us enough time. You can come to our dorm around then and we can go together.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she said, standing to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll get ready. That¡¯s only in a couple of hours.¡± She left without another word. ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea, Rachel,¡± I said to her, shaking my head. ¡°I can¡¯t go along with something like this.¡± ¡°When are you going to live a little?¡± Rachel asked, eyeing me carefully with a small frown on her face. ¡°It¡¯s going to be the party of a lifetime. You don¡¯t want to miss out on that.¡± I didn¡¯t care if I missed out on that, but I also knew that Rachel was going to get herself into trouble if there wasn¡¯t some kind of guidance there. I could only imagine what she would get Ba into. I didn¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Tomorrow is going to be such a long day. I can¡¯t be hungover for it,¡± I told her. ¡°You start your new job tomorrow and the studentmittee meetings are officially beginning. You aren¡¯t going to have time for any fun, ever. Let this be yourst night of real fun,¡± Rachel pleaded. ¡°Please¡­ I don¡¯t want to go without you!¡± I sighed; I knew that if I didn¡¯t go, things could get really bad and really quickly. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I finally said after a long pause. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± She screamed with excitement as she wrapped me in a tight hug. ¡°But I¡¯m only going to keep you out of trouble,¡± I told her. ¡°Of course,¡± sheughed. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. It waste when I returned to campus. I had a headache from all the shit I dealt with at the packhouse containing Bethany. Speaking to her father was like speaking to a wall. ¡°She can¡¯t return here just yet! I still haven¡¯t found the killer! She¡¯s unsafe here! Please Alpha Enzo. Alpha to Alpha, you must know how desperate I am for your help.¡± I decided to stop the argument and just continue to board Bethany. L¡¯s scent was still on my skin, and it gave me a strange sense of warmth and delight. I locked my car and made my way across campus and to the faculty housing. I paused when I saw a couple of shadows emerging from the dorms. I narrowed my eyes at the figures; there was a curfew, which was at 7 pm on school nights. Nobody should be leaving their dorms at this hour. Then I saw her¡­ It was L. A long with her roommate Rachel and her formerbat partner Ba. They were sneaking out. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 L¡¯s POV We could hear the music a mile before we even got to the house. It was so loud, and it wasn¡¯t anything I even recognized. The house was packed when we got there; there were students from the academy inside and outside. Most of which I recognized. I supposed if we got in trouble, at least we¡¯d all be in it together. It¡¯s not like they could suspend all of us. Rachel draped her arm through mine and pulled me through the crowd of students who were already drinking and dancing. Ba trailed closely behind us, seemingly nervous. Like me, Ba wasn¡¯t much of a partier. But after the week she had, I couldn¡¯t me her for wanting to let loose. We made our way inside and I instantly smelled beer. The music was making my brain rattle because of how loud it was. Ryan had the lights dimmed and everybody was drunk and dancing. This was nothing like the school dance. I felt like I was at a frat party. ¡°Ryan!!¡± Rachel screamed as she ran to meet up with her boyfriend. Ryan looked genuinely pleased to see her and wrapped his arms around her as soon as he saw her and gave her a tight embrace. Soon, they were kissing face. I knew that would happen sooner thanter. They finally broke their embrace, and he looked over at me with a kind smile. ¡°I¡¯m d you made it!¡± He shouted over the music. ¡°There are drinks in the kitchen! Help yourself.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do,¡± Ba said, making her way toward the kitchen. I went with Ba into the kitchen. Ryan had coolers of beer all over the ce and I groaned at the imagery. I wasn¡¯t a beer drinker, and I wasn¡¯t sure if would even like it. I didn¡¯t like the smell of it that¡¯s Owned by N?velDrama.Org. for sure, but I supposed it was better than beingpletely sober the entire time. I wanted to get a little tipsy so that maybe I could loosen up a little bit. I grabbed a beer and popped it open; Ba was already chugging her first one and I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes at my excited friend. ¡°Slow down Ba,¡± I warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we have sses tomorrow.¡± If we showed up to Professor Enzo¡¯s ss hungover, he¡¯d lose all respect for me. I couldn¡¯t help but think about how I woke up in his arms this morning and my face instantly grew warm. I didn¡¯t have a chance to talk to him about it and I wasn¡¯t even sure if it was something he¡¯d want to talk about. My heart was beating heavily in my chest at the very thought of it and I shook my head to get the thoughts away. I took a couple of sips of the beer, and I was already starting to get a small headache. I knew it wouldn¡¯t take much to get me tipsy because I really don¡¯t drink. I started to follow Ba back out into the living room because she kept saying how badly she wanted to dance. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± I chuckled at her eagerness when one of her favorite songs came on. I followed closely behind her, shoving my way through all the drunk students and then I ran straight into somebody that nearly knocked me to the ground. He came out of nowhere and I gasped when I looked up at the familiar face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually came to a house party,¡± Scottughed. ¡°Who are you trying to impress?¡± ¡°Get out of my way, Scott,¡± I said to him, about to walk past him, but his broad body blocked me. ¡°Isn¡¯t this scene a little too fun for you? You are a natural party killer. That¡¯s exactly why I broke up with you. Because you don¡¯t know how to have fun.¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, I was the one who broke up with you,¡± I said, raising my brows. I kept my voice calm; I didn¡¯t want him to think he was getting into my head. I knew he was just drunk; I could smell the beer on his breath. ¡°Do you really think I didn¡¯t know you were in the hallway when I was making out with Sarah?¡± He asked with augh; my face reddened at his words. ¡°I knew you were there. I wanted you to see it. That was my way of dumping your boring ass. You wouldn¡¯t even let me kiss you. Do you know how pathetic that is?¡± ¡°And where is Sarah now?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°She¡¯s returning to school next week,¡± Scott scoffed. ¡°And once she returns, we will be the ¡®it couple¡¯ and you will have nothing.¡± She¡¯s returning to school already? The thought gave me an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn¡¯t going to make that known to Scott. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that nice,¡± I said to him. ¡°As fun, as this is, I have a party to enjoy.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go home and let us have a good time? You¡¯re such a buzz kill,¡± he muttered. ¡°Scott¡­ step out of the way,¡± I said to him, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°Or what? You¡¯ll tell my mommy on me?¡± Heughed. ¡°Why did I ever date you?¡± I opened my mouth to say something, but another voice from behind me spoke first. ¡°Because she¡¯s beautiful, funny, charming, and not to mention incredibly smart. The question is, why did she ever date you?¡± I turned to see Brody standing there, staring at Scott with an annoyed look on his face. ¡°What the hell are you doing, man?¡± Scott asked, narrowing his eyes at Brody. ¡°Speaking up,¡± Brody answered. ¡°You can stand there and say all that shit about L, but maybe you should look in the mirror at yourself and question your worth. L is going somewhere in this world, and you will be going to house parties and getting drunk any chance you get. Catching you cheating was the best thing that¡¯s ever happened to her.¡± My face reddened and I fought the smile that desperately wanted to appear on my lips. Brody was standing up for me; I could stand up for myself, but it was nice knowing who had my back. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be my friend,¡± Scott said, sounding a little hurt. ¡°I¡¯m not friends with assholes,¡± he muttered. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse us.¡± Brody offered me his arm, which I dly epted, and we shoved our way past Scott and toward a more secluded area where the couches were. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him as we sat down. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just let him talk to you like that, L,¡± Brody said with a faint smile. ¡°And plus, I meant what I said¡­ all of it.¡± I wanted to say something to him about the words he had said to Scott. It was clear how Brody felt about me, and I didn¡¯t want to lead him on. ¡°It was incredibly sweet of you,¡± I said to him kindly. ¡°I want you to know that even if nothing happens romantically with us, you¡¯ll always have a friend in me. I¡¯ll always be here for you, L. Because you deserve that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you as well,¡± I say in return as I take a few more sips. I started to get lightheaded quickly and I could feel that I was beginning to get drunk. ¡°Want me to get you another drink?¡± He asked with a crooked smile. I nced over at Ba who dancing with a group of people and was already drunk. I nced at Rachel who was with Ryan, but she looked at me and wiggled her brows when she saw I was sitting with Brody. I might as well have a little more fun while I¡¯m here, so I epted his offer to get me another drink. By the time he returned with another beer, I had already finished the one I was working on and I was incredibly tipsy. Once I started drinking the new can, I was borderline drunk. ¡°Let¡¯s dance,¡± Brodyughed when he saw how drunk I was getting. I epted his hand and the two of us began to dance like nobody was watching. A couple of times I nearly fell, but thankfully Brody was there to catch me. I lost track of time during our dances and drinking, and it felt like the room was spinning. But I started to smell something incredibly odd. It smelled like burning. Brody smelled it too because he was frowning and looking around the room curiously. Then, I heard screaming, and I was shoved into Brody¡¯s arms when people began to run and scream. ¡°The house is on fire!!!!¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 L¡¯s POV I dropped the can of beer from the ground, watching it spread across the hardwood floors. My mind was whirling as the smoke began to fill the living room. I saw the smoke before I saw the mes, and then the explosion camest. I wasn¡¯t sure I could stand up from the couch without falling over, but Brody was on his feet quickly, pulling me up with him. The screaming pierced my ears from those who were caught in the explosion. My heart was racing quickly against my chest; Brody kept his hold around my waist and was shuffling me toward the door. ¡°I need to get Rachel and Ba¡­¡± My words came out as a hoarse whisper, and I thought he didn¡¯t hear me. But he nced down at me and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I need to get you to safety,¡± he told me firmly. I shook my head; tears filling my eyes as I shoved him away from me. ¡°I need to get my friends,¡± I said louder, surprising him. I took off toward the mes before he could say or do anything. If I knew one thing about Vna¡¯s is that we were incredibly hard to kill. ise had tried to kill my mother numerous times and she came back stronger than ever. I wasn¡¯t going to let fire be the one thing that took me out. There was another explosion and that knocked me to the ground. It was incredibly hard to breathe with how much smoke was invading my lungs, but I pushed through. I covered my mouth with my arms and kept making my way into the kitchen. Categories Search¡­ That thest time I saw Rachel, she was standing near the kitchen door with Ryan, and I feared she was caught in the explosion. I stumbled across a couple of bodies; students that were caught in the explosion. My stomach knotted. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were alive or dead. ¡°Rachel?!¡± I yelled into the loud mes of fire. ¡°Ba?!¡± After a moment of what felt like hopeless waiting, I heard my name. ¡°L!!¡± It was Rachel. I followed the sound of my name until I found her pressed against the corner of the kitchen. Her face was covered in soot and blood and her hair was matted around her head. Her clothing was torn to shreds as she struggled to free her foot from the fridge that had fallen from her. ¡°I can¡¯t move¡­¡± she cried; tears mixing with the soot and blood, staining her features. ¡°Hold on,¡± I said, trying to keep the horror I was feeling out of my voice. I grabbed the fridge and used my entire strength to lift it enough so she could get her foot free. She screamed in pain as she slid herself out from under the fridge. ¡°I think it¡¯s broken,¡± she cried, pointing at her foot. Her entire foot was swollen and twisted in a direction that shouldn¡¯t be twisted. I couldn¡¯t help but grimace. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I assured her. ¡°Just grab onto me and I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± She wrapped her arm around me, and I managed to lift her off the ground. Rachel weighed practically nothing, so it was easy to lift her and carry her through the smoked engulfed house. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Ryan is¡­¡± she cried. ¡°He was with me one minute and disappeared after the explosion.¡± My heart fell into my stomach; oh goddess. I hoped he was okay. ¡°L!¡± I heard Brody say as he fought his way into the fire and through the smoke. He looked like he was about to pass out at any moment; the smoke would be too much for him and I worried he couldn¡¯t handle it like a Vna wolf could. ¡°Brody, you need to get out of here,¡± I ordered him. ¡°Not without you!¡± He coughed, but even as he said that he grew wobbly, and I thought he was going to fall. I shoved Rachel into Brody¡¯s arms. ¡°Get her out of here,¡± I ordered. ¡°What about you?¡± He asked as I turned back toward the kitchen. ¡°I need to find Ryan and Ba.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Students ran from the burning house, pure horror on their faces. I felt a sense of panic when I didn¡¯t see L among them. But I knew she was still alive; my wolf could feel it. Just as I reached the door of the house, Brody ran through it with Rachel in his arms. ¡°Where¡¯s L?¡± I demanded to know. Brody narrowed his eyes at me, seemingly confused. I realized I must have sounded like a worried boyfriend, and I needed to think of something else to say. ¡°Where is everybody else?¡± ¡°L is still inside,¡± Scott cried. ¡°She told me to get Rachel out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where Ryan is,¡± Rachel cried; her entire charred body was trembling. ¡°I think I broke my foot.¡± ¡°Call 911,¡± I demanded. Brody nodded and took off further away from the house before grabbing his phone. I didn¡¯t stick around and wait any longer; I went straight into the house. The smoke was a lot, and I couldn¡¯t see for a while. I shifted into my wolf form so I could navigate a little better. Max knew exactly where L was, and it didn¡¯t take us long to reach her. She was in the kitchen, kneeling over a body and she was trembling. I could hear her crying as she did chestpressions on someone that I assumed was probably Ryan. ¡°You need to get out of here,¡± I ordered her through a mindlink. She nced at me, and I saw the void in her eyes; it was a look I had never seen from her. ¡°I think he¡¯s dead¡­¡± she croaked. ¡°Help me get him on my back and let¡¯s get out,¡± I said again. She nodded as she stood to her feet, bringing Ryan with her. She was able to lift his unconscious body off the ground and ce him on my back with ease. She was incredibly strong, and I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by this. ¡°I need to find Ba!¡± She cried. ¡°I¡¯ll find her, let¡¯s just get you and him out of here,¡± I ordered. She looked at me for a moment longer before nodding her head and running toward the exit. L stumbled outside as soon as we broke through the door. I could hear the sirens in the distance and was relieved to see the red lights shining through the night. Students were huddled around outside, crying as and nursing their own wounds as they watched the building burn to the ground. I ced Ryan on the ground beside a screaming Rachel. She looked horrified when she saw him lying unconscious before her. I shifted back into my human form and began doing CPR to resuscitate him, but he remained unmoving. I feared that L might have been right. ¡°Ba¡­¡± she cried, tears filling her eyes. I looked back at the building, there was no way I would be able to get back in there and save anyone else. Anyone still there would be long dead by now. ¡°L!!¡± We turned and saw Ba running toward us; I sighed relief when she wrapped her arms around L ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. and they both cried with one another. The ambnce and fire department arrived momentster and were already getting to work on helping the students and stopping the fire. The police were around also, asking questions about what had happened. Most students were too distraught to speak though. Ryan and Rachel were both being transported to the hospital and L remained seated on the ground, staring at her feet as she tried to wrap her mind about what had happened. ¡°Let me look at you,¡± I said to her as I knelt beside her. She nced at me with tear-feared eyes. ¡°How did you know I was here¡­?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I could smell the alcohol on her breath and knew she was still a little drunk despite everything that had happened. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I lied. ¡°I heard the explosion, and I came running.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying¡­¡± she said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I know you are lying. You care about me. Admit it. Admit that you want me as your mate.¡± ¡°You are a naive and foolish girl that snuck out to go to a party. I would be embarrassed to take someone like that as my mate.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer and I thought she was going to start crying; I instantly felt guilty for saying those words. I was just so angry that she would put herself in this position and I was speaking out of emotions. But her next words cut me like a sharp knife. ¡°Then reject me. Because I don¡¯t want you as my mate either.¡± Chapter 61 Chapter 61 L¡¯s POV The hospital was crowded with frantic and drunk students. Most of them were covered in soot from the fire and some of them had blood on them. Thankfully, I only had a little bit of soot because Enzo managed to wipe most of it off my face. It was my clothing that was doing the most damage. Enzo and some of the paramedics thought it would be best if I went to the hospital so they could get me sober. It was clear that I didn¡¯t sustain any actual injuries, but they would rather be safe than sorry. I was brought into a section of the hospital with a few other students who also sustained minor injuries. They hooked some fluid IVs to my wrist and gave me a water bottle. ¡°This IV will help sober you up quickly,¡± the nurse told me in a kind tone. ¡°You just rest. Is there anyone you¡¯d like me to call?¡± I thought about my parents and how they¡¯d be worried about me. I didn¡¯t want them to know that I snuck out to go to a house party. They would be so disappointed in me. Then, I thought about Enzo. I wasn¡¯t sure why he would pop into my mind at that moment. It¡¯s not like he cared where I was anyways. He told me that he would be ashamed to have me as a mate, so maybe it would be better if I just stayed away from him from now on. For some reason, he wasn¡¯t going to reject me. Maybe because he wanted me to suffer. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Val was ufortable with my inner thoughts, and I knew I had to think about something else. I shook my head to answer the nurse¡¯s question. ¡°No thank you,¡± I said to her. ¡°But can you find me my cell phone? I might have left it at the scene.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she answered. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find out about your phone.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Thank you,¡± I said kindly. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Once she left, I sighed in relief to be alone with just my thoughts. My heart still ached painfully from my conversation with Enzo. I was trying hard not to cry because that¡¯s not the person I wanted to be. I wanted to be someone who was stronger and didn¡¯t need a man to be happy. But the hopeless romantic part of me was almost hoping that maybe Enzo could have been that guy. I don¡¯t want to think that the moon goddess had made a mistake when assigning me a mate. But after my conversation with Enzo and getting to know him, I¡¯m thinking that maybe she did. ¡°The Moon goddess would never make a mistake,¡± Val breathed. ¡°She knows what she¡¯s doing. We just need to trust her.¡± That was easier said than done but I didn¡¯t argue with my wolf. ¡°L?¡± I heard my nameing from the other side of the closed curtain that separated me from the others. I knew the voice to be Brody¡¯s and I was d to hear from him. He opened the curtain slightly and stepped into my section. He was cleaned of all the soot and had a few bandages on his face and hands, but he gave me a crooked and boyish smile that made me smile in return. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked, keeping his tone low. ¡°Not dizzy anymore,¡± I answered. ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°Banged up a little, but nothing too bad. Did you get any injuries?¡± He asked with a frown, staring around my body questionably. ¡°Nothing too bad,¡± I tell him. ¡°You were in the fire for a while and saved a few people,¡± he said, furrowing his brows together. ¡°You were there when the oven exploded. Most of us got at least a few cuts from that¡­ but you didn¡¯t.¡± Brody doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m a Vna and we don¡¯t get injured or killed that easily. I wasn¡¯t going to tell him either. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just lucky that way,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so,¡± he said, rubbing the palm of his hand behind his neck and looking seemingly confused. ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay too, Brody.¡± We both fell silent for a few moments, and it looked like he wanted to say something more. ¡°I was thinking that maybe once all this blows over and we arepletely healed¡­¡± he paused as he gathered his thoughts. ¡°Maybe we could hang out. As friends.¡± I raised my brows. He wants to be friends with me? Like real friends? ¡°I would like that,¡± I said in return; he looked relieved to hear that answer and his grin widened. ¡°Awesome,¡± he said with a lightugh. ¡°Oh¡­ I should ask. Are we still nning on doing the student committee meeting tomorrow?¡± I had almostpletely forgotten about that. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°That is if the school is open tomorrow. I know a lot of students got hurt so we will see if the board sends us any memos.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± he said. He went to turn and leave, but then he paused and turned back to me. ¡°Can I give you a hug?¡± He asked. He looked like he could use a hug himself and I wasn¡¯t going to deny him that. I raised my arms for him to hug me and heughed as he rushed toward my bedside. he wrapped his arms around me tightly and we remained still for a few moments. It felt nice. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°I already told you guys everything I knew at the scene,¡± Enzo said, annoyed as he walked through the hospital. The police were on his tail, still asking pointless questions that he wasn¡¯t interested in answering. ¡°You didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious?¡± One of the officers asked. ¡°What were you doing at a student party?¡± ¡°I smelled the fire,¡± Enzo nearly hissed. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or ce to be asking questions. I was just in the right ce at the right time. If you want answers, I will start seeking out the students once they are fully healed. But for right now, it¡¯s better if you just left it alone.¡± The police officers said nothing more as Enzo walked away. Just as he made it to a different section of the hospital, a section he could feel that L was in, he paused when he saw L in a section with a curtain that was half closed. He wasn¡¯t going to go inside her area, but he couldn¡¯t help but pause for a moment as he took her in. She was looking more sober, and she appeared to be talking to somebody. It didn¡¯t register with him who it could have been until he saw a pair of strong arms wrapping around her in a hug and then he saw Brody¡¯s face. A wave of fury went through Enzo, but he didn¡¯t get to process it for long because he was instantly taken out of that train of thought when he heard screaming and cryinging from a separate closeddoor room. Rachel was screaming and crying as they escorted her out of the room. ¡°Ryan!!!!! No!!!¡± She continued. ¡°You can¡¯t be dead!!¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 L¡¯s POV ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as Brody quickly pulled away from me. I recognized the sound of Rachel¡¯s piercing scream right away. I had never heard her sound like this before, but I knew it was her. The sound made its way through the hospital, bouncing off the walls and sending chills down everyone¡¯s spine. My heart fell into my stomach as I imagined what could possibly be wrong. Then, she said words that felt like a knife to my stomach. ¡°Ryan!!! You can¡¯t be dead!!!¡± She screamed and sobbed. The hospital nurses and doctors were holding her back, pulling her out of the room. Brody had the curtain of my section open, and I could see them physically pulling her away. She fought them every step of the way though. It broke my heart to see her like this. My only hope was that she was just so distraught that she didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. Perhaps she was still a little drunk. My eyes found Enzo¡¯s and they locked for a moment. My breathing got caught in my throat and I had trouble looking away. But it onlysted a moment; he was the first to pull his gaze away from mine and I nearly fell backward onto the bed when he did. I realized he probably saw Brody in my section, and I wondered if it bothered him. Then I remembered how cruel he was to me earlier and brushed the thought out of my mind. ¡°Get the IVs out of my wrist,¡± I told Brody who looked at me with confusion crossing his face. ¡°I need to get to Rachel,¡± I tell him urgently. ¡®Get these out of my wrist.¡± Categories Search¡­ ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Before he could even react or move closer to me, Enzo was entering the area, which surprised me. I stared up at him with wide eyes and I thought he was going to protest in having Brody remove the IVs, but then he moved around to my bedside and began taking them out himself. He grabbed some bandages off the nearby counter and ced one over my wrist where the puncture wound was before it started to bleed. He released my hand and stepped back without saying anything. Brody looked between us curiously for a moment; I could see the questions in his eyes, but he wasn¡¯t going to ask them with Enzo standing right there. He was smart for that. I didn¡¯t say anything to either of them either; my main focus was Rachel. I could hear her screaming and crying still, though it got quieter which meant they were pulling her further away. This time I could hear some of the crying from the others as well and my heart tugged. This meant something seriously terrible had happened and I needed to find out what it was. I slid out of bed and went into the open room where most were clustered. I saw Ba right away and her eyes were bloodshot. She was pressed against the wall with tears streaming down her face. She covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed silently by herself. ¡°Ba, what¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°Where did they bring Rachel?¡± ¡°They want to sedate her¡­¡± Ba said in a hoarse whisper. ¡°She was too frantic¡­ she couldn¡¯t handle the news¡­¡± ¡°What news?¡± I asked, at that point, I wasn¡¯t even sure I wanted to know. ¡°Ryan might be dying¡­¡± It felt like there was no air in the room. I felt sick to my stomach, and I stumbled away from her. I couldn¡¯t have heard her correctly. He was a wolf. Wolves were known to be stronger than most and that meant it took a lot to kill a wolf. Ryan had to be okay. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Brody asked and I realized both Brody and Enzo were approaching. I turned away, not wanting to look at Enzo right now but also not able to get the words out of my mouth so I looked back at Ba with pleading eyes. Ba looked at both, getting the hint right away. ¡°Ryan might be dying,¡± she repeated in a broken whisper. ¡°They are doing everything they can, but he took some serious damage. He keeps crashing and they keep bringing him back.¡± ¡°And Rachel? How is she?¡± Brody managed to ask. ¡°She¡¯s being sedated,¡± Ba answered, more tears falling from her eyes. ¡°She can¡¯t handle what¡¯s happening¡­¡± ¡°We were all in that house¡­ how did Ryan end up getting the worst of it?¡± Brody asked, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. I didn¡¯t have an answer for him; nobody. did. Enzo straightened his stance and turned away from us; as he walked away, I couldn¡¯t help but stare after him. I wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. ¡°I need to see her,¡± I said, looking back at Rachel. ¡°Do you know where they brought her?¡± ¡°Yeah, but they won¡¯t allow visitors right now. At least not until she¡¯s awake and calm,¡± she answered. ¡°I would just give her some time, L¡­¡± I knew Ba was right. If there was one thing that Rachel loved more than herself, it was Ryan. They were together from before I got to this school, and she was so in love with him. They didn¡¯t start officially dating until recently though, despite her strong feelings towards him. Rachel was only 17, so she wasn¡¯t able to sense or find her mate yet. But she was so sure that Ryan was the one the moon goddess had chosen for her. I wanted that to be true for her. Sometimes Ryan was an airhead, but he was really good to her, and he seemed to love her a lot. I was almost envious of their rtionship because it was nothing like what I had with Scott. Ryan might have been a good form of Scott, but he was certainly more gentlemanly than Scott has ever been. ¡°We should get back to campus, so the hospital isn¡¯t clustered,¡± Brody suggested. I knew he was right; the hospital staff was probably so overwhelmed with everything going on. There wasn¡¯t anything we could do for either Rachel or Ryan at that moment. As we were leaving, I saw a glimpse of Enzo from across the halls, speaking to a doctor just outside of Ryan¡¯s door. I paused for a moment, wondering what he was talking to the doctor about. Brody and Ba also paused when they saw I wasn¡¯t walking with them. ¡°L?¡± Ba asked. ¡°Are youing?¡± ¡°You two go ahead,¡± I tell them as I start walking towards Enzo. I could feel their eyes on the back of my head for a moment longer before they finally turned and left without me. Enzo noticed me walking toward him right away and he quickly finished his conversation with the doctor before thanking him and meeting me the rest of the way. ¡°Ryan is in aa, but they think he has a chance of making a recovery,¡± Enzo informed me. I let out a breath of relief at his words. That was great news. ¡°They won¡¯t know just yet though. For right now he¡¯s stable and they are keeping him monitored,¡± Enzo continued. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to do right now though. You should go get some rest.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°I¡¯m going to stick around here just in case something happens. I¡¯d rather be on the scene than hear about thingster.¡± I frowned at him. ¡°I¡¯ll stay too,¡± I told him. ¡°And I won¡¯t argue about it.¡± I turned away and walked toward one of the empty seats across the hall and sat down. He stared at me for a long while before sighing anding to sit beside me. We sat silently for a moment before I swallowed my pride and looked up at him. ¡°Did you mean it?¡± I found myself asking him. He raised his brows and met my eyes. ¡°Did you mean what you said earlier? That you¡¯d be ashamed to have me as a mate¡­?¡± Chapter 63 Chapter 63 L¡¯s POV ¡°Miss L?¡± A nurse said, walking up to us, before Enzo had a chance to answer my question. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your conversation. But Miss Rachel is asking for you. She just woke up and you¡¯re the first person she wants to see. She¡¯s calm now if you¡¯d like to see her.¡± I stood up quickly. ¡°She¡¯s awake already?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to wake up this soon but the nurse nodded. ¡°We only gave her a small sedative thatsted less than an hour. It was just to calm her and it seemed to have worked,¡± the nurse exined. I nced back down at Enzo who remained in his seat; he was staring at me with a darkened gaze. I could tell there was stuff he wanted to say to me; perhaps he wanted to answer my question. But he remained quiet and continued to stare at me. My heart flipped in my chest, but I had to go see Rachel, so I turned away from him and went with the nurse to the backroom where Rachel¡¯s room was. Rachely in her bed, staring at the ceiling, with tears staining her fair features. I could tell it was taking everything she had not to lose control and start crying at that moment. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest; I couldn¡¯t imagine what she must have been going through. The amount of pain she must have been feeling. I couldn¡¯t even fathom it. The nurse left us alone and I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say so I sat down at her bedside and waited for her to say something instead. ¡°They won¡¯t tell me anything¡­¡± she croaked. ¡°Last I saw of him he was crashing, and they were thinking he was going to die¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s still alive,¡± I tell her quickly, trying to shut down whatever thoughts were invading her mind. Categories Search¡­ She almost looked relieved; she closed her eyes and released a couple of stray tears that lingered in her eyes. ¡°Do they know if he¡¯s going to be okay?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°He¡¯s stable for right now; they are keeping him monitored and will know more at ater time,¡± I exin. She doesn¡¯t say anything to that. I reach over and touch her hand, trying to provide her with some sort offort. ¡°Rachel¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what you are going through.¡± ¡°You know¡­ Ryan saved me¡­¡± she breathed, keeping her eyes closed. ¡°In the fire?¡± I asked. ¡°In high school,¡± she answered. ¡°I had no idea you¡¯ve known him for that long.¡± ¡°I was angry when I first met him,¡± she admitted. ¡°But he was always kind to me regardless of how angry I would get.¡± ¡°How did he save you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I ever talked to you about my home life¡­ but it¡¯s not a good ce,¡± she told me; she opened her eyes so she could peer over at me. ¡°My father was incredibly abusive¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help the gasp that came out of my mouth. I instantly covered my mouth with my hands and stared at her in shock. ¡°He was an alcoholic and he abused me and my mother for most of my life. My mother ended up leaving¡­ she left me behind¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Rachel¡­¡± I breathed. My heart shattered for her, and I didn¡¯t know what else to say to her. ¡°Bears are naturally known for their tempers and my father was incredibly temperamental. The smallest things would set him off. Living at home was like walking on eggshells. I could never do anything right by him. I would go to school with bruises that just wouldn¡¯t heal.¡± ¡°Because bears don¡¯t have a quick healing ability like wolves do?¡± I asked. There wasn¡¯t much I knew about bears; in fact, Rachel was the first bear shifter that I knew. There were a bunch of bears that went to our school, and they would be referred to as the weaker of the species. ¡°Right,¡± she answered. ¡°So, my bruises and cuts would be very visible despite how hard I tried to cover them up. I turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain¡­ not the physical pain. The emotional pain. I just didn¡¯t want to feel anymore¡­¡± ¡°I never knew this¡­¡± I whispered, gazing at the ground. ¡°I never wanted anyone to know this,¡± she admitted. ¡°But Ryan found me lying under the bleachers of our school and he brought me to the hospital. I took a pill too much and almost died. I didn¡¯t even know who he was and he stayed by my side until I woke up. But because he was strange kid that I recognized from school and because I was so angry, I was cruel to him¡­¡± ¡°Obviously you didn¡¯t chase him away seeming you are still together,¡± I told her. She gave me a small and crooked smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like that though. Like I said, I was very cruel to him. He tried to get me to talk to him and to let him help me, but I refused all forms of help from him. He knew I was going down the rabbit hole of drugs and alcohol and he tried to get me to stop. He was a stupid boy, but his heart was in the right ce,¡± she said as she shook her head at the memory. ¡°He sounds genuine,¡± I said in return. She nods at my statement and then sighs. ¡°I was never the one who believed in mates and falling in love. It was clear what Ryan¡¯s intentions were and I thought of myself as broken and unlovable. I told myself that I didn¡¯t want a mate¡­¡± Her words struck a chord with me. It was like Enzo not wanting a mate. I wasn¡¯t sure if Enzo was the mate that I wanted as well, but when it came down to it, he was my mate and unless he rejects me, I don¡¯t think I have much of a choice in the matter. My heart ached at the thought, knowing that Enzo doesn¡¯t have any desire to have a mate. But then again, if Rachel had no desire to have a mate when she was younger, but then changed her mind, maybe Enzo would change his mind too. Would it make me feel better if he did? ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Why did you decide to give him a chance?¡± ¡°I admired his persistence for one¡­ nobody has ever cared about me in that kind of way before. I was sitting with him after school, and he wanted to walk me home and I told him no. He started to ask me about my bruises and of course, I brushed him off¡­ but then I broke down and I couldn¡¯t stop crying¡­¡± ¡°Oh, goddess¡­¡± I whispered sadly. ¡°The night before¡­ my father almost killed me, and I was terrified to go home. I finally told him everything I endure at home, and he wouldn¡¯t let me return. He convinced his mom to let me stay there. I found myself wanting to do better by him. I wanted to be the person he wanted me to be. He became my best friend, and I was falling in love with him¡­ but I was so broken and I knew I couldn¡¯t be that person for him. I continued to use it throughout high school and at one point I almost died again¡­¡± She paused to gather her thoughts and I sighed. ¡°You had to go back to the hospital?¡± She nodded once. ¡°Ryan told me that he couldn¡¯t keep doing this and his mom told me that she was going to kick me out if I didn¡¯t get help. She found this small rehab facility outside of town. I was afraid because I¡¯d never been outside of our town before. I feared what would happen to me if I strolled too far from my comfort zone. As a bear, I¡¯m vulnerable to attacks and I was worried that I would be victimized once again. But Ryan went with me to the rehab ce¡­ and he left me there.¡± ¡°What happened? You got clean, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said, but she sounded uncertain. ¡°But I was the only bear there. There weren¡¯t many bears in that region and the rehab facility was made up of all werewolves.¡± ¡°So, you felt out of ce?¡± She was quiet for a moment longer, staring down at her hands. ¡°They did some terrible things to me there. I was tortured beyond belief. Even by the nurses there. They weren¡¯t sure how to help a bear because most of their treatments were for wolves¡­ so they did a bunch of painful experiments on me. I didn¡¯t think I was going to live to see the outside world again. The only way I could survive was if I just stopped cold turkey. I wanted there to be nothing to treat¡­so they couldn¡¯t hurt me anymore¡­¡± ¡°Rachel, that¡¯s awful. I¡¯m so sorry this happened to you. What kind of cruel ce could treat someone like that¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t answer my question; she was hesitant. ¡°I vowed to never go back to that region ever¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°Where was that ce?¡± She met my eyes and then her next words punched me in the gut. ¡°It was in Elysium¡­¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 L¡¯s POV ¡°Elysium?!¡± I gasped, standing to my feet. ¡°Those in Elysium did that to you?¡± That exined why she didn¡¯t want to step foot in Elysium again, even for my birthday. My heart ached so much hearing this and I couldn¡¯t even contain my emotions. I paced the room, trying to calm myself down. If I lost control of my emotions, I would soon lose control of my powers and I couldn¡¯t have that happen here. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anybody,¡± she told me. ¡°I just waited it out until I was able to be released. Ryan was the one and only person I wanted to see. Once I got out and lived with him again, I finished getting my high school diploma, graduating with honors. I was able to get into the shifting academy with Ryan and then I met you.¡± ¡°So, Ryan¡¯s been there through it all,¡± I breathed. She nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ he never let me forget how much he loved me¡­¡± My heart squeezed in my chest. That was the kind of love I aspired to have, and I wasn¡¯t sure I was ever going to get that from Enzo. ¡°Give our mate some time,¡± Val chirped. ¡°He wille around, just like Rachel did! Didn¡¯t you hear her story? She was against having a mate too and then Ryan convinced her that it might be worth it. They don¡¯t even know if they are one another¡¯s mates! They are going off their feelings and believing in fate. That¡¯s exactly what you need to do as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done¡­ especially when my mate won¡¯t give me the time of day.¡± ¡°You both said cruel things to one another. Just give it some time and then talk to him. He¡¯s not going to hurt us. He can¡¯t hurt us. Can¡¯t you tell when he refuses to reject us? He¡¯s our mate¡­ he isn¡¯t able.¡± I wanted to believe her and maybe a part of me did. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to leave this hospital until I know for certain that Ryan will be leaving it too,¡± she finally concluded, staring over at me. ¡°I just can¡¯t leave¡­¡± I nodded,pletely understanding. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll stay too,¡± I assured her, reaching for her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll stay by your side.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV It¡¯s been a while since L went into the room to see Rachel. They must have been talking about something important. I couldn¡¯t seem to get her question out of my mind. ¡°Did you mean what you said about being ashamed to have me as a mate?¡± That question haunted me because of course, I didn¡¯t mean it. But I needed to say something to push her away. Having me as a mate was only going to put her in danger. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if anything happened to her. But how was I going to answer her question? Thank Goddess the nurse interrupted us before I had to say anything. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯lle up again at some point. I shuddered at the very thought. ¡°Alpha, you don¡¯t need to stay,¡± one of the doctors said, approaching. ¡°I know you are very busy. If anything happens, we will call you.¡± I frowned; I didn¡¯t want to leave without L. ¡°What about L?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be leaving too? Visiting hours are almost over.¡± ¡°She actually asked us to bring an overnight cot and some extra pillows,¡± the doctor answered. ¡°I think she¡¯s nning on staying the night.¡± Was she not going to say anything about it to me? The thought infuriated me, but I wasn¡¯t going to let it be shown on my face. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving. But call if anything happens,¡± I ordered. He nodded his head as I stood to my feet. ncing at the door that L disappeared through, I waited a moment. A part of me thought she woulde through that door, but after a long pause, I realized it was hopeless waiting. I sighed and left the hospital. ¡­ I was dreading returning home. I knew Bethany was still there and the thought of seeing her at my packhouse left me feeling unsettled. She¡¯s been getting on my nerves a lottely and I really didn¡¯t want to deal with her. But I got a memo from the school board that they were shutting the school down for the week because of everything that has happened, and I didn¡¯t have much of a choice but to return home to my pack. I was their alpha after all. Once I got there, I went straight to the kitchen. It was my only attempt to avoid Bethany and anyone else I didn¡¯t feel like seeing right now. I could use the advice of Dee right about now anyways. She was always like a mother to me when my own mother couldn¡¯t be around. Not that I med my mother¡­ I med my father if anything. ¡°Enzo?¡± Dee said with a frown as I entered the kitchen. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you home so soon. Why are you here?¡± ¡°There was an incident at the school; it got shut down for the week,¡± I told her as I sat at the counter. She strolled over to me with wide and worried eyes. ¡°What kind of incident? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I answered. ¡°There was a fire at a house and many students were at that house having a party they shouldn¡¯t have been having.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± Dee gasped. ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± ¡°A lot of students were injured, yes. The party host got the worst of it. He¡¯s in critical condition at the hospital.¡± ¡°That poor boy¡­¡± Dee breathed, sitting down beside me. ¡°That¡¯s terrible. I¡¯ll pray for him and hope that he makes a speedy recovery.¡± She paused for a moment as she gazed over at me. ¡°And L?¡± ¡°What about her?¡± I asked a little too quickly. Why would Dee be bringing L up all of a sudden? ¡°Was she there as well? Is she okay?¡± Dee asked. ¡°Yes, she was there. Mainly emotional damage. Not much physically,¡± I answered. I sounded a bit colder than I meant to, but I didn¡¯t want to talk about L. At least, I don¡¯t think I did. ¡°You wanted her advice for something¡­ are you sure it wasn¡¯t because you wanted her intake on L?¡± Max asked with a glimmer of humor in his tone. I didn¡¯t appreciate the tone, so I ignored him. ¡°She¡¯s a strong girl. I¡¯m sure she was a rockstar in that fire. Probably wanted to save everybody she could,¡± Dee said with a faint smile. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of girl she is.¡± ¡°How exactly do you know what kind of girl she is?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. Dee shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve grown fond of her. We talk periodically. I get a good vibe from her, Enzo. You don¡¯t feel that vibe too? You must consider you keep bringing her around.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t keep bringing her around¡­ she just keeps showing up,¡± I argued in return. I¡¯m not sure why I was being so stubborn about this. I wanted the subject to change. ¡°And you keep letting her,¡± Dee said with another shrug. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you what I¡¯m seeing¡­¡± She paused for a moment, and I could tell there was something more she wanted to say. ¡°We had a conversation the other day that she didn¡¯t particrly like though¡­I worry that it¡¯ll keep her froming back.¡± I stared over at Dee with an almost rmed expression. ¡°What kind of conversation?¡± ¡°We were talking about Bethany¡­¡± Dee began, meeting my eyes. ¡°I told her that Bethany might really be your mate¡­¡± Bethany might be my what?!Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Dee, you are mistaken,¡± I said, shaking my head with disgust all over my face. ¡°Bethany is certainly not my mate and L shouldn¡¯t be thinking such things.¡± Dee stared up at me as I stood to my feet with rmed eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I just thought¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been thinking wrong. Why did you think such a thing?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes locked on hers. ¡°Because Bethany mentioned it¡­¡± ¡°Bethany? She¡¯s the one who told you that she¡¯s, my mate?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes,¡± Dee said nodding her head. ¡°But she¡¯s been using the fact that she¡¯s your mate to get me to do her bidding. I wanted to be kind to her for your benefit¡­ I had no idea she was lying to me.¡± ¡°She was,¡± I muttered. ¡°Has she been cruel to you?¡± ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°She¡¯s been fine,¡± Dee answered, but I knew she was lying. Bethany had crossed the line and now L was thinking that Bethany was my mate. She couldn¡¯t have believed that right? L is my mate and L knows that. Right? ¡­ L¡¯s POV I¡¯m not sure what time it was when I fell asleep. Rachel was up for most of the night; I could hear her tossing and turning in her bed while Iy in the cot, the nurse was kind enough to get me. Categories Search¡­ I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to sleep at all, but eventually, I found myself drifting off into a deep sleep and N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. then I woke up the next morning with the faint sunlight peering through the window curtains on the far side of the room. I sat up on the cot and looked around the room, groggily, for a moment before my eyesnded on the empty bed in front of me. I gasped loudly as I scrambled to get to my feet. Rachel wasn¡¯t in bed. Just before the panic started to set in, she walked into the room. She looked like she¡¯s been crying for most of the night. She had her arms wrapped around her body, hugging herself tightly as tears fell from her red eyes. Her hair was the most undone I have ever seen, and it wasn¡¯t often that she didn¡¯t wear makeup, but it seems she cried off all the makeup from yesterday. My heart tugged painfully in my chest seeing her appearance and I wished there was more that I could do for her at that moment. But I knew there wasn¡¯t. I felt so helpless. ¡°He¡¯s still stable¡­ but they won¡¯t let me see him,¡± she croaked, walking back to her bed. ¡°You should try to get some rest, Rachel,¡± I told her, walking with her to her bed. ¡°School has been canceled for the week, so you can get plenty of rest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can¡­¡± she said, sliding into bed and under the covers. ¡°It just hurts too much¡­¡± ¡°I know it does¡­ but there¡¯s no use in stressing over things we can¡¯t control,¡± I tell her, sitting down at her bedside. ¡°Until we know for sure what¡¯s going to happen, try not to think too much about it.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to stay here any longer with me¡­¡± Rachel breathed sadly, pressing her knees to her chest. ¡°You¡¯ve been here all night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I have much of anything to do right now,¡± I told her. But just as I said those words, I remembered I start my job tonight and we were supposed to have the committee meeting today. Then again, the school was canceled for the week, so that would automatically cancel the meeting as well. I decided to grab my phone anyways and sent a group message to the other members, just to let them know that the meeting was officially cancelled. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. I need to call Cassidy-Ann,¡± I say as I leave the room. I brought Cassidy¡¯s number up on my phone screen and waited with patience for her to answer. ¡°Hello, this is Cassidy-Ann,¡± she said cheerfully into the phone. ¡°Hi, Cassidy-Ann. This is L. How are you?¡± ¡°Oh, L! I was just thinking about you. The fire near your school was all over the news. I was a little worried because I heard a lot of the students at the academy were there and got injured. You weren¡¯t there too, were you?¡± ¡°I was¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°Oh, Goddess,¡± Cassidy-Ann breathed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that. Have you been injured? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. A little banged up¡­¡± I lied. ¡°And emotionally scarred. But I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, sweetheart,¡± she breathed, sadness lingering in her tone. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do to help you. Please let me know.¡± ¡°Actually, I know I haven¡¯t even started yet¡­ but I was wondering if I could take a few days off to regather my thoughts and recover from the ident¡­¡± ¡°Take the rest of the week off. You can start next Monday. Does that sound okay?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°Of course¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot. Please¡­ take time off.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.¡± ¡°Anytime, L. I¡¯m really excited to have you on board. I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± she said kindly before hanging up the phone. I couldn¡¯t help the small smile that formed on my lips as I shoved my phone into my pocket. It¡¯ll be nice to be able to recover for the rest of the week. Just as I turned to head back into Rachel¡¯s hospital room, I heard my name from a short distance. ¡°L!¡± I turned to see Ba rushing toward me with worry in her eyes. ¡°How are you? How¡¯s Rachel? I know you stayed here all night. Is she okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing the best she can,¡± I told her. ¡°I feel worried about leaving her by herself. She won¡¯t leave until she knows Ryan is okay. I told her I would stay with her.¡± Ba frowned and stared around my face. ¡°Did you sleep? You look exhausted.¡± I thought I slept; one moment I was lying on the cot and the next I was waking up to the sun through the window curtains. But I was feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. So, maybe I didn¡¯t sleep as well as I thought. ¡°Maybe I am a little bit,¡± I admitted with a small smile. ¡°Then, you should go and rest. I can stay here. Take a few days to recover. You were in the fire for much longer than me and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been through a lot of emotional trauma trying to save those you could.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Rachel,¡± Ba assured me. ¡°I already spent a while in the hospital. What¡¯s a little longer? I honestly don¡¯t mind. Get some rest. Clear your mind¡­ I¡¯ll let you know if anything happens.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to return to campus though, but maybe going to Elysium and seeing my family might help. It would be nice to get away from Enzo as well. After ourst real talk, I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to face him. Not right now. He didn¡¯t even bother answering my question yesterday and my heart ached. Ba was right. I needed to clear my mind. I thanked her repeatedly and then went to say goodbye to Rachel. I wasn¡¯t going to tell Enzo that I was leaving Hig; it¡¯s not like he would care anyways. I went back to my dorm and packed some belongings before piling it all in my car and driving down to Elysium. I didn¡¯t even tell my family that I was returning but as soon as I got into the Nova packhouse, I was being attacked with hugs from my mother who didn¡¯t seem to want to let me go. ¡°We heard about the fire,¡± she breathed. ¡°We thought something might have happened.¡± ¡°Is your phone off?¡± My dad asked, narrowing his eyes at me. It was this morning when I called Cassidy-Ann. I grabbed my phone to look at it and saw that it has died. I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I breathed, shoving my phone back into my pocket. ¡°We saw the news this morning and instantly panicked. Were you at the fire, L?¡± My mother asked, worry clear on her face. I didn¡¯t want to lie to her, so I nodded. She hugged me even tighter. ¡°What were you doing at a house party on a school night?¡± My father asked firmly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that our little girl is safe,¡± my mother told him just as firmly. He fell silent, not bothering to argue. I knew he was relieved too as he hugged me tightly. I finished exining to them most of the story, including how Alpha Enzo helped get me out of the fire and to the hospital. After I finished the story, my father, who remained silent for most of it, finally spoke. ¡°That does it¡­¡± my father said, keeping his eyes on mine. ¡°I¡¯m inviting Enzo over for a few days to thank him.¡± Chapter 66 Chapter 66 L¡¯s POV Having Enzo here at the Nova packhouse was not something I wanted. But I wasn¡¯t going to argue with my father about it. He was keen on having him here to thank him for helping me in the fire. It¡¯s not like I could tell my family the reason why I didn¡¯t want him here. Now I just had to hope that Enzo would decline the offer. I don¡¯t think he wanted to see me either. I thought he would try to avoid me at all costs. My father went to call Enzo while my mother and I talked a little more in the kitchen. ¡°Did anybody get seriously hurt?¡± She asked. ¡°I heard the host was in critical condition.¡± ¡°Ryan¡­¡± I told her sadly. ¡°Rachel¡¯s boyfriend. He was the host.¡± She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she peered over at me. ¡°Rachel as in your roommate?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. I nodded once. ¡°We don¡¯t know if he¡¯s going to be okay. But we are hoping for the best. She won¡¯t leave the hospital until she knows for sure. I stayed with herst night and Ba is staying with her for the next couple of days. She told me I needed to rest too,¡± I exined. My mother¡¯s eyes showed such sadness that it tugged at my heart. She walked closer to me and wrapped her arms around my body. Val was instantly rxed from thefort of my mother. She liked my mother and enjoyed being around her. She knew that my mother meant so much to me and being near her meant home. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she breathed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through all this and I¡¯m sorry your friends are suffering.¡± I wiped away the tears that strayed from my eyes and held her even tighter, not wanting to let go. ¡°I was so worried that I was going to lose them all, Mom,¡± I breathed between my tears. ¡°I thought for sure more would get worst injuries. But I managed to get some out¡­¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Of course, you did,¡± she said in return. ¡°You are incredibly brave, and I adore that about you. I hope you know how much I love you.¡± ¡°I do,¡± I said to her. ¡°And I love you.¡± ¡°Good news!¡± My father said, walking into the kitchen. ¡°Enzo will be here in a few hours!¡± My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. Enzo wasing? I couldn¡¯t ignore the excitement of my wolf; she was runningps in my mind¡¯s eye at the sound of our mate being on his way to us. I tried to calm her down, but there was no use. She was far too gone and way too excited to hear the reason. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± I lied, forcing a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go to my room and get a bit of rest before he gets here,¡± I told them as I walked past the kitchen and toward the door. I was feeling unwell and plus, I really was exhausted. But maybe I could try to avoid him, at least until dinner. I went up the stairs and to our apartment in the packhouse. Corinne and Flynn were sitting on the couch when I walked through the living room. They were both frowning at me and that¡¯s when I saw they were watching the news. They were talking about the fire that happened at Ryan¡¯s parent¡¯s housest night. I didn¡¯t want to see anything about it, but I couldn¡¯t help but pause when I stared at the television. ¡°Many were injured and remain at the hospital. The host of the party, who will remain unnamed for the time being, is currently being treated for critical injuries that may have caused his life. Pieces of the stove broke off and plunged into his body, leaving him incredibly injured and fighting for his life.¡± I almost vomited at hearing the sound of that. It wasn¡¯t until that moment that I knew what had caused him such injuries. He must have been near the oven when it exploded and then the silver parts of it struck him. Silver was incredibly lethal to werewolves; I was surprised that nobody else got hit with the shards. I shuddered at the thought. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Were you there?¡± Corinne asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°No,¡± I lied, turning away. ¡°But I had friends that were.¡± ¡°I told you she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to sneak out of the academy to go to a house party,¡± Flynn said to Corinne, shaking his head with a frown on his face. Corinne rolled her eyes and turned away from me. ¡°She¡¯s some,¡± she muttered, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°She never does anything fun.¡± While the two of them continued to gossip, I went into my room and mmed my door shut. I just wanted to close my eyes and shut myself away from the world for a little while. I¡¯ve missed my bed terribly and I felt like I was wrapped in my own little cocoon. I finally feltfortable enough to fall asleep. And I did fall asleep. I didn¡¯t wake up until Val got a whiff of Enzo from nearby. I was groggy when he arrived, but Val was wide awake and going nuts due to his incredible smell. I had to admit that it was practically mouth-watering. My heart was beating so heavily in my chest that I could barely contain myself. I thought about Enzo and his lips on me; the way he kissed me in the past left me inplete turmoil. I wasn¡¯t sure why that was all of a sudden in my mind, but I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. A smile tugged at my lips as I thought about his mouth trailing down the nape of my neck and nibbling every corner he could get to. I could physically feel his fingers on my flesh, pulling down my clothing until I was revealed to him fully. The way he felt pressed against me and the way I felt his bulge against my pelvis was mind-blowing. I closed my eyes, envisioning him in my room and having his way with me. Those were thoughts I never thought I would have. But I couldn¡¯t help myself. I wasn¡¯t sure if they were my thoughts or Val¡¯s, but regardless, I could practically feel him with me, and it was making my entire body warm. In fact, I was getting grossly warm. My pale skin was turning a light shade of pink, and I felt my nipples hardening without much control. It was a strange sensation; they felt tender to the touch, and I had to press my hands against them to keep them from causing too much pain. My body continued to warm to the point where my skin began to sizzle slightly. I wiggled ufortably in bed, feeling .my lower abdomen warm as well and tingling. I squeezed my legs together to keep myself under control, but I couldn¡¯t contain myself. A small whimper of distress escaped my lips as I continued to wiggle against my bed, trying to get some sort of relief. My body was practically on fire. It felt as hot as it was when I was in the house that caught on fire. Enzo was only in the next room, which was the guest room. Everyone else was downstairs in the main packhouse kitchen. I knew Enzo was in the next room. I could feel him. At that moment, I needed to get my clothes off before I died of a heat stroke. I grabbed my blouse and threw it over my head and to the ground, doing the same thing with my pants. it left me in only my bra and underwear. That didn¡¯t seem to be enough though; the heat of my lower abdomen was growing more intense due to my underwear and my nipples felt like they were chafing against my bra. I had to get them off too. I kicked my underwear to the ground and unhooked my bra, allowing that to fall to the ground too. I wasn¡¯t in the right frame of mind, and I knew that. But I needed to find relief and Val was so sure that Enzo could be the one to help us. I whimpered again as I pressed myself against the wall, rubbing my body to calm it down. It was like trying to scratch an itch that wasn¡¯t there. I finally and my way to Enzo¡¯s door and knocked ferociously. There was hesitance on the other side of the door, but soon, he opened it, and his eyes found mine. Then they lowered and darkened. Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Enzo¡¯s POV What the fuck does she thinks she¡¯s doing?! L stood in front of mepletely naked. Her entire body was illuminating pink, including her face. She looked incredibly ufortable, and her whimper only proved that. Her body trembled as she squeezed her legs tight, rubbing them together like she was scratching some kind of itch. She bit onto her swollen bottom lip and whimpered again, gazing up at me like she was pleading for my help. I could smell her honeysuckle scent potently and it was making my mouth water. My member was shifting automatically in my pants and my wolf was going insane over the view. He was begging me to take our mate as our own and have our way with her, but I was holding him back. She was clearly not in the right state of mind. She was also naked andpletely exposed in the hallway of her parent¡¯s apartment. I grabbed onto her arm and pulled her into the closedpacity of my room, sealing the door behind us. She stumbled into the room and turned around to face me again, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°I need help¡­¡± she whispered hoarsely. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me.¡± Unfortunately, I did. L had gone into heat. This was not going to be a good oue. ¡°Just try to breathe,¡± I ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some ice water, it usually helps.¡± I went to turn to leave, but she grabbed onto my arm, halting me. ¡°Please don¡¯t go¡­¡± she pleaded. ¡°I need you¡­¡± Categories Search¡­ I stared down at her in shock. What was she asking me to do? Before I could grasp what was happening, she was pressing against my body, rubbing against me, and whimpering softly with her eyes fluttering shut. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking correctly,¡± I murmur. ¡°You are in heat¡­¡± Her eyes popped open, and she stared up at me, her face reddening even more. ¡°Is that what¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked, her tone trembling slightly. ¡°Just try to rx,¡± I told her. ¡°Lay down.¡± ¡°Lay down with me¡­¡± she pleaded, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the bed. Max wanted to go with her; I knew she was going to feel extreme difort unless I did something to help her. She didn¡¯t need water; she needed her mate. I went with her to the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. Her body pressed against mine and she let out another small whimper as she peered up at me. She was chewing her bottom lip like it was candy and all I could think about was wanting to chew it as well. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± she whispered in another pleading way. I leaned down and took in her glorious scent that was radiating off her body. I could practically feel the steaming off her skin. I knew from her scent that she was a virgin, she had never been touched by a man. In fact, I was her first kiss. This wasn¡¯t how I wanted her to lose her virginity; I wasn¡¯t even sure if I wanted it to be with me. But I knew I needed to do something quickly. I found myself kissing her and taking her in even more. Her body seemed to have rxed once my lips made contact with her. As wanted, I began to chew on her bottom lip, bringing it into my mouth and tugging it with my teeth. I released it and saw how red and swollen it had be. That pleased me. The member in my pants shifted again; it wanted to be driven inside of her. I ran my hands down her warm and naked flesh, cupping her lower half and bringing her closer to me. She went with my motion without hesitation, breathing heavily as I continued the kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss herself like she wanted to devour me. I couldn¡¯t help the smirk on my lips as she did that. Breaking the kiss from her lips, I trailed my mouth down the nape of her neck. She threw her head back for easier ess as I ran my kisses down her chest and toward her breasts. Her nipples were hard and inviting. Begging me to bite them. I wanted them in my mouth. Every time I see her, I think about them and having my way with them. I bit her nipple, drawing it into my mouth while tugging at the other one with my fingers. She moaned softly, nearly falling onto the bed from losing her bnce. I carefully released her, allowing her to fall backward onto the bed while my tongue swirled around her nipples, ying with them and enjoying everything she had to offer. She ran her slender fingers through my hair I didn¡¯t typically like when others touched my hair. But for some reason, when it came to L, I didn¡¯t mind. I traveled my lips down her torso while she continued running her fingers through my hair. It was like she was guiding my head. She knew exactly what she wanted, and I grew hungrier with lust as I reached the middle of her legs. She didn¡¯t care how exposed she was to me; she widened her legs to grant me silent permission to do whatever it was I wanted, and I loved that. Everything about her was glorious and her whimper begged me to please her. I watched as her juices dripped down her legs; she didn¡¯t seem to mind or care that I was watching with such intent and desire. It only made her want me more. I began to please her with my tongue, licking every juice that left her body as her body jerked in pleasure. Another small moan escaped her lips, and her breathing grew harsh. I deepened my tongue, throwing a couple of fingers inside of her, trying to bring her to that sweet release. Her body began to shudder, and she withdrew her fingers from my hair to run them through her own hair. Soon, she was digging her nails into the bed sheets, just as she reached her climax. I didn¡¯t stop though, I continued to please her until she was begging me to stop. I felt her body¡¯s heat simmering down and her body trembled with satisfaction. By the end, we were both breathless, but my cock wanted more. She was staring at my member with curiosity and lust in her eyes. She bit onto her lip like she was giving me permission to release it. I went to reach for my pants and then a knock on the door caused us both to freeze. I could see the pure panic in her eyes as she nced at the door and then back at me. ¡°Enzo, are you in there?¡± It was Bastien. Lile was quick to scramble out of bed and I motioned for her to hide underneath. She did so without hesitation. ¡°Just a moment,¡± I said quickly as I made sure L was unseen. Once she waspletely covered, I went to the door to open it. ¡°Hey, Bastien,¡± I saidmely rubbing my hand behind my neck like I was some kind of schoolboy that was caught in the act. ¡°I wanted to thank you again for helping L during that fire. I¡¯m not sure what I would have done if anything were to happen to her. She¡¯s lucky to have you nearby to help her whenever she needs it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, hoping to the Goddess that he didn¡¯t sense L in this room. ¡°Any daughter of yours is a daughter of mine¡ª¡± I stopped short, instantly regretting my choice of words. Now, I feel gross. Max snickered. ¡°Dinner will be ready shortly if you want toe downstairs. I think L might be sleeping because she isn¡¯t answering her door. But maybe you can get her up in time for dinner?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± I said as I watched him disappear down the hallway. I sighed in relief, and I could feel L¡¯s relief as well as she crawled out from her hiding ce. She was still naked, and her face waspletely red. Not because she was in heat, but because of how embarrassed she was. We stood there silently for a moment before I decided to say something. ¡°Dinner will be ready¡ª¡± ¡°I heard¡­¡± she interrupted. I looked around her face, wondering what she was thinking. She didn¡¯t look back at me for long; she grabbed a towel that sat on the dresser and wrapped her body in it. She was trying hard not to make eye contact with me. As she walked toward the door, she paused, keeping her eyes lowered. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if we never spoke about this again¡­¡± she said and then she left.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 L¡¯s POV How was I ever going to face him again after that? I couldn¡¯t believe that happened. To top it off, we almost got caught by my father. My heart was racing at an incredible speed while I was hiding under that bed. I just kept praying to the moon goddess that he didn¡¯t know I was there. It didn¡¯t seem like he knew; as far as my father was concerned, I was sleeping soundly in my bed. Once he left, I felt like I could finally breathe, but one look at Enzo¡¯s face and then the realization of what we had just done sat between us. I couldn¡¯t even look him in the eyes. I had to focus my attention on the ground, or I would explode out of my skin. I was incredibly embarrassed and I¡¯m sure he could tell from my face that I just wanted to forget about this whole thing. I didn¡¯t need to say it, but I did anyways. As I left, I could feel his eyes on the back of my head; he didn¡¯t say anything in return and that was probably for the better. He waited a few moments before going downstairs and joining the rest of us in the kitchen. My parent¡¯s seemed particrly pleased to see him and the twins were motioning for him to sit beside them at the dinner table. I was d to see Brianna and Donovan were also over along with Aiden. ¡°L!¡± Bri cried as she quickly ran over to me, wrapping her arms around my body and hugging me tightly. ¡°I was so worried when I saw the news. How could you not call me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I told her, hugging her back. ¡°A lot has happened, and I didn¡¯t really think about calling anybody. I just wanted toe home.¡± ¡°We are d you are okay, kid,¡± Aiden said with a bright smile. ¡°And we are d that you are home.¡± Categories Search¡­ I gave them a small smile in return and sat down in my usual spot next to Brianna. Dinner smelled incredible per usual and I knew my mother was the one who cooked. I loved her cooking and she always made way too much food. ¡°I hope you enjoy the food I made,¡± my mother said, staring at everybody around the table. I mainly ate in silence, not really feeling up for a conversation. I was still so incredibly embarrassed about what Enzo, and I had just done. I never even kissed a guy before Enzo and now I allowed him to do that? What was I thinking? ¡°You were thinking you wanted our mate in every way possible,¡± Val chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t deny how good it felt.¡± She was right; it felt incredible. I couldn¡¯t believe I had gone into heat. That has never happened to me before, but then again, it was a wolf thing and I had only just gotten my wolf. Was this going to happen to me all the time? I really hoped not. I couldn¡¯t help but nce over at Enzo who wasn¡¯t looking at me; that brought me some sense of relief. It probably meant nothing to him, and he would soon forget about it anyways. He ate his food silently as well, not looking at anybody. ¡°L?¡± My mother said from across the table; she was staring at me with concern in her eyes and I gave her a fond smile in return. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You seem a little off. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯m sorry. I guess with everything that happened, I¡¯m a little out of it,¡± I answered. I nced at Enzo again and this time, he was looking at me. My face instantly reddened just as his eyes darkened and I looked away and back at my te. ¡°I think I¡¯m just a little tired as well,¡± I added. It wasn¡¯t a lie; I was exhausted. Especially after my encounter with Enzo. My body was fighting to stay awake. My mother gave me a small smile, meeting my eyes. ¡°I understand, L Bean. You should get some rest after dinner.¡± I nodded at her and continued to eat my food while she turned her conversation to the others. I tuned out the rest of what they were saying, but I could still feel Enzo¡¯s eyes on me. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Coming here was a mistake; L can¡¯t handle me being here and that much was obvious. She looked so torn and worn out after what we had just done. She couldn¡¯t even look at me. But all I could think about was wanting her in return. Alli could think about was ripping her clothes off and having my way with her on this dinner table. I didn¡¯t even care if anyone watched. My wolf was anxious and itching to be released. I wanted to know where her mind was and how she was feeling, but she asked me to never speak of this again and I needed to honor her wishes. Once dinner concluded, L helped her mother clear the table while Bastien pulled me away to talk wolf to wolf. A part of me wondered if it was because he knew that L was hiding in my room. I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t nervous. We went outside into the backyard and stood on the patio deck, Bastien being quiet for what felt like an eternity. ¡°Someday I won¡¯t be around¡­¡± Bastien began, which surprised me. Bastien was the healthiest and strongest Alpha I knew; there was no way he was dying anytime soon. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°My son, Flynn, will be taking over as the Alpha of the Nova pack. But he¡¯s not who I want to take over as head of themittee. It¡¯s a big role and it needs a big pair of feet to fit in those shoes.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be for a long time,¡± I told him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere just yet.¡± ¡°You might be right, but anything could happen,¡± Bastien said with a sigh. ¡°My point is, if you keep working at what you are doing, I would like you to take over as the head of themittee. If you are up for the job.¡± Being head of themittee is certainly something I¡¯ve been wanting. I would be able to be in control and do a lot of changes around the kingdom. I would be able to protect those I love. I would be able to protect my mother from men like my father. I wasn¡¯t going to rest until the world was safe and Vna¡¯s weren¡¯t hunted. I nodded my head, looking over at Bastien who kept his eyes forward as he looked around the scenery. It was a nice view of the backyard, but beyond that were the Nova pack hilltop homes. It was quite beautiful; I have to admit. Bastien was an amazing Alpha, and he was somebody I found myself looking up to. ¡°There¡¯s another thing too, Alpha¡­¡± Bastien began. I didn¡¯t say anything, waiting for him to continue. He remained silent for a moment longer as he looked over at me, meeting my eyes. ¡°I want you to be here to protect her too¡­¡± he said, lowering his tone and keeping his eyes locked on mine. ¡°I want you to protect L.¡± Chapter 69 Chapter 69 L¡¯s POV ¡°So, are you going to spill the tea?¡± Bri asked as she curled up in my bed beside me. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to figure out what she meant. ¡°What tea?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb, L,¡± she chuckled. ¡°The tea with you and that hottie Alpha Enzo. What¡¯s the news on you two?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no news,¡± I said, but I spoke a little too quickly because she raised her brows at my expression. ¡°Then why are you blushing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not blushing,¡± I said, pressing my hands to my face. Even I knew that was a lie and I could hear Valughing at me. Bri rolled her eyes and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m your best friend and the only one who knows that Enzo is your mate,¡± she reminded me. ¡°If you can¡¯t talk to me, then who can you talk to?¡± She was right; I was going to drive myself crazy if I didn¡¯t talk to somebody about this. The only person I could truly talk to was Brianna. So, I sighed and looked over at her. ¡°Something happened before dinner¡­¡± I told her, lowering my tone. She sat up, fixating her entire attention on me. ¡°What?¡± She asked as I processed my thoughts. ¡°I went into heat¡­¡± I breathed. She gasped at my words, staring around my face in disbelief. ¡°Wait¡­are you serious?¡± She asked with wide and shocked eyes. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. I nodded, feeling a wave of the same crossing over me. ¡°What was that like? I¡¯ve never experienced something like that before.¡± ¡°It was unbearable and incredibly ufortable,¡± I admitted. ¡°Everything was so hot, and it was like needing to scratch an itch that I couldn¡¯t reach. I wasn¡¯t in the right frame of mind.¡± ¡°How did you know that it was heat?¡± I didn¡¯t want to tell her this next part, but I knew I had to. ¡°Enzo told me¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± she whispered. ¡°He was with you when you went into heat??¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± I said, lowering my gaze. ¡°I went to find him¡­¡± ¡°L!¡± She eximed, nearly jumping to her feet. ¡°After I ripped off my clothes.¡± She gasped again, covering her mouth with her hands. ¡°That¡¯s huge! How could try to keep something like this from me?! Is that why you were acting so strangely at dinner? Your mother could see right through you, you know. She didn¡¯t buy yourme excuse for a second.¡± ¡°I meant what I said to her,¡± I said in my own defense. ¡°I was exhausted¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, after you spent time with Enzo,¡± she chuckled, curling back up in bed. She wrapped her amrs around mine. ¡°So, how was it? I¡¯m assuming you finally lost your V-card, right?¡± ¡°No!¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°We didn¡¯t have sex¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± She urged me to continue. ¡°He did things to me that left my wolf very satisfied,¡± I said, feeling that smile tugging on my lips and my face warming at the memory. ¡°He did things?¡± Bri asked, raising her brows again. ¡°Like sexual things?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess, L!!¡± She screeched, nearly jumping on the bed and taking me with her. ¡°This is absolutely huge!!!¡± ¡°Brianna, calm down,¡± I pleaded. ¡°Before somebody hears you.¡± She stopped jumping and frowned at me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you more excited? You were worried that he wasn¡¯t into you and now you have actual proof that he is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any proof,¡± I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°It was in the heat of the moment. It¡¯s not like it meant anything to him.¡± ¡°Of course, it meant something to him. He¡¯s your mate and he is programmed to love you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a robot.¡± ¡°No¡­ he¡¯s a wolf,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°The moon goddess assigns us mates and our wolves do the rest.¡± ¡°You are starting to sound like my wolf¡­¡± I said, trying not tough at her expression. ¡°Your wolf is very wise,¡± she said in return. ¡°You should listen to her more often.¡± I knew she was right, but I didn¡¯t want to think about Enzo anymore. I honestly didn¡¯t think that Enzo was that into me. Maybe it was because I¡¯m a Vna. I knew that he had something against Vna¡¯s. Probably because of his father. He knew I was a Vna, which meant he had something against me. The thought was upsetting but I wasn¡¯t going to tell Brianna that. ¡°I like this girl,¡± Val said with a chuckle. ¡°She called me wise and she¡¯s right. You should listen to me more.¡± ¡°I told him that I didn¡¯t want to ever discuss what happened again,¡± I admitted, staring down at my hands. ¡°Why would you say that to him?¡± Bri asked, seemingly confused. ¡°Because I¡¯m just so embarrassed. He¡¯s, my professor. He could get into huge trouble if this got out. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do¡­¡± Bri sat silent for a moment, allowing me to process my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I know I¡¯m overly excited and you are majorly confused. But he¡¯s your mate, L. The goddess wouldn¡¯t have done this if she didn¡¯t truly think it was what¡¯s best for you both. Somewhere down the line, you will need each other, and he feels that too.¡± ¡°How do you know he feels that too?¡± I asked, looking over at her. She smiled at my question. ¡°Because he hasn¡¯t rejected you yet.¡± ¡­ Third person POV Back in Hig, at the hospital, Ba spent the night with Rachel while Rachel remained in her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling like she was a zombie. She hasn¡¯t left the bed since yesterday and there hasn¡¯t been any news on Ryan¡¯s condition. As long as they knew, Ryan was still stable, and yet still in aa. He suffered some massive damage, and they aren¡¯t sure if he is going to make a recovery or not. It was upsetting, but Rachel was taking this way too hard. She hasn¡¯t eaten, and she hasn¡¯t slept from what Ba could tell. ¡°You should eat something,¡± Ba pleaded. ¡°L will be upset if she returns, and you¡¯ve wasted away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Rachel muttered, throwing the nkets over her face to shield her from the lighting of the room. ¡°Come on, Rachel. Just a bite of something. Anything.¡± Rachel finally sighed and peered over at her. ¡°Fine¡­ get me something from the cafeteria.¡± Ba was relieved to hear her say that and didn¡¯t waste any time getting to the cafeteria and grab some food. There was some kind of pork dish that smelled decent enough, along with some rice and a pudding cup. She also grabbed a bottle of water so Rachel could keep herself hydrated. However, once she returned to the room, Rachel seemed to be gone. There was a moment of panic seeing Rachel¡¯s bed empty and no nurse seemed to know where she had gone to. Ba¡¯s first thought was Ryan¡¯s room, but upon going to see Ryan, the doctors upying his room assured her that nobody had been allowed. Ba traveled around the hospital, trying to find any glimpse of Rachel but she wasing up nkly. Eventually, she found a bathroom on the opposite section of the hospital, and it looked like it was a more secluded area. It¡¯s been about an hour and a half since shest saw Rachel in her room, so whatever she was doing, Ba knew it wasn¡¯t good. She went into the bathroom and instantly got a weird feeling. As she walked further past the stalls, she saw that the bathroom was mainly empty except for thest stall which was closed and locked. There were a pair of bare feet on the ground and Ba recognized the ck nail polish to be Rachel¡¯s. ¡°Rachel?¡± Ba asked a little nervousness in her tone. When Rachel didn¡¯t respond or move, Ba¡¯s heart fell into her stomach. She managed to get the stall door unlocked and pushed it open only to find Rachel waspletely passed out on the toilet with a needle sticking out of her arm. Ba gasped loudly, stumbling backward. Rachel OD¡¯d Chapter 70 Chapter 70 L¡¯s POV I didn¡¯t sleep long when Ba started to call my cell phone. It was almost 10 pm and I was very confused as to why she was calling me sote at night. I knew something must have been wrong. ¡°Ba?¡± I asked, groggily into the phone. I knew right away that she was crying before she even spoke. ¡°Something happened,¡± she said, her words trembling. ¡°Rachel disappeared¡­ but then I found her. She was passed out in the bathroom¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± I gasped, jumping up from my bed, startling Brianna who had fallen asleep beside me. ¡°What do you mean she passed out? What happened, Ba?¡± ¡°She had a needle in her arm,¡± Ba cried. ¡°She OD¡¯d.¡± I needed to get back to Hig and as soon as possible. I must have been making a ton of noise while grabbing my things because my mother came into my room with a worried look in her eyes. ¡°L, where are you going? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I have to go,¡± I told her quickly. ¡°Something happened in Hig.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± My father asked, running in behind her. ¡°It¡¯s Rachel. Ba thinks she OD¡¯d. I need to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Are you okay to drive back at this hour in this state of mind?¡± My mother asked in worry. I realized at that point that I had tears streaming down my face. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted. ¡°I just know I have to get back.¡± My father looked behind him in the darkness of the hallway. ¡°Enzo, can you take her back in your car?¡± Categories Search¡­ My heart fell into my stomach for the second time tonight. Enzo was here too? Ugh. This wasn¡¯t happening to me right now. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Enzo said, stepping into the lighting of my room. His eyes were dark, and he was staring directly at me with narrowed eyes. I felt my breathing getting caught in my throat and my wolf was tugging me toward him. But I stood my ground this time. ¡°Thanks,¡± my father said, patting him on the back with his firm hand. He turned back to me. ¡°Keep us updated, L Bean.¡± I nodded to him, grabbed my suitcase, and followed him out of my room. I didn¡¯t want to discuss anything that had happened between us and the thought of being alone with him in a car for an hour was unsettling, but I needed to get back to Hig and see Rachel. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for leaving in the first ce. ¡°Call us as soon as you get back,¡± my mother ordered as we reached the front of the packhouse. ¡°I will,¡± I assured her, giving her a quick hug before running out of the house and towards Enzo¡¯s waiting car. I¡¯ll have toe back to get my car at some point. But my mother was right, I wasn¡¯t in any kind of condition to be driving. Enzo didn¡¯t waste any time in throwing the car in drive and peeling away from the packhouse. I grabbed my phone and called Ba once we were on the road. ¡°How is she?¡± I asked. ¡°She¡¯s still unconscious,¡± Ba said; it was clear to me that she¡¯s been crying. I wanted to cry too but I needed to remain strong for her and Rachel. ¡°They are trying everything they can.¡± How can she be so stupid and do something like that? She¡¯s been doing so well and now she has rpsed; that whole story she told me about her time in the rehab and how they tortured her for being a bear, it seemed like all that work she did was for nothing now. ¡°She can¡¯t handle a world without Ryan¡­¡± Ba breathed, answering my unspoken question. ¡°I think Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. they are actually mates. If one of them dies, it¡¯s almost like both of them die¡­¡± I knew that to be true; my father would tell me the time everyone thought my mother had died. He never believed it because he would feel it if she did; his wolf would feel it. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what that must feel like. I couldn¡¯t help but nce over at Enzo; I wondered if he would feel it if something happened to me. When he was wounded in the woods, I felt it right away and was able toe to him and help him with my abilities. Would he do the same thing for me if it were me who was injured? Would he care if I got hurt? Or maybe it would be a relief to him if I wasn¡¯t around. I didn¡¯t want to think about that; our moment in the bedroom didn¡¯t mean anything to him. I was just someone whom he found to be an easy target because I was in heat. I shook my head at the thought and nced out the window. ¡°We areing to the hospital right now,¡± I told Ba. ¡°Just give us a little bit to get there.¡± ¡°We?¡± She asked. ¡°Professor Enzo is driving me¡­¡± She was quiet for what felt like an eternity as she processed what I had just said. ¡°What was he doing with you in Elysium?¡± She finally asked. I needed to say something quickly to appease her question without causing suspicion. ¡°He saved me in the fire and my father was grateful to him. So, he invited Enzo over for dinner and to stay the night as a ¡®thank you¡¯ kind of thing,¡± I answered. ¡°Oh, that makes sense. I¡¯m d you are able toe back. I don¡¯t think I can handle this without you if something terrible happens¡­¡± ¡°Just keep breathing Ba. I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± I assured her as I hung up the phone. I allowed my phone to fall onto myp. I was feeling all sorts of drained at that moment. We still had a good 30 minutes before we would be at Hig, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to sleep at all. But I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window of the door anyway. Anything to get out of a conversation with Enzo. I had to focus on something, anything, other than his amazing scent which was all over the car. It was mind-boggling how much he affected my wolf. Even during everything that¡¯s happening. He was all she could think about, and she was going insane for him. I quickly changed my mindset to Rachel and Ryan who were both now lying in the hospital in critical condition and my heart broke that much more. Before I could control it, tears began to escape my eyes at a quick rate. I opened my eyes and lifted my head off the window. I turned my head slightly to keep Enzo from seeing me but the small whimper that escaped my mouth caused him to nce over at me. I bit my lip to keep from making any more noises, but it was toote. He could see the tears that were staining my features and delicately dripping off my chin. Before I knew what was happening, he was pulling over on the side of the road and throwing the car in park. I nced over at him, narrowing my eyes, and he kept his dark gaze on mine. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I demanded to know. ¡°We need to go¡­¡± My voice came out like a croak though and as I spoke, more tears escaped my eyes. I couldn¡¯t stop them regardless of how hard I tried. He stayed silent for a short moment and then he did something I was never expecting. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hug. Chapter 71 Chapter 71 L¡¯s POV The rest of the car ride was quiet, which was probably a good thing. As soon as we got to the hospital, I jumped out of the car and began to run toward the main entrance. I saw Ba right away and she was already talking to one of the doctors. It looked like I was arriving just in time. Ba looked relieved to see me and waved me over to join in on their conversation. ¡°What¡¯s going on? How¡¯s Rachel?¡± I asked as I approached them. ¡°I was just telling Ba that your friend is going to be okay,¡± the doctor said. ¡°However, it could have been a lot worse. I have some pamphlets on rehab facilities if you¡¯d like to take one for her. I suggest she seeks the help she clearly needs.¡± I didn¡¯t think Rachel would ever want to return to rehab; not after thest time she went. But I wasn¡¯t going to say that to the doctor. I gave him a fond smile and thanked him as he went back to do his work. I looked over at Ba who gave out a long sigh of relief. ¡°I can¡¯t handle this¡­¡± she said, resting against the wall. I hugged her tightly. ¡°You did so well though,¡± I told her. ¡°You should go and get some rest. I¡¯m here now¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡± She asked. I nodded my head once, ncing behind my shoulder at Enzo who was standing nearby almost awkwardly. ¡°Yes,¡± I assured her. She gave me a small smile as I released her. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll see youter, L,¡± she breathed tiredly as she walked through the waiting room and past Enzo. She paused when she reached Enzo and gave him a fond smile. ¡°Thank you for getting her back safely, professor.¡± Enzo rose his brows at Ba¡¯s statement, but he didn¡¯t say anything in return. I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I refrained from doing so. I went toward the other section of the hospital where the rooms are and immediately went to see Rachel. She was surprisingly awake already and lying in bed. She was staring at the ceiling and her breathing was heavy. She had a few different IVs in her arms and her eyes had dark purple circles under them as she had just gotten into a fight. I frowned even deeper when I saw her. Standing beside her bedside, folded my arms across my chest. I almost felt like I was her mother. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± I asked in a harsh whisper. ¡°You could have died, Rachel.¡± Without looking at me, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t live in a world without him¡­.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s going to make it or not¡­¡± I told her, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face. ¡°My bear is in agony¡­¡± she croaked. ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up yet and it¡¯s driving both my bear and me insane. I can¡¯t handle it¡­¡± ¡°So, you turn to drugs?¡± I asked, shaking my head. ¡°You just told me your rehab horror story. Is that something you want to go through again?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± she whispered; tears were welling in her eyes. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡± ¡°You talk to someone is what you do,¡± I told her. ¡°This was an unfortunate event that happened that nearly cost the life of your boyfriend. You are going through something seriously traumatic. You need to talk to someone about this.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°A therapist,¡± I told her firmly. ¡°I can make some calls and get you in a session. But you have to do the work too, Rachel. You can¡¯t turn back to drugs or all that work you did to ovee the Elysium Rehab Facility would have been for nothing.¡± She knew I was right and the way she looked at me just proved it. ¡°I care about you¡­¡± I continued. ¡°You have be my best friend at this school; you are my roommate. I can¡¯t imagine doing the rest of this without you. Please, let me help you¡­¡± She thought about it for a moment longer before nodding her head. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she whispered as more tears escaped her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for scaring you. You didn¡¯t need to come all this way for me¡­¡± I let out a small chuckle as I sat at her bedside. ¡°Yes, I did,¡± I said in return. ¡°As soon as I heard you were in trouble, I knew I needed to get back here. I didn¡¯t want you to go through this alone.¡± I grasped her hands and for once since arriving at this hospital the other day, she gave me a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m d to have you here just the same,¡± she breathed. ¡°I know,¡± I said in return. I¡¯m not sure how long I stayed at the hospital, but I knew Enzo wasn¡¯t going to leave until I went with him. He was kind enough to wait in the waiting room for me, but I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to leave just yet. ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡± She asked, eyeing my face carefully. ¡°You look tired.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about it.¡± ¡°You should get back to our dorm and get some sleep,¡± she suggested. I rose my brows at her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you here alone and I told Ba to leave and get some rest as well,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said in return. I rose my brows at her, not believing her words. ¡°Trust me¡­ I won¡¯t be able to escape here with the nurses watching me like a hawk,¡± she said with a faint yet annoyed smile. I knew she was right; she was on suicide watch now. I sighed and nodded, giving her a huge hug. ¡°Okay,¡± I told her. ¡°But I will be back first thing in the morning.¡± We finished saying our goodbyes before I stood and walked out of her room. As I returned to the waiting room to tell Enzo we could go, I paused when I realized Enzo wasn¡¯t sitting there alone. Beside him, with flowers, was Brody.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L has been in the hospital room with Rachel for what felt like forever. But I didn¡¯t mind it. I sat in the waiting room, patiently. I just wanted L to be okay; I knew she¡¯s been upset, and my wolf can¡¯t take any more of it. When she cried in my car it nearly broke my wolf into pieces and I couldn¡¯t think of doing anything besides hug her. I promised Bastien that I would take care of L long after his death, which to me, it sounded like he knew that I was L¡¯s mate. But how could Bastien know something like that? I almost wanted to ask L about that to see if she had maybe said something to her family about it, but I knew it wasn¡¯t the right time to question her about something like that. After what felt like an eternity, a new figure appeared in the waiting room and stood beside me. I was seated so I nced up to see Brody standing there with a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Ba told me what happened, and that L was here,¡± Brody exined. ¡°I came to make sure both she and Rachel are good.¡± ¡°L is in there with her right now,¡± I told her, keeping my tone even and trying not to sound too annoyed by Brody¡¯s presence. ¡°I brought Rachel some flowers,¡± Brody said, showing me the bouquet. When I didn¡¯t say anything, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to give L a flower.¡± I raised my brows at him, not saying anything, but also a question on my face to which Brody decided to answer. ¡°I really like her¡­ and I know she might not like me right now, but I¡¯m willing to y the long game. I¡¯m willing to wait for her for as long as it takes¡­ but someday, L will be mine.¡±N?velDrama.Org content. Chapter 72 Chapter 72 L¡¯s POV They were both staring at me when I came through the door and into the waiting room. I was shocked to see Brody; I didn¡¯t think he even knew about Rachel. Ba must have said something to him in passing. It was sweet that he brought her a bouquet. Although Rachel didn¡¯t like flowers. But I wasn¡¯t going to tell Brody that. ¡°Hi,¡± I said to him, forcing a smile on my face. I was feeling all sorts of drained, and I just wanted to return to my dorm and get a little bit of sleep. I was nning oning back to the hospital in the morning anyways. ¡°I brought these for Rachel,¡± he said sheepishly. He seemed a little shy and awkward and I wasn¡¯t sure why that made me almostugh. He picked out a bright purple flower and brought it to me. ¡°But I picked this one out for you¡­¡± I raised my brows at him, surprised. I felt Enzo tense and I wasn¡¯t even standing near him. It must have been the vibe and energy he was portraying. My wolf picked up on it right away. He didn¡¯t like that Brody was there, but I wasn¡¯t sure why he would care so much. It¡¯s not like he cared about me. He told me he would be embarrassed to have me as a mate and didn¡¯t even apologize for that. Despite what we did at the Nova packhouse earlier this evening, I could tell it wasn¡¯t because he cared about me. Regardless of what Val might think. She huffed at my unspoken statement, and I had to work hard to ignore her. ¡°Thank you, Brody,¡± I said after a beat of silence. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to visit Rachel quick and check on Ryan as well,¡± Brody said, keeping his eyes locked on me. ¡°And then I can take you home if you¡¯d like?¡± Categories Search¡­ I nced over at Enzo whose expression hardenedpletely. Brody didn¡¯t wait for me to answer his question, he went straight toward the hospital rooms a disappeared through the double doors. I kept my eyes on Enzo who finally pulled his eyes away from the ghost of Brody to look back at me. ¡°Are you going to go with him?¡± He asked. He sounded indifferent and I felt a jab of pain in my heart from his tone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I admitted. ¡°Should I?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. If you go with him, then I¡¯ll leave,¡± he said in return. That wasn¡¯t the answer I was hoping for. Then again, I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of answer I was hoping for. ¡°Yeah,¡± I finally answered. ¡°I¡¯ll go with him.¡± Enzo didn¡¯t look bothered by this, but something in his eyes was unfamiliar. He looked at me for a moment longer, assessing my face and analyzing my every feature. I felt disappointed that he didn¡¯t fight a little harder, but then again, I wasn¡¯t surprised. I broke my eyes from him, lowering my gaze to the ground. This wasn¡¯t how I thought I would feel when I found my mate. I was disappointed that this was the oue. What kind of cruelty was this? Out of all the wolves in the world, why did the Moon Goddess think Alpha Enzo would be a good fit for me? I shook my head at the very thought. ¡°Then, I will be leaving,¡± Enzo finally said after a long pause. I didn¡¯t watch him as he left this time; I kept my eyes on the ground and waited for his presence to disappear. Val was inplete agony over that exchange. She didn¡¯t like our mate leaving like that she thinks I should go after him. But I nted my feet on the ground. I wasn¡¯t going to chase him down. I was done being the chaser. If he truly wanted me, then he would have toe after me this time. And I doubt he was going toe after me. All I wanted to do at that moment was shift into my wolf and go for a long run. It felt like it¡¯s been ages since I was able to set Val free and roam through the forest. I wanted to practice using my abilities too. If I didn¡¯t get my powers out once in a while, I might experience a power overload and lose control over them. I waited for what felt like an eternity for Brody to reappear in the waiting room. He gave me a fond smile and then looked around the waiting room curiously. ¡°Professor Enzo left?¡± He asked, raising his brows. I nodded. ¡°He just wanted to check on the injured students. His job was done for the evening, so he went home,¡± I lied. ¡°I see,¡± Brody said in return. ¡°He¡¯s a really good professor and a great Alpha. My father talks praises about him.¡± I had forgotten that Brody¡¯s father was also an Alpha, and he was on my father¡¯smittee. Which meant, Brody¡¯s father worked closely with Enzo as well. I guess I should be careful with how much information I give to Brody knowing that it could get back to his father. Meaning, it could get back to Enzo. ¡°Thank you for the ride back to campus,¡± I said as we left the hospital. Brody¡¯s car wasn¡¯t a far walk thankfully. ¡°I figured because I¡¯m going back there anyways, I could be of use to you,¡± he said with a quick shrug. I slid into the passenger seat, sitting a little awkwardly as he pulled away from the hospital. ¡°How have you been¡­?¡± He asked, peering over at me briefly before ncing back at the road. ¡°I mean, since the fire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a lot,¡± I admitted. ¡°I keep reying the events in my mind. I just can¡¯t believe Ryan is still in the hospital. How did things get so bad?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a question I don¡¯t have an answer for,¡± he said softly. ¡°Ryan has always been a party animal and I¡¯ve never really been. I didn¡¯t even want to go to his party, but because I¡¯m his friend, I went anyways.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go either,¡± I admitted. ¡°But Rachel convinced me.¡± ¡°I guess we are both suckers for our friends,¡± Brody said shaking his head. ¡°But I am d we were there. I think a lot more students would have been hurt if we didn¡¯t get them out when we did¡­¡± I nodded my head once. ¡°Thank you for helping me,¡± I said to him. ¡°Of course¡­¡± he said in return. He was quiet for a moment longer and then he spoke again. ¡°How did the fire not physically affect you? You seemedpletely fine during the fact.¡± Do I tell him because I¡¯m a Vna and that we are incredibly hard to injure and kill? Or do I lie to him? ¡°I guess I¡¯m just lucky like that,¡± I said with a lightugh. ¡°Maybe because I was drunk.¡± ¡°Everyone was drunk,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But they still got injured.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answered. ¡°I held my breath for a while. Maybe that was why?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± he said, but he didn¡¯t soundpletely convinced. It didn¡¯t take us long to get back to campus and as soon as he parked the car, I got out. He got out as well and walked around the car and closer to me. ¡°Well, for what it¡¯s worth¡­ I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t get injured,¡± he said, keeping his tone low. I smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t either.¡± I heard another car door mming shut nearby and was surprised to see Enzo across the parking lot. It seemed like he was ring at Brody, but Brody was too busy looking at me to notice. I cleared my throat and stepped away from Brody. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some rest. Thank you again,¡± I said over my shoulder. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head as I walked toward the dorms. As I walked, I kept my head lowered so I wouldn¡¯t have to look at Enzo, but I paused when I saw a familiar figure walking towards the 24-hour school board office. My heart fell into my stomach as soon as her face was revealed to me. It was Sarah Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Third Person POV ¡°Wee back to the school, Sarah,¡± Miss Laurence, head of the board, said as she handed Sarah her curriculum and dorm keys. ¡°You were missed. Let¡¯s try to do better this time around.¡± ¡°Yes, mam,¡± Sarah said with a broad smile. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down. I truly apologize for my behavior previously.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one you need to apologize to,¡± she said in return, eyeing Sarah carefully. Sarah had to admit that she was dreading apologizing to L. But that was the deal. She could return early if she gave L a heartfelt apology. The thought was nauseating for her. But she was going to do it if it meant she could return to the academy. The first thing she did after meeting with the board upon her arrival, was seek L out. She knew she would most likely be sleeping because it was sote at night. At least, she hoped that she would be that way she could get out of apologizing. Or she would be too tired to remember. But as soon as she realized L¡¯s dorm room, which was on the way to her own dorm room, she was surprised to see a faint light under the door indicating that she was awake. She groaned miserably but knocked on the door. L opened the door and her eyes widened in shock when she saw Sarah standing before her. She didn¡¯t look afraid though; L didn¡¯t often find Sarah to be intimidating enough to be afraid of her, but Sarah was sure she wasn¡¯t expecting her to be returning to the school so soon. ¡°Sarah¡­?¡± L said, staring around her face and making sure she was real. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°They let me return early,¡± Sarah said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I wanted to apologize for my behavior toward you. I allowed my own insecurities and jealousies to cloud my judgments and it wasn¡¯t fair to you. I¡¯m sorry for poisoning you. It wasn¡¯t meant to hurt you¡­ only dy your wolf¡¯s development. I did it out of greed. I wanted to be the best and I knew as soon as you got your wolf, you¡¯d be the best.¡± L was quiet for a short while, processing what Sarah had just said. Categories Search¡­ She raised her brows in took Sarah¡¯s appearance. ¡°It¡¯s very big of you to apologize. Thank you,¡± she said, but there was still some hesitance. Sarah knew the board was going to confront L in the morning and ask about this apology before she could actually return full-time, so she had to make this count. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do for you¡­let me know. I hope we can maybe be friends one day. I know we didn¡¯t have a great start¡­ but I¡¯m willing to try and make things better between us,¡± Sarah uttered. That pained Sarah to utter, but she was putting on a performance of her life. It seemed to have worked because L gushed into arge smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± she breathed. ¡°I really appreciate that. I¡¯m here for you too and I would really like to be friends.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Sarah said in return. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± With that being said, Sarah turned and left. While Sarah was at the back of the school, she heard whispers about a house fire that most students attended. A lot of students got injured and the host, Ryan, was hurt critically. Sarah never liked Ryan; he¡¯s Scott¡¯s best friend and he¡¯s also aplete airhead. He always gets Scott into stupid trouble, so it was no wonder Ryan got the worst of the damage from that fire. She also found out from some close friends, during their catchup session, that L had begun a student committee and she¡¯s the president of it. That infuriated Sarah more than anything; if anyone should be president of a studentmittee, it should be Sarah! ¡°That¡¯s not all¡­¡± One of her good friends said in a hushed whisper. They were sitting in their usual spot in the student lounge a few days after Sarah returned to the school. She spent thest few days studying and catching up on schoolwork, not to mention moving back into her dorm. She hasn¡¯t had a lot of time to catch up on any gossip. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that L has a new job as Cassidy-Ann¡¯s personal assistant.¡± Of course, everybody knew the famous artist Cassidy-Ann. The thought of L actually getting to work with her pushed Sarah to her boiling point. That just wasn¡¯t going to do. ¡­ L¡¯s POV It¡¯s been a week since the fire and a few days since Sarah made that awfully sweet apology. I thought it was strange for her toe to me at such ate hour and apologize, but then Miss Laurence, of the school board, pulled me aside the next morning to ask if Sarah had apologized to me yet. After that, it started to make sense. They weren¡¯t going to allow Sarah to return full-time unless she made a heartfelt apology. I wanted to laugh at how obvious that was. I just told Miss Laurence the truth and said that it was incredibly heartfelt and kind of Sarah to apologize. Miss Laurence seemed to have liked that response because she smiled and jotted something down in her notebook before disappearing. ¡­ Today is my first day as Cassidy-Ann¡¯s assistant and I couldn¡¯t be more excited. I wore a ck shirt and a white blouse. I pulled my hair into a low ponytail and only added a lightyer of makeup to my fair complexion. Once I got there, she gave me my own desk in the middle of her studio and just outside her office. She gave me the runaround of what I¡¯m going to be doing and then gave me a few assignments to work on. It was nice being able to do something that didn¡¯t include schoolwork or thinking about Enzo. I didn¡¯t want to think about him anymore. If he truly wanted me, he would make it known to me and he hasn¡¯t. I shook the thought out of my mind and continued my work. ¡°L, I have a few errands to run. Can you tell anyone who calls that I¡¯ll return in an hour?¡± Cassidy- Ann asked as she left her office. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I answered, waving to her as she left. I heard some whispering from nearby and looked to see a couple of Cassidy-Ann¡¯s artists. I frowned as they whispered amongst one another and then looked at me with curious gazes. Once they noticed I was watching them, their faces turned red. I thought they were going to run, but it seemed they were arguing over who should ask me a specific question. Eventually, after ending the argument, one of them stepped over. ¡°Are you really Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter?¡± I rose my brows, but I nodded. ¡°It must be awesome to have a father like him!¡± The other said chipperly. ¡°It is awesome,¡± I said in return. They both chuckled and they looked like they wanted to say more but they didn¡¯t get a chance. I heard a light knocking on the door before it opened. I gasped when I saw Sarah standing in front of me.N?velDrama.Org content. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 L¡¯s POV ¡°Sarah?¡± I said, standing to my feet. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I just wanted to check out the new art gallery that just opened,¡± Sarah said, raising her brows. ¡°But my question is, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I work here,¡± I exined. ¡°As Cassidy-Ann¡¯s assistant.¡± ¡°You?¡± Sarah nearly scoffed. ¡°What would she want with someone like you?¡± That sounded like an insult, but I ignored it, allowing it to brush off my back. ¡°She liked the portrait I made of Professor Enzo. She said I have real potential and wanted me to start here as her assistant,¡± I said in return. At that point, the other girls had disappeared to continue their own work. They were Cassidy-Ann¡¯s artists, so they stayed in their own section of the studio, painting for the next art show. Which I knew was going to be held soon and I would have to help with that. ¡°I see¡­¡± Sarah said, almost bitterly. It was like she was disregarding the entire apology she made to me a few days ago. But I knew she wasn¡¯t being genuine as soon as I figured out, she was forced to apologize to me. ¡°Well, clearly, she doesn¡¯t know real talent. As soon as she sees my paintings, you will best month¡¯s news,¡± Sarah said, batting her longshes and throwing a lock of her hair over her shoulder. I wanted to ask her what happens to us being friends. But I decided against it. It wasn¡¯t worth the time, and I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to be friends with someone who was forced to make a heartfelt apology to me. ¡°She¡¯s always looking for new talent,¡± I say with a shrug. ¡°I can always book you an appointment and you can consult with her.¡± I sat back down at my desk and nced at myputer. Categories Search¡­ Sarah¡¯s lips were pressed into a thin line and she folded her arms across her chest. I knew she wasn¡¯t N?velDrama.Org content. happy. ¡°No thank you,¡± Sarah muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with her on my own time. And not because you booked an appointment¡­but because I¡¯m just that good. Once she sees m work and knows my name, she will be the one seeking me out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s true,¡± I said in agreement, which is not what she wanted. Sarah didn¡¯t stick around to say anything more; she turned away and left the studio. I shook my head with dismay written all over my face as Cassidy-Ann returned. ¡°Did I miss anything good?¡± She asked as she walked toward her office. ¡°It was quiet,¡¯ I lied. ¡°Wee back.¡± She gave me a sweet smile before disappearing into her office. But then she reappeared moments later with a mani folder. ¡°I have some paintings here that need to go out for delivery soon. Would you mind enveloping each of these? Then bring them to the post office?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, taking therge folder from her. I began to do just as she asked. Sealing each glorious, handmade, drawing that Cassidy created herself, in thick velvety designer envelopes. Each painting was going somewhere different. Cassidy-Ann had an online store where customers could purchase original art. I was in awe of how beautiful each piece was, and I thought about purchasing one for myself as well. Once each painting was put in its own envelope and stamped, I grabbed the satchel that Cassidy-Ann had given me at the beginning of the day and carefully ced them inside. I went to her office door and knocked on it until I heard her give me the okay to enter. ¡°I¡¯m about to leave for the post office. Is there anything you need while I¡¯m gone?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind an expresso,¡± she said kindly. ¡°You can take thepany card on your desk.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a head nod. I grabbed the card off my desk and shoved it into my pocket. I didn¡¯t have my car, so I had to walk to the center of town, which was only about a 20-minute walk. The post office wasn¡¯t busy, and thedy at the front counter was very kind. She gave me a sweet smile as I ced the envelopes on the counter. ¡°Ah, I see another shipment of Cassidy-Ann originals,¡± she said with a light chuckle. ¡°How can you tell?¡± I teased. Scanned each envelope into her system and then sent them away to be shipped. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I said before leaving. The next stop was the coffee shop, which wasn¡¯t too far from the coffee shop. I got Cassidy-Ann and her expresso and then I grabbed a small coffee for myself as well. Once I returned, Cassidy thanked me as I sat her expresso on her desk. ¡°You are doing a very nice job, L. I¡¯m so d you are here,¡± she breathed as she took a sip of her coffee. ¡°I really appreciate the opportunity,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that one day I could open my own studio and paint the world as I see it through my eyes.¡± ¡°I hope that for you as well,¡± Cassidy-Ann said with a kind smile. I went back to my desk and continued to do my initial task. Which was invoicing for thest batch of paintings that Cassidy had sent. Once again, I could hear the gossiping of the painters from across the studio and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had anything better to do than sit there and gossip. It was strange that they were asking me about my father. Of course, everybody knew Alpha Bastien and not many knew I was his daughter. I wondered how they even found this information out and why it mattered. ¡°I¡¯m getting a strange feeling,¡± Val said with unease. I could feel her anxieties and it was making me feel unwell. I was also getting a bad feeling. Like something was about to happen that neither of us was going to like. I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out my phone. I had a couple of missed texts from Brianna, just wishing me luck in my new job. Same with my mother. I also had a missed call from Rachel, and I grew nervous wondering what could possibly be wrong. I wanted to call her back, but I didn¡¯t want to get in trouble on my first day of work. I shoved my phone back into my desk drawer and took a deep breath. Maybe that¡¯s all it was. A feeling. That didn¡¯t mean anything bad was going to happen. But then again, I couldn¡¯t help but think about Enzo. I wondered what he was doing at that moment and who he was with. He spent a lot of his time with Connie, and I felt uneasy thinking about it. I shook the thought of my head; I couldn¡¯t let him distract me. Not again. Just as I brushed the thought out of my mind, a couple of those gossiping artists appeared. The same ones that were asking about my father. They were giggling with one another as they stood in front of my desk. ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°We were wondering¡­ because you are Bastien¡¯s daughter, and you are a student at the academy¡­ do you happen to know Alpha Enzo?¡± One of them asked. I stared between the two curious girls and then I was starting to realize why I was getting a bad feeling. ¡°I do,¡± I answered, nodding my head once. They both giggled again. ¡°He¡¯s so hot,¡± the other cooed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can stand being in the same room with him without ripping his clothing off.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my professor,¡± I said quickly, feeling my face warming. ¡°Why do you ask anyways?¡± They looked at one another and then looked at me. ¡°Would you maybe be able to introduce us to him? We want to see if he¡¯d pick one of us for his chosen mate!¡± Chapter 75 Chapter 75 L¡¯s POV ¡°Absolutely not!!!¡± Val growled with fury boiling through her. I had to clutch the desk to keep her tame and not lose control. ¡°We will not be introducing these whores to our mate!!¡± ¡°Maybe he would finally reject us if we did though,¡± I said, trying to reason with her. Yes, it was painful to think about, but this might be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this was the push Enzo needed to finally reject us and let us live our lives without the burden of being his mate. My stomach was in aplete knot as I stared around at the eager faces that stared back at me. They were waiting for an answer and Val wasn¡¯t letting me say anything to them. ¡°We know he¡¯s unmated because he hasn¡¯t found his mate yet. We heard through a grapevine that he¡¯s on the market for a chosen mate,¡± one of the chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that famous singer Bethany is staying with him, trying to get him to choose her. She has a better chance than anybody, but we would also like a shot.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing. They were all treating him like he was some kind of essory. ¡°So, what do you say? Will you introduce us?¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but then Cassidy-Ann¡¯s office door swung open, and she walked out. ¡°We are having an art show on Saturday. I need all of you there to help with the event. Especially you, L. I need you there early.¡± I was d to have the distraction and way out of this conversation. ¡°Absolutely,¡± I assured her. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. I nced at the other girls who nodded as well before turning back to me with pleading eyes. It didn¡¯t look like I was getting out of his conversation anytime soon. ¡°I¡¯ll invite him to the art show,¡± I said with a shrug, much to Val¡¯s dismay. ¡°And then I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± They both pped happily with excitement. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Thank you so much!¡± They both said at the same time. I didn¡¯t want Enzo as my mate¡­ so why was I feeling so badly about this? I swallowed therge lump that had formed in my throat and continued to work. Now I just needed to see if Enzo wanted toe to an art show. My only hope was that he would say no. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Everybody was working hard in ss this morning, especially L who seemed like she was throwing punches at me to throw off some steam. I agreed to be her partner for the remainder of the school year, and she was certainly putting the use of my strength and using her full strength to the best of her abilities. She had beads of sweat dripping down the nape of her neck as she threw punches and kicks in my direction. L was incredibly strong and talented, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel some sort of way about her because of that. But I brushed those feelings off and shoved them into the pit of my stomach. I wasn¡¯t going to let this girl weaken me, regardless of who it was. ¡°Any word on Rachel?¡± I found myself asking; I¡¯m not sure why I cared, but I haven¡¯t been to the hospital in thest few days, and I was a little worried. ¡°I went to see herst night,¡± L said as she spun around and kicked me with her foot. I grabbed her foot with one hand with ease and gave her a crooked smirk. Her face seemed to have reddened slightly as she stared at me. ¡°And?¡± I urged her to continue. ¡°And she¡¯s fine,¡± she said, pulling her leg out of my grip. ¡°I¡¯ll probably go backter though. Just in case¡± I understoodpletely and nodded. Before I had a chance to say anything, L stared up at me through hershes. ¡°You shoulde to the art show on Saturday. I¡¯m going early to help Cassidy-Ann set up,¡± she said. There was something about her tone that was strange, and it didn¡¯t sit right with him. I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to go to some art show, but I hadn¡¯t spent nearly enough time with L thesest few days and even though we weren¡¯t a couple, she was still my mate and I felt obligated to do as she pleaded. So, I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± She gasped. ¡°You want toe?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer and then nodded. ¡°Okay, great,¡± she said, however, there was still some uncertainty in her voice. ¡°Something seems to be wrong with our mate¡­¡± Max pointed out. ¡°She seems off¡­¡± ¡°She always seems off¡­¡± I said in return. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be concerned about.¡± ¡°But she seems more off than usual,¡± Max said with dismay in his tone. ¡°I¡¯m worried and you should be too.¡± I shook my head of the thought and continued to practice with the rest of the students. ¡­ The day of the art show arrived quickly. I wore a button-down shirt and a pair of nice work pants. I didn¡¯t often like dressing up, but I figured this was an event I needed to dress up for. ¡°Admit that you want to impress L you buffoon,¡± my wolfughed. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him. The art gallery was packed with different people by the time I arrived. I could smell L¡¯s scent from across the room and it was making my mouth water. I thought about our moment at the Nova pack and my member shifted in my pants. I wanted to have another moment like that with her, but I knew it would be better if that didn¡¯t happen again. I shook my head of the thought and went to find L who was speaking to Miss Cassidy-Ann and a small crowd of people. L¡¯s eyes finally found their way to me, and she frowned. It almost seemed like the color had drained from her facepletely when she saw me. I was confused by this reaction. After all, she did invite me. That¡¯s when I noticed who was beside her, talking her ear off. It was Brody. She must have invited him too. I was furious, but I wasn¡¯t going to let her see that. Instead, I straightened my stance and walked toward her. ¡°Professor,¡± she said with a stered smile. ¡°I¡¯m d you made it.¡± ¡°Thank you for the invitation,¡± I told her in return, trying to ignore Brody¡¯s stares. ¡°I wanted to introduce you to a few people,¡± she said with a lowering tone. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to want to introduce me to anyone; I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about this. But I followed her through a small crowd of people until we reached a couple of decent-looking she-wolves. They both had wide eyes and were shocked to see me standing before them and I wasn¡¯t sure why they looked like they had seen a ghost. They looked at one another and then burst into uncontroble giggles with reddening faces. I narrowed my eyes at them and then rose my brows at L who looked extremely pained. ¡°Enzo¡­ this is Emily and Kate¡­ I work with them at the studio. They¡¯ve been wanting to meet you¡­¡± Realization struck me at that moment. That¡¯s what this was; she didn¡¯t invite me here because she wanted me there. She invited me because she was trying to set me up with different, she-wolves!N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 L¡¯s POV There was a part of me that was hoping that Enzo wouldn¡¯t show up. Emily and Kate were especially happy to meet him when I told them he agreed toe. We spent most of the morning setting up the gallery for the show. The caterers arrived just in time to set up their stations for food and drinks and per request, Brody arrived with his guitar. After talking with Brody over time, I discovered that he was huge into music and that it was a passion of his. I heard him ying in the student lounge and I knew he would be perfect entertainment for the art show. ¡°Where should I set up?¡± He asked, holding up his red velvet guitar case. ¡°I¡¯ll show you,¡± I said, walking toward a secluded area where a few paintings were set up. ¡°You can set up your station however you want,¡± I told him with a kind smile. ¡°Hey, L! Can you help me ce napkins around the tables?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked from across the room. I nodded to her and went to grab the napkins in the back room. As I was in the backroom, rummaging through supplies, I could hear more people entering the gallery and gasping at all the fine art that was set up perfectly for their viewing. It was only a small event with a few tables for eating, so I didn¡¯t need that many napkins. I grabbed a handful and started to make my way out of the backroom when I felt his presence. Val perked up right away, wiggling with excitement. My heart was beating quickly as I pressed my hand against the door. It was like I could feel his presence as if he was in the same room as me. I pushed open the door and went to ce the napkins on the table. ¡°L, when you are donee here for a moment. I¡¯d like you to meet some people,¡± Cassidy-Ann called over to me. I nodded my head once, trying to bring it back to the present moment. I had to try to get Enzo out of my mind. It was hard though, knowing he was approaching. Categories Search¡­ The feeling of his presence grew stronger; this was apletely new feeling for me. I finished cing the napkins on the table and joined her with a group of others who were all wearing fancy clothing. ¡°L, I wanted to introduce you to Leroy Klein, the founding leader of the International School of Art for Shifters.¡± I almost gasped, staring up at the man that could make it possible to pursue my dreams. The International School of Art for Shifters was on the other side of the basically, in Monstro, the secondrgest town that upies a bunch of packs just like Elysium. Of course, Elysium is the biggest town in the world and upies the most packs. But Monstro was always a town that I¡¯ve read about in books and magazines, and I¡¯ve always dreamt of visiting. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s the most beautiful town to ever exist. Not to mention the weather was always gorgeous there and almost everybody lived on the beach. The International School of Art for Shifters is one of the best and biggest colleges. It was always ranked the number one academy in the world. Only the best artists, including Cassidy-Ann, attended that school. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot of great things about you, L. I¡¯m hoping we will get a chance to talkter on?¡± Leroy Klein asked. I couldn¡¯t believe he was standing in front of me right now. I¡¯ve never even imagined that I would get a chance to meet him. ¡°Yes, sir. I would like that very much,¡± I said to him, trying to remain confident. ¡°I was just showing him some of your work,¡± Cassidy-Ann further exined. ¡°He¡¯s quite impressed with you.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°That means a lot to hear.¡± Leroy nodded his head and before he could say anything more, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I froze and looked up at Brody who was staring at me with a kind smile. ¡°Sorry to interrupt. But I can¡¯t seem to find the plug for my guitar,¡± he said a bit sheepishly. ¡°Oh, you might need to move the table that¡¯s over there,¡± I told him. ¡°I believe it¡¯s behind it.¡± He nodded, but just before he removed his hand, his eyes wandered across the crowd and then a frown appeared on his lips. ¡°You invited Professor Enzo?¡± Brody asked, seemingly confused. My heart fell into my stomach. I was so wrapped up in my conversation with Cassidy-Ann and Leroy Klein, that Ipletely forgot about that intense feeling of Enzo¡¯s nearby presence and the impatience of my wolf. I stared across the crowd, and my eyes locked onto Enzo¡¯s. His eyes held mine for a moment before they shifted to Brody and then to Brody¡¯s hand that remained on my shoulder. I saw his eyes darkening; I could tell he wasn¡¯t happy. But why? I stepped away from Brody, allowing his hand to fall from my shoulder and I nced back at Leroy and Cassidy-Ann. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, there¡¯s someone I need to speak with,¡± I told them, bowing my head slightly at Leroy Klein as if he was royalty. Who am I kidding? To me¡­ he was the closest thing to royalty I¡¯ll ever get to meet. ¡°We¡¯ll talk moreter, L,¡± Leroy said, bowing his head to me in return. I couldn¡¯t help the wide smile on my face as I walked past him. I paused when I saw Kate and Emily talking to a small group of people, showing off their paintings and exining their thought processes on their creations. I walked through the crowd of people and grabbed onto Kate¡¯s arm, startling her. ¡°I have to introduce you to someone,¡± I said in a low whisper. She straightened her stance once she realized what I was talking about. She leaned over to Emily and whispered something to her, and they both gave me identical looks. They excused themselves from the crowd and made their way over to Enzo who was standing off to the side and looked kind of awkward in an art gallery by himself. It was obvious he had lost sight of me in the crowd, but when his eyes locked on mine, it was almost like time had slowed down. My breathing became heavy, and I felt my heart beating quickly in my chest. For a moment, it was like we were the only two in the room. For a moment, walking toward him felt perfect. I wondered if this was what it was like when my mother first met my father. I wondered if she could hardly breathe or think straight. I wondered if it was like time slowing down and everything falling into ce like a puzzle. I stared down at his lips, wanting to kiss him repeatedly. I wanted to take him for myself. I wanted him as my mate. Yet, I was about to introduce him to a couple of she-wolves who want him as their chosen mates. It felt like my stomach was being ripped out. ¡°Professor Enzo,¡± I said when we finally met in the center of the gallery. ¡°Thank you foring to the show.¡± He nodded his head, trying to appear professional. He was here as my professor, not my mate. ¡°I wanted to introduce you to a couple of women who work with me at the gallery. This is Emily and Kate,¡± I said, gesturing for them to step beside me. They eagerly stepped closer to him, both giggling and smiling like young schoolgirls. ¡°They¡¯ve been wanting to meet you,¡± I continued, stering that smile on my face that shows I¡¯m not in pain. Enzo narrowed his eyes at them, not saying anything. He soon started to look between all of us; I could see the questions surfacing in his eyes and the pure confusion on his face as he thought about what was happening. Then, the realization fell across his face, and I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach. He knew exactly what I was doing. ¡°Of course, he does,¡± Val chuckled. ¡°Ladies, it was a pleasure to meet you. I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but I should be going,¡± Enzo surprised me by saying. Their excited smiles fell into frowns as they looked at one another. Before I could grasp what was happening, Enzo was already leaving through the front door. I stared after him in shock, unsure of what to do or think. Kate and Emily looked annoyed, folding their arms across their chests. I shook my head and went after him. I stepped outside and saw him walking down the walkway in the distance; it was mainly vacant outside. Only a couple of people were outside for a smoke break and talking amongst one another. I could hear the strings of Brody¡¯s guitar from outside; he was ying beautifully. ¡°Alpha Enzo! Where are you going?¡± I asked as I finally caught up to him. He continued walking. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I bothered toe if you were just going to try and set me up with random, shewolves,¡± Enzo muttered, continuing to walk. I grabbed onto his arm, trying to slow him down. ¡°Then, why did youe here?¡± He paused and nced at me. ¡°For you, L,¡± he said through his teeth. My breathing stopped and I stared up at him inplete shock. ¡°What?¡± I managed to ask. ¡°I came here for you,¡± he repeated, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°Because believe it or not, L. I can¡¯t seem to get you out of my head.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 77 Chapter 77 L¡¯s POV What did he just say? I stared up at him with wide and shocked eyes. I could hardly breathe standing in front of him. We were outside and the air was starting to get brisk. It was growingte in the evening and only the faint lighting of the moon, hidden behind a few clouds, lit up the ground around us. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to get you out of my head,¡± Enzo repeated, keeping his eyes locked on mine. ¡°And that¡¯s a problem.¡± I wanted to say something to him, anything, but no words wereing into my head. I couldn¡¯t believe he was saying such a thing. ¡°Enzo, I¡ª¡± Before I could utter a single word more, he stepped closer to me, closing the small gap that sat between us. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck to hold my head in ce as he paced his forehead against mine. His breathing slowed down to match mine and his eyes shut for a brief moment before he opened them and gazed down at my lips. I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him; I didn¡¯t know what else to say or do. ¡°Ever since I found out you were my mate; you were all I could think about. And that¡¯s a problem, L. It¡¯s a problem because we can¡¯t be together in the way that I want,¡± his voice was low and husky. ¡°As badly as I want to have my way with you, I have to restrain myself. But I¡¯m going fucking crazy. I came here for you, and here you are trying to set me up with randoms¡­ so excuse me while I¡¯d rather do anything else before I stay here for another moment when all I really want to do is rip your clothes off.¡± Categories Search¡­ My breathing grew shaky and when he dropped his hand from the back of my neck, it was like a p in the face. I didn¡¯t want his touch to go away. It was electrifying. I was mesmerized by this Alpha in front of me. I bit onto my bottom lip, chewing on it to keep myself sane, but my lower abdomen was growing warm at the very thought of him. He stepped away from me, leaving me frozen in ce. I knew my face must have beenpletely red because I was growing incredibly warm. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in ss tomorrow,¡± he said, turning away from me. I wanted to run after him as he began disappearing in the shadow region of the vacant streets, but my legs felt like jelly. I finally managed to look back at the art studio. I had to go back in there. Cassidy-Ann and Leroy Klein were both waiting for me. ncing back to the area that Enzo had walked toward, I saw that he was gone. I sighed, feeling slightly disappointed as I turned back and walked back to the studio. Cassidy-Ann was still with her small group of people, including Leroy Klein, when I approached. She gave me a kind smile as she reached her hand out for me to take. ¡°There you are, L. We were just talking about you. I hope everything is okay,¡± Cassidy-Ann said sweetly as I stepped beside her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. I just had to make a phone call,¡± I lied, giving them my best smile. ¡°Mr. Klein was just exining how he has a few new spots open for next year at his academy,¡± CassidyAnn said, ncing over at Leroy who nodded in agreement. ¡°I was just telling him that I was going to be going to Monstro over the summer for the art show he¡¯s holding at the academy. It¡¯s one of the biggest art shows of the year and every famous person will be there.¡± Of course, I¡¯ve heard of Leroy Klein¡¯s art shows. It¡¯s only ever been a dream to attend one of those shows. Anybody who is anybody attends it. I wasn¡¯t surprised that Cassidy-Ann would be attending such a show as well. ¡°As my assistant, I would want you to attend it with me,¡± she told me with a smile. Was she serious? She wants me to travel to Monstro and attend the most famous art show to ever exist? I could practically scream at her words. I couldn¡¯t believe what was happening right now. ¡°We would be gone for the entire summer¡­so a couple of months,¡± she continued. At that point, my heart fell back into my stomach. I had a disappointed feeling knotting inside of me and I felt Val¡¯s head lowering. We would be gone for so long¡­ That was two months away from Enzo. Val would never be okay with that. I couldn¡¯t just leave without talking to him about it first. ¡°Bring your portfolio once you get down there. I¡¯ll take a look at it and if the board agrees, you might be getting an eptance letter for next year,¡± Leroy added, giving me a wink in the process. My eyes widened at his words and my shock must have been evident on my face because Cassie-Ann chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s a yes?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°I¡­I have to think about it,¡± I managed to say. They both looked at one another with frowns before looking back at me. ¡°It¡¯s only for a couple of months, L. Plus, this will really benefit your career. You would be foolish to not go,¡± Cassie-Ann said, raising her brows. ¡°If you need to think about it, please, take the time to do so. But this spot won¡¯t be open forever.¡± ¡°We can hold it just as long as you agree toe to the school to check it out,¡± Leroy chimed in. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree to it soon, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to give the opportunity to another student.¡± My heart fell into my stomach; I knew I couldn¡¯t keep them waiting forever. ¡°They will need amitment before they hold the spot,¡± Cassie-Ann exined. ¡°So, the sooner you N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. give me the okay, the better.¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡± I told them, looking at them both. ¡°I¡¯ll give an answer tomorrow. I just need to talk to some people first.¡± ¡°I was nning on booking the flights tomorrow,¡± Cassie-Ann said with a concerned frown. ¡°I¡¯d like to get that done sooner rather thanter. So, you have until two o¡¯clock tomorrow to give me an answer. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said quickly, giving them a polite bow of my head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an answer by two o¡¯clock tomorrow. Thank you for understanding and thank you so much for this opportunity.¡± ¡°I hope you can make the right choice,¡± Leroy said, eyeing my face with his small and dark eyes. ¡°This type of opportunity doesn¡¯t appear frequently. You might not see it again.¡± He turned on that note and went to mingle with a few others he had spotted. Cassidy-Ann remained behind. She had her arms folded across her chest and she was staring at me with such intensity I thought I was going to melt. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you need to think about something like this. You¡¯ve worked for me for a week, and you¡¯ve always been the type to jump at any given opportunity. At least, I thought you were.¡± ¡°I am,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I promise, once I make a final decision, I will let you know. But I have a lot of family and friends I need to speak with first.¡± ¡°This is your life, not theirs. This isn¡¯t their decision to make,¡± she said, still assessing my face carefully. ¡°Unless¡­¡± she paused for a moment before her eyes widened. ¡°Unless it¡¯s a boy.¡± ¡°What?¡± I nearlyughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I would never allow a guy to dictate such an important decision in my life. I honestly mean it when I say I need to speak with my friends and family. I hope you can respect that.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Cassidy-Ann said with a stered smile. ¡°I respect that very much. I need to mingle with some others. Please answer anyone¡¯s questions if they may have some. Try to make some sales if you can.¡± ¡°Yes, mam,¡± I said, turning away and going toward a more secluded area so I could pull out my cell phone really quickly. I instantly started to call Enzo; I wasn¡¯t sure why, but I knew I needed to talk to him. ¡°Hello, this is Professor Enzo¡¯s phone¡­¡± For the hundredth time this evening, my heart fell into my stomach, and I felt a tight knot forming. This might have been Enzo¡¯s phone, but it certainly wasn¡¯t Enzo who answered. It sounded like Connie. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°You went to the art show, Enzo?¡± Connie nearly hissed, stepping in front of me as I sat on the couch in my living room. ¡°What are you even still doing here, Connie?¡± I muttered, kicking off my shoes. ¡°Didn¡¯t your contract end a week ago?¡± She pouted, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°But I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go. I¡¯m in between jobs and my next contract doesn¡¯t start for another couple of weeks.¡± ¡°So, why can¡¯t you stay elsewhere?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone on this part of the continent,¡± Connie said, shaking her head. ¡°You are my only friend in town, and I¡¯d like to stay close to you. Is that such a crime?¡± ¡°Are you going to be a pest the entire time?¡± I asked, but I meant it almost teasingly despite how dry my tone was. Connie could see through my humor right away though and rolled her eyes as she sat beside me. ¡°You are trying to avoid the conversation,¡± Connie pointed out, reminding me just how well she knew me. ¡°You went to the art show.¡± This time, it wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°I was invited,¡± I said in return, loosening my tie. ¡°It would be rude to say no.¡± ¡°Why do you keep showing up for her like this? What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my student,¡± I said to her through gritted teeth. ¡°I went there to be supportive. Besides, I¡¯m her recent painting so it would have been weird if I didn¡¯t show up.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°You still never exined to me why you would let her paint you. You never let anyone do anything like that with you before,¡± Connie said, raising her brows. ¡°Then that one time she showed up here. It was like she¡¯s done it before. There¡¯s something weird going on with you and I¡¯d wish you¡¯d tell me the truth.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no truth to tell you. I went to the art show and then I came back. I was only there for a few minutes anyways,¡± I exined. ¡°Plus, none of this is your business.¡± ¡°You are my closest friend, Enzo¡­ we grew up together. I know when you are hiding something from me. I need to know what it is before I lose my mind. I don¡¯t like that we are keeping secrets from each other and¡ª¡± ¡°She¡¯s my mate.¡± ¡°What?¡± Connie gasped, staring at me. Connie was right, I didn¡¯t want to keep a secret like this from her. She needed to know the truth or else she would never drop it. ¡°L is my fated mate. We found out after she got her wolf,¡± I exined, shaking my head at the memory. ¡°Neither of us has really talked about it. We¡¯ve been avoiding it¡­¡± ¡°Your mate?¡± Connie asked in a small voice. I could see the sh of hurt in her eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± I confirmed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t something I asked for. I would have preferred if she wasn¡¯t my mate¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s a Vna¡­¡± Connie said, gazing up at me. ¡°Being mated to her could prove to be dangerous. Your father¡¯s men will use her to get to you, just like they did with your mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± I said, shaking my head again. ¡°Not to mention if the school board found out, she could get transferred to a different school. That¡¯s not something I¡¯m wanting to risk.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been your mate this whole time and you are now just telling me?¡± Connie asked tears filling her eyes. ¡°How could you keep something this huge from me?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not particrly proud of it, Connie,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to figure out what it all means. But for right now, all I can do is try to keep my distance.¡± ¡°Then no more showing up for her like this,¡± Connie said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°if you are serious about keeping your distance, then try to stay away from her outside of ss. It¡¯s for her own good.¡± I knew she was right. I didn¡¯t wish to have this conversation with her anymore and dismissed myself to the bathroom. Nothing a hot shower couldn¡¯t fix. I allowed the steaming hot water to rx my sore muscles and I brushed the thought of L out of my mind. I couldn¡¯t believe what I had said to her. I openly admitted to her that I had feelings for her, and it was only going to put her in more danger. Connie was right though; I needed to try and stay away from her. It was for her own good. Once I got out of the shower, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist. I grabbed my pants off the ground and rummaged through the pockets to find my phone, to no prevail. I realized I must have left it in the living room with Connie. As I opened the bathroom door, I heard her voice. ¡°Hello? This is Professor Enzo¡¯s phone.¡± I rushed from the bathroom, down the narrow halls, and into the living room where she was frowning with my phone against her ear. ¡°Connie, give me the phone!¡± I scolded her as I reached toward her. Connie looked at the screen and then handed me the phone. ¡°It said L on the screen,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°But she hung up.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I should have known that Enzo would be with Connie tonight. My heart was so heavy that it was painful. I allowed my phone to fall from my ears as I clicked the ¡°end call¡± button. It was probably better this way. Maybe Enzo didn¡¯t need to know about this whole thing, going to Monro for a month. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t even care. I turned off my phone right away and shoved it into my pocket. I¡¯m not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn¡¯t going to let him ruin the rest of my night. I finished with thest of the show, selling numerous pieces of art and mingling with many different wolves. I thanked everybody foring before they left. Once Leroy Klein was ready to leave, he gave me a head nod. ¡°I hope to hear from you soon, L,¡± he said, giving me another wink as he left. ¡­ Nights in my dorm were beginning to get lonely. Rachel was still at the hospital with Ryan. It¡¯s been a couple of weeks since the fire at Ryan¡¯s parent¡¯s house and he still hasn¡¯t woken from hisa. Rachel has been staying at the hospital with him until she knows for certain that he¡¯s going to recover. I woke up in the morning feeling a headache brewing in my temple. I thought about Connie¡¯s voice on the other end of Enzo¡¯s phone, and I instantly started to feel sick to my stomach. I had to see Enzo during the shifting andbat course this morning and considering he was not only the professor, but my partner, it was going to be difficult to avoid him. Maybe I didn¡¯t want to avoid him. Before I could think any more of it, as soon as I finished getting dressed, I heard my cell phone ringing. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°L, it¡¯s Mrs. Laurence. Can youe to the school board office before your first ss? It¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Sure, Mrs. Laurence,¡± I said, but then hesitated for a moment. ¡°Am I in trouble?¡± ¡°No, you are not in trouble. But we might have a small situation.¡± I didn¡¯t like the sound of that; I said my goodbyes as I hung up the phone. I didn¡¯t waste any more time; I only had 30 minutes before my first ss. I wasn¡¯t even going to have time to run to the cafeteria for a banana smoothie before ss. As I entered the school board office, I paused, startled, when I saw Sarah sitting cross-legged in one of the chairs. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She had a smirk on her face when she saw me, and I knew this wasn¡¯t going to be good. ¡°Thank you for joining us, L. Sarah had brought up the idea of her running the studentmittee considering she has leadership experience. We were thinking maybe we could have an election?¡± Chapter 79 Chapter 79 L¡¯s POV ¡°An election? This studentmittee was my idea,¡± I said, staring between all the school board¡¯s faces until my eyesnded on Sarah who stared at me with a smug grin. I could tell that her intentions weren¡¯t pure, and my stomach was forming into a tight knot. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s a studentmittee. Meaning we need to give all students a chance to¡ª¡± ¡°Take my role as the leader?¡± I interrupted; they all looked startled by my stubbornness. I wasn¡¯t typically a stubborn person like this, but I was honestly hurt that it was this easy for them to just rece me. Sarah folded her arms across her chest. ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of wrongs while I¡¯ve been at this school. This gives me the chance to do something good for once,¡± she said, eyeing me carefully. That smug look was still in her eyes though. She was pulling their strings. She didn¡¯t care about this committee; she just didn¡¯t want me to have it. ¡°If I lose, where does that leave me?¡± ¡°Worried you¡¯ll lose?¡± Sarah asked, a grin appearing on her lips. ¡°No, of course not,¡± I said in return. ¡°But if I did¡­ what would happen?¡± ¡°You can be a regr member, L,¡± Mrs. Laurence said with a kind smile. ¡°Nobody is trying to take the committee away from you. But every student should have the opportunity to be a leader if they wish. That way we are ying fair for all students. I¡¯m creating a signup form in the morning and anyone who wants to take part in the election can feel free to do so.¡± I stared at her in disbelief. I was not expecting this. I nced over at Sarah once more before sighing in defeat. There was nothing I was going to be able to do or say to get out of this. I was going to have to partake in an election and risk losing themittee. ¡°Okay,¡± I finally said. ¡°We will have an election.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Great,¡± Mrs. Laurence said. ¡°You may leave now. That¡¯s all we needed from you, L. Thank you for your cooperation.¡± ¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you can do?¡± I asked into the phone as I sprawled out on my bed. My heart felt heavy, and I didn¡¯t have enough strength to sit up. I hung over my bed. clutching my cell phone firmly in my grip, waiting for my father to say something. Anything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, L Bean. But you know it goes above my head. The school board is in charge of the school. What they say goes.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s them saying anything¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s probably her father doing this.¡± ¡°Even so, it¡¯s out of my hands. But even if I did have a say, I kind of agree with the board that you should have a fair election.¡± ¡°But themittee was my idea,¡± I reminded him. ¡°This isn¡¯t the L that we raised,¡± my father said, his disappointed tone full in effect which made me feel even guiltier. ¡°We raised someone who gives fair chances to those around her. Someone who doesn¡¯t back down from a fight, but it kind when needed. Regardless of who it is, you treat everybody equally. Do you think the role of leader fell into myp? I had to work hard to get to where I am today.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°L, is everything okay with you?¡± My father asked concern was now tracing his tone. ¡°You¡¯ve been seeming a little offtely and your mother and I have been worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I lied, but I said that a little too quickly. He was quiet for a moment, assessing my tone no doubt. ¡°You know you can always talk to us about anything, regardless of what it may be,¡± my father said. ¡°Even boy issues.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± I said, my face warmed. I could only imagine how red I looked. ¡°I¡¯m fine, honestly. I¡¯m just a little stressed. Cassidy-Ann wants me to go to Monstro with her over the summer and I need to give her an answer as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Monstro?¡± My father asked. ¡°That¡¯s quite far. That¡¯s on the other side of the world. What would you be doing there?¡± ¡°She has an art signing at the International School of Art for Shifters,¡± I exined. ¡°And a couple of conferences she needs to attend. She was nning on staying there for a couple of months and she wants me to go with her. I met Leroy Klein, and they want to give me a tour of the school to see if I¡¯d like it and¡ª¡± ¡°Leroy Klein?¡± My father gasped. ¡°You met him? And he wants you to attend his school?¡± ¡°He was at our recent art show,¡± I further exined. ¡°He likes my work and wants me to bring my portfolio with me to his school. I¡¯m not sure I want to attend a school that far away though¡­¡± ¡°L, that school would be an incredible opportunity for you and your career,¡± my father said, amazed in his tone. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you. When did you find all this out? Why are you just telling me now? Did your mother know?¡± ¡°Nobody knows,¡± I told him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how to bring it up. I told her I needed time to talk to my family and friends before I make a decision.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you what to do, but getting into that school has always been somewhat of a challenge. If you had the opportunity, I wouldn¡¯t turn it down. But again, this is your life, and you can make your own decisions. I at least think you should go over the summer and see what it¡¯s all about.¡± ¡°You and Mom would be okay if I left?¡± I asked; I wasn¡¯t sure if that made me feel better or worse. ¡°We would miss you terribly, but we would understand that it¡¯s something you have to do to better your future. We only want what¡¯s best for you.¡± My heart was warmed by his statement. ¡°Thank you, Dad,¡± I said. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll tell her that I¡¯ll go with her this summer and go from there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± my dad said in return; I could tell he was smiling warmly on the other end of the phone. Now, I just needed to figure out how I was going to tell Enzo I was leaving for a couple of months. Would he even care? ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter, L Bean. I love you.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I love you too,¡± I said, as I hung up. ¡­ Third Person POV Selene stood off in the distance as she watched Bastien talk with their daughter. Once he hung up the phone, he had a look on his face that she couldn¡¯t distinguish. ¡°Did she say anything?¡± Selene asked. ¡°Only that she¡¯s going to Monstro for a couple of months during the summer. She might get the opportunity to attend that famous school,¡± Bastien said with wonder in his tone. ¡°She never ceases to amaze me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Selene gasped. ¡°How did thate about?¡± ¡°Apparently, she met Leroy Klein, the founder of the International School of Art for Shifters, and he was impressed by her. He wants her to bring him her portfolio. Her boss, Cassidy-Ann, was already going to Monro for a conference over the summer and invited L to go with her. If Leroy Klein is impressed with her portfolio, then she might be able to get admission.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± Selene cooed. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for her¡­¡± Selene¡¯s voice trailed off and Bastien knew exactly what she was thinking. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything about it¡­¡± Bastien said, eyeing her carefully. ¡°Are you sure they are mates?¡± ¡°I know my daughter,¡± Selene said, gazing up at him. ¡°I know how she¡¯s feeling. I see the way she looks at him and you can¡¯t tell me he¡¯s not aiming to protect her. I can see the way he looks at her as well¡­ It¡¯s clear to me that Enzo is L¡¯s fated mate.¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Today, I¡¯ll be teaching you how to shift in the air,¡± I announced to the ss of students. ¡°It¡¯s all in the legs. We kick off from the ground and then begin the shift right when the legs are being pushed off the ground.¡± I demonstrated with ease, and I was met with apuse. ¡°This is used mainly for sneak attacks. I want you to try and sneak attack your partners. Trade-off each round.¡± Everyone went with their partners to a different section of the arena for some space. L stood in the distance, waiting for me because I¡¯m her partner. We hadn¡¯t spoken since my confession at the art show, and I was hoping we wouldn¡¯t have to talk about this again. It was a moment of weakness on my part, and it wasn¡¯t something I was going to allow to happen again. Connie was right the other day when she said I needed to stay away from L. It was for her own good. But her tight yoga pants and a tank top that she wore, hugged her body and fit around her every curve so perfectly that I found it hard to resist her. Plus, I promised I¡¯d be her partner for the remainder of this semester because I¡¯m the only one who could handle any power overload she may have. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my back turned, you can attack me,¡± I said to her, turning my back toward her. I could tell she was gazing at me and frowning, but I wasn¡¯t going to give in to her wishes. I had to brush the thought of her out of my mind. Before I could think anymore, I felt the weight of her wolf pushing me to the ground. It caught me off guard and I fell to the ground quickly. Categories Search¡­ I turned around to face her wolf and saw her pure white wolf snarling at me. She pressed her paws to my chest and kept me pinned. I felt the warmth of her wolf¡¯s breath on my skin, causing goosebumps to form on my flesh. I was so surprised by her that it took me a moment to register what had just happened. Then, I saw the humor in her odd eyes as she shifted back into her human form. She chuckled. ¡°Did I scare you?¡± She asked between a fit of giggles. ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head as I stood to my feet. ¡°You just caught me off guard.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± She asked, rolling her eyes but the humor never left her face. ¡°Then I guess we should do that again then.¡± ¡°I guess we should,¡± I said in return. This time, I wasn¡¯t going to let her catch me off guard. I rose one brow up at her and gave her a smirk as I turned my back toward her. I counted each step she took; she was taking her time, tiptoeing around me almost. I could hear her light breathing and the chewing on her bottom lip as she contemted her next move. Soon, I sensed her leaping and shifting. I quickly turned my body to face her wolf just as she pushed me to the ground. I would be honest, I was trying to counterattack, but she was able to get to me first. I didn¡¯t fight her as I went down though. Her wolf was back to breathing heavily in my face. I saw the humor in her eyes just as she shifted back into her human form. She wasughing. ¡°I got you again, Professor,¡± sheughed as she got off me. I sat up, gazing up at her. ¡°It appears you did,¡± I said in return. ¡°You are getting quite good.¡± ¡°I guess I have you to thank for that,¡± she said, a faint smile ying on her lips. The ss was almost over, and students were starting to get their things ready for leave for their next sses. L took her time collecting her own things and soon, it was only the two of us left in theN?velDrama.Org content. arena. I wondered if she had nned it this way. ¡°Can we talk for a minute?¡± L asked, stepping toward me as I grabbed my own belongings. I frowned down at her; thest thing I wanted to talk about was my confession to her. I wasn¡¯t sure how to exin myself or how to get out of this. But I didn¡¯t have to. Connie had opened the doors to the arena and ran inside before I could utter a single word. It took L by surprise as well and I couldn¡¯t mistake the disappointed look on her face upon seeing Connie. ¡°Enzo, you promised you¡¯d take me to lunch this afternoon,¡± Connie said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°What¡¯s keeping you?¡± She was only saying this to get me away from L. I never agreed to such a thing. But I didn¡¯t argue with her. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute,¡± I said, grabbing the rest of my stuff. ¡°Hurry!¡± She huffed. ¡°We¡¯ll just talk another time,¡± L breathed sadly as she grabbed her stuff and ran out of the arena. Connie rose her brows and stared directly at me. ¡°That didn¡¯t look like you were avoiding her,¡± Connie muttered. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I was walking by.¡± ¡°ss just ended and she¡¯s my student,¡± I said, shaking my head at her. ¡°It¡¯s unavoidable.¡± ¡°Staying with her after ss is avoidable though,¡± Connie said in return. ¡°Not if she has a question about her lessons.¡± ¡°I doubt it was her lessons she wanted to talk about,¡± Connie said, her frown deepening. ¡°I was serious though. I¡¯m hungry; take me to lunch.¡± ¡°Fine, give me a second,¡± I said just as my phone started to ring. I looked at the screen when I saw Bastien¡¯s name. ¡°Hello?¡± I said into the phone. ¡°Hey, Alpha Enzo. How are you doing?¡± Bastien asked. ¡°I¡¯m well,¡± I said in return. I didn¡¯t forget about ourst conversation when he asked me to take care of his daughter if anything were to happen to him. The conversation felt weird to me, and I wasn¡¯t sure what he was trying to say. But I agreed with his request anyways. We haven¡¯t talked about it since, and I didn¡¯t really care to talk anymore about it. The less I talked to Bastien about L the better. I don¡¯t need him to be suspicious of anything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, I was hoping to catch you after ss,¡± Bastien said. ¡°But I wanted to talk to you about L.¡± Of course, he did. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± I asked, trying to keep my tone even. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard by now that L is going away for a few months during the summer,¡± Bastien began. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. This was the first time I¡¯ve heard of this. What did he mean? ¡°No,¡± I answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear a thing about that. Where is she going?¡± ¡°Oh, I assumed she would have told you¡­¡± Bastien said, almost hesitantly now. ¡°She¡¯s going to Monro. She has the opportunity to actually attend that school if the founder likes her portfolio. But I guess Cassidy-Ann is going there for a conference and invited L to go along with her.¡± I could feel my blood beginning to boil. When did L find this out? Was she nning on telling me at all? ¡°But I¡¯m calling because I want you to go with her and protect her while she¡¯s there.¡± Chapter 81 Chapter 81 L¡¯s POV ¡°So, you are going to go away all summer?¡± Ba asked withrge eyes as we sat in the student lounge. ¡°Yes, I think so,¡± I answered with a head nod. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good opportunity for me. Plus, my parent¡¯s think it¡¯ll be a good idea.¡± ¡°What am I going to do all summer without you?¡± Ba pouted. ¡°Rachel will probably spend the summer at the hospital with Ryan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure something out,¡± I chuckled, but then I frowned once I thought about Rachel. ¡°Any word on how Ryan is?¡± I asked, peering over at her. She frowned as well and shook her head. ¡°None yet,¡± she said. ¡°But they are thinking about getting Rachel admitted into a rehab facility. They want to bring her back to the one she was in a few years ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± I gasped, my heart falling into my stomach. ¡°I had no idea she was even in rehab before. But they say she went to some ce in Elysium,¡± Ba said, thinking more about it. ¡°They want to send her back. I don¡¯t think the doctors talked to her about it though.¡± My heart was racing against my chest. They couldn¡¯t send her back. She nearly died thest time she was there. I still felt sick after learning what happened to her at the facility in the ce I love so much. ¡°I should go and see her,¡± I said, standing up. ¡°It¡¯s been a few days since I saw her and I would like to talk to her about my leaving as well.¡± ¡°I cane with you,¡± Ba said, standing to her feet as well. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, giving her a kind smile. ¡°I¡¯d like to go myself.¡± Ba nodded and sat back down. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here if you need anything.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said in return, giving her a wave. Once I was outside, I took in the fresh air. This might be a good idea to let Val loose and run to the Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. hospital in my wolf form. She¡¯s been itching to stretch her legs and do something other than y fight with Enzo. My face warmed at the thought of Enzo. I was trying to stay after ss so I can talk to him about this Monro trip. I wanted to get his honest opinion on if he thinks I should go or not. But by the time I worked up enough courage to bring it up, Connie came into the room and interrupted us. My heart ached at the thought of Connie and Enzo together. They¡¯ve known each other for a long time apparently so it would make sense that he likes her. But I couldn¡¯t get his words the other day out of my mind. He confessed to me that he couldn¡¯t get me off his mind and that made my heart flutter. But since then, he¡¯s been avoiding me and hanging out with Connie so much. I just didn¡¯t understand what kind of game he was ying with me. ¡°He¡¯s not ying games, goofball,¡± Val chuckled as we ran through the campus grounds and toward the woond forest. ¡°He¡¯s our mate and he wants us to be happy. He would never do anything to intentionally hurt us.¡± ¡°Then, why are we so hurt?¡± ¡°Because hasn¡¯t imed us,¡± she said, her voice cracking slightly. ¡°It¡¯s admittedly a little discouraging. I know his wolf wants to im us very badly, but Enzo isn¡¯t letting him. He¡¯s pulling away for some reason.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for the best,¡± I said in return. ¡°He¡¯s not the mate that I¡¯ve always dreamt of¡­he¡¯s not romantic and he doesn¡¯t want a mate anyways. I think we are just wasting our time.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a risk worth taking,¡± she said kindly. ¡°I need you to trust me, L.¡± ¡°Of course, I trust you,¡± I said in return. The hospital came into the distance, and I ran even faster in my wolf form. It felt so freeing to be able to run as fast as I could and have all my senses incredibly heightened. It was getting darker so as we broke through the clearing of the forest, the streetlights began to turn on and light up our pathway. I stared up at the moon that was only a few days away from being full. I could already feel the strength the moon brings to me. The light was illuminating and shining it¡¯s rays in my direction, warming my wolf¡¯s pearly white fur. I felt like the moon was soaking this incredible power into me and making me stronger by the moment. I continued to run until I was at the entrance of the hospital. I shifted into my human form and threw some clothes on that I kept tucked away for when I shift. Once I was fully dressed, I went into the hospital and toward the receptionist. ¡°Good evening, L. Visiting hours will be over an hour,¡± she said with a kind smile. ¡°I won¡¯t stay long,¡± I assured her. ¡°I just wanted to check up on Rachel and see if she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Sure, of course,¡± the receptionist said, but there was a worried twang in her tone as she nced at her computer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they told you, but they are transferring her to a new facility tomorrow morning. That way there are no more instances where she might end up hurting herself again.¡± ¡°Do you know where they are trying to move her to?¡± I asked, leaning toward the front desk with a worried frown. She continued to look at theputer, analyzing it for a moment. ¡°It looks like a ce in Elysium. It¡¯s supposed to be one of the best facilities and it¡¯s the closest one in the area.¡± My heart sank into my stomach. ¡°Have they told her yet?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± the receptionist said, shaking her head. ¡°They are afraid she will refuse them. They are going to sedate her and then move her there in the morning.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t just do that against her will,¡± I argued. ¡°When she tries to take her own life, they can,¡± she said in return. ¡°She¡¯s a danger to herself and possibly others. We know she¡¯s had a drug problem in the past and¡ª¡° ¡°Which she already got help for,¡± I argued. ¡°She¡¯s clean¡ª¡± ¡°But she rpsed, L,¡± the receptionist said in a calm tone. ¡°Which means she¡¯s no longer clean. This could be a huge problem for her, and it could be fatal. It will be fatal if she doesn¡¯t get the help she needs.¡± ¡°I can make sure she stays clean.¡± ¡°I know you want to help your friend and keep her close by, but this is what¡¯s best for her. This would help her greatly. Also, L, you can¡¯t save everybody. But you can be there to help her through this,¡± the receptionist said. ¡°Can¡¯t she go somece else?¡± I asked, feeling defeated. I couldn¡¯t let Rachel go back to that awful facility. They took so much from her and nearly killed her the last time she was there. But would the receptionist believe me if I told her this? That ce has a great reputation and good reviews from former addicts who went to this facility. However, those reviews were all from those in the wolf poption. It was mainly a wolf facility. But the way they treat other species isn¡¯t right. ¡°I¡¯m afraid all other facilities are filled and that¡¯s the closest one in the area. It¡¯s a very good one and she¡¯s been there before it won¡¯t be hard for her to get used to.¡± I needed to speak to my father, but I also had to make sure that they didn¡¯t take Rachel away. ¡°Thank you for letting me know,¡± I said, giving her my best smile. ¡°Would it be okay if I saw her now?¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± the receptionist said. ¡°But please keep this conversation to yourself. As I said, they don¡¯t want her to know just yet.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say anything,¡± I said as I headed toward Rachel¡¯s room. Rachel was awake when I got there, which was a relief because she was alert. I grabbed some of Rachel¡¯s clothing and started shoving it into her bag that was thrown across the room. Rachel sits up, frowning. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°We need to get you out of here,¡± I said, my heart racing against my chest. ¡°They want to send you back to the facility in Elysium.¡± Rachel gasped loudly as she scrambled to take her IVs out. ¡°They can¡¯t do that against my will!¡± She cried, a little too loudly. I shushed her as I continued to pack her things. ¡°They can because you tried to take your own life, Rachel,¡± I said, shaking my head at her. ¡°They want to protect you and Ipletely agree with them. But I won¡¯t let them send you back to that specific facility. I¡¯m going to speak to my father about it, but I need to make sure they don¡¯t take you anywhere in the meantime. So, for right now, I¡¯m breaking you out of here.¡± Chapter 82 Chapter 82 L¡¯s POV My heart was racing in my chest because of the amount of adrenaline rushing through my veins. I had never done anything like this before but here I was, breaking somebody out of the hospital. ¡°I can¡¯t leave without knowing if Ryan is going to make it or not,¡± Rachel said, sliding out of bed. I could hear the hurt in her voice, and it made me feel sad for her. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you updated,¡± I promised her. ¡°But for right now, I need to get you out of here. I¡¯m going to call my dad when we are on the road. I won¡¯t let them take you away to that awful ce. You almost died thest time you were there. They should be investigated and shut down.¡± I still couldn¡¯t believe a facility in a ce that I love could be so cruel to other species. I had no idea those with dark hearts could linger in Elysium. It was always such a loving ce. Or maybe I have just been too blind to see what was in front of my face the whole time. I zipped her back and threw it over my shoulder as I made my way to her. ¡°Do you think you can climb out the window?¡± I asked. She rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course, I can¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it since grade school.¡± I stifled a loudugh as I opened her window. We were on the second floor, so it was a bit of way down. But there were ledges on each window that seemed fairly reachable. However, making sure nobody saw us was going to be hard. ¡°Use your power to attract the moonlight!¡± Val eximed. ¡°It can blind their view of anything happening outside.¡± That was a great idea! ¡°Come on,¡± I said, as I slid out the window and nced up at therge moon that sat overhead. The rays of the moon intensified to a point where even I was having trouble seeing. I pulled the rays in the direction of each window, ensuring that nobody could see outside. Categories Search¡­ I could almost hear the gasps when they saw the bright light appearing out their windows. Rachel didn¡¯t seem to notice the brightness though. She seemed to be in a small daze. This was the first time she¡¯d been walking around in days, and I knew it was going to take a lot to get her out. I slid back into her room just as she finished getting dressed. ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked, eyeing her carefully. She nodded but she looked uncertain. ¡°I feel bad leaving him here¡­¡± Rachel said in a sigh as she climbed out the window behind me. She held onto the ledge easily and followed my lead as we shimmed our way down to the next window. ¡°They were nning on sedating you and taking you to that awful facility in the morning,¡± I told her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen.¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± Rachel breathed. ¡°I¡¯m d you were here then.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ me too¡­¡± I said, shaking my head at the very thought. ¡°The moon is so bright tonight,¡± Rachel said, squinting up at the move as we continued down the side of the building to each ledge. I had to fight to keep the smirk off my face. Once my feetnded on the ground, I waited for Rachel to jump down as well, then I sent the moon rays away, thanking them for their help. My car was only in the parking lot which wasn¡¯t far from where we were. It was dark enough that we could hide in the shadows until we reach the lot. Now that we were outside, I wasn¡¯t worried about getting caught. Rachel trailed closely behind me, and once we were in the light of the lot, we began running toward my parked car. Then, I heard my name, and Ipletely froze. ¡°L?¡± I paused and looked in the direction of my name and saw Enzo walking toward me. He looked confused for a moment but then his face morphed, and he looked furious. ¡°When were you going to tell me that you were going to Monro?!¡± He snarled. I sucked in a sharp breath. How did he find out about that? I opened my mouth to say something, and he spoke again. ¡°I spoke to your father earlier and¡ª¡± ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± Rachel asked, raising her brows. I almost forgot she was standing behind me. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Why are you out of bed?¡± Enzo asked, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t supposed to leave your room after your incident.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± I said before Rachel had a chance to speak. ¡°I can exin itter, but for right now, we have to go.¡± ¡°Go where?¡± Enzo asked, his brows furrowing together in confusion. ¡°Are you breaking her out of here?¡± There was no way I was going to be able to lie to him. He could see through me easily. So, I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll exinter,¡± I said again, turning away and rushing toward my car. ¡°Get in!¡± Enzo ordered before I could get further away. I froze and turned toward him, he had the backseat of his car open, and he was leaning against it with his arms folded across his chest. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Wherever you are going, you aren¡¯t in the right state of mind. So, I¡¯ll drive. Get in,¡± he said again. I was at a loss for words. I nced over at Rachel who looked back at me and shrugged. Without another word, Rachel ran toward Enzo¡¯s car and slid into the backseat where he shut the door immediately after. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. I frowned at him. ¡°You can sit in the front seat,¡± he said as he turned away and got into the driver¡¯s seat. I felt my face heating again and I had to wait a moment for the redness to leave my features. Once I was sure I was no longer the color of a cherry, I slid into the passenger seat. ¡°Where are we going?¡± He asked, peering over at me. ¡°The Nova Packhouse,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m bringing her to my father.¡± ¡°That¡¯s over an hour away,¡± Enzo said, giving me a strange look before throwing his car in drive and pulling away from the hospital. ¡°You wanted to take us,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s where we are going.¡± ¡°So, you want to tell me why we are breaking her out of the hospital?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in danger,¡± I told him, ncing at the backseat to meet Rachel¡¯s eyes. I wasn¡¯t sure how much I wanted to tell him; I wasn¡¯t sure how much she would let me tell him. ¡°I can exin better,¡± Rachel sighed, surprising me. ¡°They want to send me to the Elysium Rehab Facility against my will. I was there a couple of years ago, and they treated me terribly because I was the only bear to ever reside there. I was abused and tortured daily. They did experiments on me because they weren¡¯t sure how to treat a bear. I almost died¡­¡± her voice trailed off. ¡°The only way I could leave was to be cured. So, I quit cold turkey and got myself clean so I would never have to return to that ce again¡­¡± ¡°I see,¡± Enzo said, processing what she had said. ¡°And you told them this already?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Rachel said, lowering her gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anybody besides L. I don¡¯t want anyone to know how weak I was.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let her go back,¡± I said, peering up at Enzo who fixed his gaze on the dark roads ahead. I couldn¡¯t tell what was running through his mind. His brow was twitching slightly, and he had a stern look on his face. Could he be angry? ¡°I¡¯m hoping my father can do something to help her. But in the meantime, I needed to get her out of there,¡± I said. ¡°I know it was wrong but¡ª¡± ¡°Stop talking.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, surprised by his harsh words. ¡°The less I know, the better. Just stop talking.¡± ¡°I was a bit hurt by his tone and choice of words, but I knew what he meant. I remained quiet and just stared out the window. Within 30 minutes of the ride, Rachel was already sleeping. Enzo cleared his throat, ncing at me briefly before looking back at the road. ¡°So¡­¡± he began, his tone darkening. ¡°When were you going to tell me about Monro?¡± Chapter 83 Chapter 83 L¡¯s POV ¡°Earlier today,¡± I answered with a shrug, trying to seem nonchnt. ¡°But you were busy taking Connie to lunch.¡± ¡°When did you find out about this little vacation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a little vacation,¡± I said in return. ¡°It¡¯s a huge opportunity. Plus, I¡¯ll be working as Cassie-Ann¡¯s assistant the entire time. Plus, I could get into that school and really take my career to the next level.¡± ¡°You can take it to the next level here too,¡± he said, still trying to process my words. ¡°Why do you need to go across the world to do that?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s no better school than the one in Monro,¡± I said, furrowing my own brows together as I stared over at his amazing side profile. He was so handsome no matter what the view. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to seed?¡± I said thatst part using a small voice. I was afraid of his answer because it looked like he had been thinking about it for a long while. However, he didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I was going to tell you about it¡­¡± I said in a softer tone. ¡°I just didn¡¯t think you would care.¡± He didn¡¯t respond to that either and I was beginning to think I was right about him not caring. So, why would he even bring this up? ¡°How did you know about it anyways?¡± I found myself asking, unable to handle the silence any longer. ¡°Your father brought it up,¡± he muttered. ¡°Did you mention anything else?¡± I asked in return. He shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he answered. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Categories Search¡­ We fell silent once again. ¡°Thank you for giving us a ride,¡± I said, trying to break that silence. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to end up on the side of the road somewhere because you were too distracted to watch the road,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°Your father would never let me live that down.¡± ¡°Is my father the only reason you wanted to help me?¡± I asked, feeling a strong sense of dread. ¡°Of course, he is,¡± Enzo answered. I couldn¡¯t hide the disappointed look on my face, and I think he could tell from my demeanor that his words hurt me. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s because the thought of anything happening to you destroys me,¡± he muttered, avoiding my wide eyes. ¡°Why do you care if anything happens to me?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯ve made it quite clear that you don¡¯t want a mate.¡± ¡°Just because I don¡¯t want one, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have one,¡± Enzo said through his teeth. ¡°And I do¡­ which means I¡¯m automatically drawn to you. Just as you are drawn to me.¡± I felt my face warming again and I had to look away before he saw the redness creeping around my nose. ¡°I¡¯m not drawn to you,¡± I tried to deny but the simple twitch of his smirk made me realize that I made it quite obvious how drawn to him I am. ¡°I don¡¯t wish to be drawn to you,¡± I muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t reject me if you don¡¯t want me¡­¡± ¡°Because unless you are marked by another, or I mark another, our mate bond will still be in effect even if I do reject you. The only thing it¡¯ll do is break our wolves and that¡¯s not something I want to deal with right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you won¡¯t reject me? Because it¡¯ll upset your wolf?¡± I asked, I was hardly in disbelief. ¡°What about my sanity?¡± At my raised voice, Rachel stirred in her sleep, murmuring something I couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t talk about this right here or right now,¡± he said with a deepened frown. I wanted to argue some more, but something inside of me was telling me to keep quiet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re right,¡± I said, peering out the window. We were getting close to Elysium. I knew how much Rachel hated Elysium, but I needed to take her to my father. The rest of the ride was quiet and when we arrived at the Nova packhouse, my father and mother greeted us at the door. They were both surprised to see us at this hour. ¡°L? What are you doing here?¡± My father asked as I quickly gave him and my mother a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to just stop in like this,¡± I said, motioning for Rachel. ¡°But we need your help.¡± After exining the entire story to my parents, they sat for a long while on the sofa in the main living room. They both looked at one another with saddened expressions. It was hard for them to hear that a ce like a rehab facility in Elysium was treating their clients so cruelly. How could something like this slide under my father¡¯s nose? He looked utterly shocked to hear this news and at some parts, he even flinched. Once we all stopped talking, it took them a few moments to gather their thoughts. ¡°I will open an investigation first thing in the morning,¡± my father said with finality in his tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let them take Rachel back to that ce. You have my word.¡± I knew I could count on my father for help. I felt Rachel rxing beside me. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you had to go through that, Rachel. I am so sorry¡­¡± my mother breathed, giving Rachel a hug. ¡°I had no idea any ce in Elysium could be that cruel.¡± ¡°In the meantime, Rachel can stay with us until we know what to do with her. I¡¯m going to call the hospital right now,¡± my father said marching toward his office. I felt a lot better knowing that my father had this handled. I knew I could trust him and that warmed my heart. I turned to look at Enzo and I saw that he was on the phone in the distance. ¡°Okay, yeah, I¡¯ll be right there. Just hang tight. I love you¡­¡± He murmured into the phone. At that moment, it felt like a punch to my stomach. He hung up the phone and turned to face us, I tried to pretend I wasn¡¯t listening or that I wasn¡¯t falling to pieces before his eyes. ¡°I have to return to my pack. There¡¯s an emergency,¡± he said quickly; he was lying. I knew he was lying. My father frowned but he didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Okay. Keep me updated,¡± my father said, shaking his hand. ¡°Thank you for getting them here safely.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back to bring L back to school in the morning,¡± Enzo said as he rushed toward the door. Before I could say anything to him, he was already gone. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Hearing my mother crying on the phone was heart-shattering. I needed to get out of the Nova packhouse as soon as I could and rush to the rogue territory. The same rogue town I had grown up in. I hadn¡¯t returned in a long time, not since I became the Alpha of the Calypso pack. However, returning, I didn¡¯t think it would look the way it did. The buildings they had worked so hard to build were burnt to crips. The streets were trashed and there were some injured wolves scattered across the dirt roads. My mother and some others were trying to help those with injuries. ¡°Mom, what happened?¡± I asked, staring around at the scene before me. ¡°We were attacked,¡± my mother said through eyes of tears. ¡°They attacked us¡­ Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Was it the same men who attacked you before?¡± I asked, trying to get my mother to calm down a moment to talk to me. ¡°Yes, I believe so,¡¯ she said, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. ¡°I need to heal everybody¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have your abilities anymore,¡± I said. ¡°But I know someone who can help.¡± My first thought was to talk to L and see if she could get down here, but then I thought against it. It would probably be better if I didn¡¯t involve her. Instead, I decided to talk to Bastien instead. ¡°Enzo?¡± Bastien said into the phone. It was veryte, so he was most likely in bed at that point. I knew L was probably sleeping as well so I didn¡¯t need to worry about her hearing this conversation. ¡°I need a favor¡­¡± Enzo began into the phone. After exining the entire situation and giving Bastien his location, all he could do was wait. He went around and tried to ce the injured together and out of harm¡¯s way. His mother was shaking as she attempted to heal those around her, but she had none of her abilities left. She was mentally and physically drained. She had some bruises on her skin from the abuse of those awful men who wished to cause her harm. Vna¡¯s weren¡¯t safe in this world. His mother and L weren¡¯t safe in this world. Regardless of what he does to fix it, they aren¡¯t going to be safe until everyst one of his father¡¯s men were gone from this net. It only took about 20 minutes for Bastien to arrive; surprisingly, he brought Selene with him. She hadrge, worried eyes as she stepped into the rogue town but once she saw my mother and others, she gasped in shock, covering her mouth with her hands as she took them all in. N?velDrama.Org content. Categories Search¡­ ¡°They¡¯re all Vna¡¯s¡­?¡± She whispered, staring up at Bastien who had a mournful eye. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered for them all. ¡°At least, they used to be. They took a poison that took away their Vna abilities. That way they could blend in and be normal. But it didn¡¯t work¡­. my father¡¯s men still know about them and still want to hurt them.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± Selene breathed. ¡°I knew it was bad¡­ but I had no idea to what extent.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been hiding here this whole time?¡± Bastien asked, shooting his eyes in my direction. ¡°How could you not tell me about this? They don¡¯t belong in rogue territory.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our home¡­¡± my mother said stepping forward. ¡°We¡¯ve lived here for a long time after I left ise with my baby boy, Enzo. We created a home here and met others just like us. Others were hiding because of their fear of what ise might do. Now that he¡¯s gone¡­ his men have gone wild and are harming any Vnas they get a whiff of.¡± ¡°We knew his men were still out there, hunting for our kind,¡± Selene said, stepping toward my mother. ¡°But we had no idea that other Vnas have been in hiding because of it. We didn¡¯t know things were this bad. We hardly ever see ise¡¯s men.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they won¡¯t go to Elysium,¡± I exined. ¡°They have a fear of you and Bastien because you were able to defeat my father with ease. So, they refuse to go anywhere near you. However, they¡¯ve been watching me for a long time now. Waiting for me to fuck up; they use my mother as a punching bag because they know they can get to me that way. I won¡¯t stand for something like that again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wanting to protect them? The Vna wolves?¡± Selene asked, curiosity piquing her tone. I nodded once. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°That¡¯s my goal in life. To climb my way to the top so I can protect all Vna wolves. I want to protect those like my mother and¡ª¡± My voice trailed off. I was about to say ¡°L¡± but stopped myself quickly. Both Selene and Bastien looked at one another questionably before looking back at me. ¡°L,¡± Bastien said, raising his brows. ¡°So, you can protect those like L?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say in response. Anything said could out the fact that I¡¯m mated to L. I didn¡¯t want anyone to know that face, so I just cleared my throat. ¡°I¡¯ve lived in the shadows of my father for a long time. I¡¯ve seen the shit he¡¯s done and those he¡¯s done wrong. I¡¯m not going to let anything or anyone else cause harm to my mother and her n. I need to make sure this world is safe again even if it means my death.¡± Bastien looked at me for a long while before a grin appeared on his face. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to finally know you a little better, Enzo,¡± Bastien said, pping me on the back. I was surprised by his reaction. ¡°I¡¯m going to start healing,¡± Selene said, walking with my mother toward the more seriously injured. ¡°She¡¯s good at the healing thing,¡± Bastien exined. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought her here. But we should talk more about that trip to Monstro.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°I really want those puff cakes with the little marshmallows,¡± Rachel wined as she sprawled out on my bed. ¡°We don¡¯t have any; I¡¯d have to go the store to get them,¡± I told her shaking my head. ¡°I also don¡¯t have my car, so, I¡¯d have to walk.¡± ¡°Please, L,¡± Rachel pleaded. ¡°I need something to get my mind off all this shit and those puff cakes are the only thing I can think of right now. I can walk with you. There¡¯s a 24-hour mart in town if I remembered correctly.¡± I sighed and agreed to go with her to the mart to get the puff cakes. It was dark, but thankfully the rays of the moon lit up the streets so we could navigate through the vacant town of Elysium. It was one of the smaller towns, but it had a 24-hour store so that was our best bet on getting puff cakes. I wasn¡¯t surprised that the store waspletely empty. Only the cashier was behind the counter. I gave them a small greeting as we walked through the aisles. ¡°Found them!¡± Rachel cooed happily. She grabbed a couple of boxes before taking them to the cashier. Once we paid, we were back on the streets and headed toward the Nova Packhouse. It was only a 15- minute walk, but because I was so tired, the walk felt like itsted forever. ¡°These are going to hit the spot,¡± Rachel breathed as she wiggled the grocery bag excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back before my parents wake up and see we are missing,¡± I told her. ¡°Aren¡¯t we adults? Do we need their permission to leave the packhouse?¡± ¡°Considering we are hiding you from the hospital, I think it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t leave the packhouse. But here we are,¡± I said, giving her a side-eyed look. ¡°Somebody help me!!¡± A woman¡¯s voice in the distance yelled. ¡°Please!! Help me!!¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 L¡¯s POV The woman sounded frantic like she was in danger. I could tell she was crying, and my first instinct was to get rid of Rachel. ¡°Go back to the packhouse,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Wake my parents and tell them somebody is in trouble.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Rachel asked. The woman¡¯s voice grew louder and this time she was screaming as she cried. I could hear the muffled sounds of nearby men as well and my heart sank further into my stomach. ¡°Just go,¡± I ordered. ¡°There¡¯s not enough time. I need to help her!¡± I turned away just as Rachel started yelling something behind me, but I ran so fast that her voice became distorted until I couldn¡¯t hear it at all. I wasn¡¯t worried about getting into a fight. But I worried about who I was getting into a fight with. in the distance, I saw a woman running down the street. Her features were stained in tears and sweat as she continued to run. Her red fiery hair was practically illuminating in the moonlight, and I could feel how frightened she was. She was running quickly and ncing behind her periodically. That¡¯s when I saw a few men chasing her down. They wererge and they were all in their human forms but telling from their dark eyes and their strange auras, I knew they were wolves. I also knew they were dangerous. I got a chill down my spine from looking at them and I wasn¡¯t sure where that came from. I shook the fear out of my body and ran toward them. At that point, the woman saw me and I saw a flood of relief across her face as she ran toward me. ¡°Please help me!¡± She cried. ¡°They are trying to hurt me!!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not even a Vna wolf,¡± I heard one of the men growling. ¡°That bitch promised there¡¯d be tons of them here.¡± Categories Search¡­ They were looking for Vna¡¯s? Nobody ever hunts for us in Elysium. They wouldn¡¯t dare cross my father. The woman continued to cry and to plead for them to stop chasing her. I managed to get to her just in time and step in front of her, blocking her view from the men¡¯s. ¡°Get out of our way girly. This beef has nothing to do with¡ª¡± His voice trailed off as he took in a whiff of the air. His already dark eyes darkened even more, and a glimmer of a smile appeared on his narrow features. Then, he narrowed his eyes at me, and his aura darkened even more. ¡°I can smell Vna¡¯s blood on you,¡± he breathed, hungrily. ¡°She was right¡­¡± ¡°Who was right?¡¯ I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he sneered. ¡°What matters is she promised us a Vna, and now it seems we got one.¡± ¡°This girl isn¡¯t a Vna.¡± ¡°No¡­ but you are,¡± he said with a widening grin. I took a step away from him, I was getting an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew a fight was going to happen. ¡°You smell even better than I thought you would,¡± another chuckled. ¡°Must be all the magic.¡± His chuckle was dark though, and it made my skin crawl. ¡°Go,¡± I ordered the woman who remained behind me. ¡°Leave this ce quickly.¡± She was hesitant for a moment, but soon she ran away. The men justughed as they neared me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you be a good little wolf ande with us,¡± the leader of the group said with arge grin. I kicked off the ground and did a backflip away from them. They looked surprised at first, but then I shifted into my wolf form and lunged toward them. I used the moves that Enzo had taught me in ss. However, those moves were made for one-on-onebat, not a group thing. Some of them shifted into their own wolves so they could keep up with me. I felt a sharp blow to my leg that sent me to the ground as one of the bit into my flesh. I yelped loudly, kicking him in the face and snapping my own canines in his direction. Soon, a dark grey wolf came out of nowhere and roared loudly. I recognized him right away, but I just couldn¡¯t believe he was here right now. ¡°Brody?¡± I asked in a mindlink. ¡°How are you here right now?¡± ¡°I saw you in distress from across the street and came as fast as I could,¡± he exined. ¡°My grandmother lives in Elysium, so I was visiting her. I was heading to the store¡­¡± His words were interrupted as a wolf tackled him. He went to the ground, and I screamed out for him out loud. ¡°Awe, is that your little boyfriend?¡± One of the men said in a fit ofughter. ¡°He¡¯s no match for us sweetheart, so you might as well give up ande with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you,¡± I growled in return. On that note, I lunged at them again, biting at them, but missing by only a hair. They were much bigger than me, which wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if there weren¡¯t more of them than there were of us. ¡°L!!¡± I heard Brody yelling in the distance. ¡°Watch out!¡± Just as I turned my head to see what was going on behind me, I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I gasped once I realized it was a needle. I shifted back into my human form without much control, and I fell to the ground in a daze. I heard Brody screaming in the distance, but then his words had gotten quiet as he fell to the ground as well. My vision grew blurry and one of the men rolled me over onto my pack. ¡°I told you, you areing with us one way or another,¡± he snickered. I could feel my heart rate slowing down and it was getting harder to keep up my breathwork. I closed my eyes, ready to lose consciousness. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± I said in a mindlink. ¡°I¡¯ve been captured¡­ please help¡­¡± As soon as I sent that mindlink, I cked outpletely. ¡­ Third Person POV ¡°We don¡¯t go to Elysium,¡± one of the men muttered as Sarah stood before him. She had her arms folded across her chest. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m willing to pay you a fair amount,¡± Sarah said in return. ¡°Not only in cash but a Vna as well. I promise Elysium is filled with Vna wolves.¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s money isn¡¯t going to stop us from getting killed by Alpha Bastien,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Then, don¡¯t get caught,¡± Sarah hissed. ¡°Do you want the money, or not?¡± They looked amongst one another and then back at Sarah. ¡°Who exactly do you want us to capture? Why are you sending us there?¡± ¡°I figured we can help each other out,¡± Sarah said with a shrug. ¡°I give you money and Vna¡¯s, and you take care of the Vna problem. We all know how dangerous they are. They can¡¯t be trusted. You take care of them, you get paid.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you want us to do? Take care of the Vna problem in Elysium? Alpha Bastien is a Vna. We can¡¯t go after her.¡± ¡°Then, don¡¯t. But take care of the rest. Once you do that, I will process payment into your ounts.¡± They looked at each other again before looking at Sarah. ¡°You have a deal,¡± he said, shaking Sarah¡¯s hand. Sarah knew that L had gone home for the next day or so. She¡¯s been watching her for days. Now, she was finally going to get what she long deserved.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 L¡¯s POV I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d been out for. My entire body ached when I woke. It felt like I¡¯ve been knocked in the head, but I knew that wasn¡¯t true. I was out of it before anything happened to me. I remembered a stabbing feeling in my neck and then everything went dark. When I started to wake, I could smell mildew. I knew I was somewhere wet; or once wet. I lifted my aching head and peered around the dark cement room. It looked like a dark jail cell. Metal bars were keeping us in like a cage. I tried to focus my eyes on my surroundings as I sat up. I heard faint breathing across the cell, and I knew almost right away that it was Brody. ¡°Brody?¡± I whispered hoarsely, hardly finding my voice. He groaned softly and I heard him moving. A flood of relief washed over me knowing that he was alive. I managed to scramble to my knees and crawl over to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I whispered to him; I kept my voice in a hushed whisper because I wasn¡¯t sure who was lurking around. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he whispered back. ¡°Everything hurts.¡± I could agree with that. Thest thing I remembered was being attacked by these men and then mindlinking Enzo right before I passed out. But I wasn¡¯t sure if he actually received that mindlink. ¡°Where the hell are we?¡± He asked, peering around the dark cell we were in. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answered. ¡°What happened after I passed out?¡± He thought about it for a moment. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I felt a sharp pain in my neck and then everything went ck,¡± he answered. ¡°They stabbed you with a needle and you passed out. You fell and a strange guy caught you. I tried to get to you, but then got me first.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. I managed to pull myself to my feet, though I nearly fell over in the process. Thankfully, Brody was able to collect himself much quicker and caught me before Inded on the ground. I was feeling incredibly dizzy all of a sudden. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked. ¡®¡±I think so,¡± I said, trying to regain myself. He narrowed his eyes at me, frowning. ¡°You have a gash on your head¡­¡± he said, touching the spot on my head that apparently had blood. I felt a warm liquid oozing down my forehead and down the side of my face. I touched the spot as well and saw the dark red blood that upied my fingertips. How was that possible? I was a Vna; it took a lot for us to get hurt like this. I tried to ask Val that very question, but he was silent. It was almost like she wasn¡¯t there at all. ¡°Come over here,¡± Brody said, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me toward the dark corner of the room. He wanted us to be in a secluded area in case anyone was watching us. Not that they couldn¡¯t see and hear us always. But I think he felt better hiding in the dark. He had me sitting against the wall as he examined my wound. After a moment, I heard the ripping of fabric; I knew he was ripping his shirt. He wrapped his ripped shirt around my head to keep the bleeding at bay. I winced as he tightened the knot to hold it in ce. ¡°Our abilities must not be working in here,¡± he pointed out. ¡°I feel a little weaker as well. They must have bashed your head into something carrying you in here. I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯d hit you for no reason while you were already out.¡± ¡°We have to try to get out of here¡­¡± I said, meeting his eyes. He looked concerned, but he didn¡¯t look frightened. He almost looked determined. ¡°And we will,¡± he said. ¡°I promise. I¡¯ll get you out of here. But for right now, we have to just be patient and wait for that opportunity.¡± I nodded once. ¡°Before I passed out, I mindlinked Professor Enzo¡­¡± ¡°Professor Enzo? Why/¡± ¡°If he knows I¡¯ve been taken¡­ he¡¯lle,¡± I told him, almost sheepishly. ¡°Again¡­ why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my professor, ¡°I told him. ¡°Not to mention he¡¯s part of the Alphamittee that my father leads. He swore to my father that he¡¯d protect me at this school. If he doesn¡¯te, then my father will.¡± He looked uncertain for a moment, and then he nodded once. Before he could say anything more, another voice sounded from outside the cell. ¡°Nobody ising for you girly. We have this ce locked down. Nobody gets in¡­ and nobody gets out.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Enzo, I¡¯ve been captured¡­ please help¡­¡± It was L¡¯s voice. She sounded so distraught and then the mindlink ended so soon. I tried to mindlink her in return to ask her for more information, but it was no use. Something had happened. ¡°What¡¯s going on with our mate?!¡± Max cried out. He was anxious and runningps in my mind¡¯s eye. She was somewhere in Elysium when she was captured. Which meant I needed to get there as soon as possible. Max didn¡¯t give me much of a choice at that point; he was already shifting into his true form. Hisrge canines ripped through my human flesh and his fur came to life around my body as I hunched over the ground and shifted. Without a second thought, he was racing through the yards of the academy and through the forest. We ran faster than we ever ran. Everything was a blur around me as we ran past them. We soon made it to Elysium; racing through the streets until we saw the lights that indicated the Nova pack. The packhouse wasn¡¯t far from the main entrance. Bastien was already outside with Selene and Rachel. Rachel was in tears. ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± Rachel sniffled, her body trembling. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s L?¡± I asked before anything more was said. ¡°She was captured by some men,¡± Bastien answered. ¡°Rachel was with her, and L sent her back to come get us.¡± ¡°What direction did they go?¡± I asked quickly, looking between all of them. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She whimpered. ¡°I ran before I saw where they went.¡± ¡°Who were these assholes that took her?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes locked on hers. I was still in my wolf form, ready to pounce in any direction. ¡°They were dressed in dark clothing,¡± Rachel stammered. ¡°They were saying something about her being a Vna wolf¡­¡± My heart fell into my stomach at her words. They took her because she was a Vna? Could they be part of my father¡¯s n? Out to get Vna¡¯s to harvest their powers? Or maybe they were part of their own n, wanting to kill Vna because they are deemed dangerous to our world. ¡°I can pick up her scent in the downtown area,¡± Max wailed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t long ago that they took her. They went in the direction of the old chapel.¡± The old Chapel of Elysium was a famous historic site that many tourists would visit. They haven¡¯t used the chapel in decades, and it¡¯s been closed down for years. It would be a perfect hiding spot to keep hostages. ¡°Alpha Enzo, what are you thinking?¡± Bastien asked; he was shifting in his wolf form, ready to apany me anywhere I decide to go. ¡°The old chapel of Elysium,¡± I growled through my teeth. ¡°She¡¯s there.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate to nod his head in agreement. Without another word, we both ran in that direction. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 L¡¯s POV ¡°Who are you?¡± Brody asked, walking in front of me toward the cell bars. ¡°Why did you take us?¡± ¡°We took you because you were simply in the way. We took her¡­ well¡­ she knows why we took her,¡± the man said, narrowing his dark eyes in my direction. This man had a dark energy; he had long sleek, ck hair and broad musclesyered with tattoos. He looked like he could crush steal. I had an uneasy feeling about him and he was exactly right; I knew why he took me. ¡°Because I¡¯m a Vna¡­¡± I said slowly. It wasn¡¯t a question. A sly smile spread across his narrow lips. ¡°You¡¯re a hard one to catch. We¡¯ve heard a lot about you, and I must say¡­we¡¯ve been intrigued. The name is Cyrus¡­ d to finally meet you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through me before youy a finger on her,¡± Brody hissed through his teeth. This only made the manugh as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s funny you think you have a chance against us. Especially in here. We have it rigged; your wolf and abilities won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Where did you bring us?¡± I found myself asking. He snapped a look at me. ¡°Somewhere you won¡¯t be found,¡± he answered. ¡°Just sit tight¡­ we¡¯lle back for you a littleter.¡± He said as he took a step into the shadow region where we could no longer see him. I ran passed Brody and grabbed onto the bars of the cell, shaking it violently. ¡°Come back here!¡± I growled. ¡°Tell me what you are going to do with me. What do you want?!¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°L, rx. Just stop for a minute,¡± Brody said, lowering his tone as he grabbed onto my arms. He pulled me away from the metal bars and back towards the far corner of the cell. ¡°I remembered something my grandmother had told me a few years ago. We were walking downtown, and we came across a gorgeous, yet run-down building. It looked like a church,¡± Brody began, lowering his tone even more. She said it was once a popr tourist attraction because of the ancient tales attached to the building. I think it was a church. But she said it¡¯s where a lot of rogue wolves stake out now because nobodyes here. It¡¯s been closed for many years.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure where he was going with that. He kept his hold on my arms to keep me still, despite me struggling to get him to release me. I was angry. I was angry that I wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight those assholes. I was angry that I allowed myself to get captured. I was angry that I didn¡¯t have my abilities or my wolf. I wanted their heads on a stake. ¡°Look,¡± Brody said, keeping his hold on me and his eyes locked on mine. I finally managed to meet his eyes, trying to calm myself down. ¡°Over on that wall on the outside of the wall. What does that look like to you?¡± I looked beyond him at the wall he had gestured to with his head. I furrowed my brows together; without my wolf¡¯s abates, it was difficult for me to see in the dark. But I almost got the outline of a cross hung on the wall. At that point, I had rxed my body and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I let out a soft breath and Brody finally released my arms once he saw the realization falling upon my face. I stood there for a moment, staring at the cross; trying to process what I was seeing. ¡°We are in the old chapel¡­¡± I whispered, meeting Brody¡¯s eyes. ¡°We are in the dungeon of the old chapel. My father had taken me here a long time ago. I recognize this ce¡­ how could I not have realized this sooner?¡± ¡°Because of the high energy of everything going on,¡± Brody answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it either. Though, I¡¯ve never been inside this ce. But I had a feeling we were still in Elysium somewhere.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Are these wolf¡¯s rogues?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell,¡± Brody answered. ¡°But whoever they are, they¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time and now they finally have you. But I¡¯m not going to let them hurt you. As soon as that gate opens, we are making a run for it.¡± ¡°Do you think that¡¯s wise? They could kill us without our wolves.¡± ¡°I can hold them off. You run.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said firmly, staring up at him. ¡°We got here together; we are leaving together. I¡¯m not leaving you behind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an option L,¡± Brody said in return, shaking his head. ¡°I won¡¯t let them hurt you.¡± ¡°Brody¡ª¡± Before I could utter another word, I could hear the cell doorstching open. I turned my body to whoever was entering, and I saw that asshole Cyrus standing before me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pressed my lips together. Regardless of if I had no wolf or abilities, I still excel inbat. I was ready to fight. But Brody shoved me aside and went for Cyrus himself. Before I could grasp what was happening, Cyrus took out a stun gun and pressed it against Brody¡¯s neck. He wailed in pain before falling to the ground. I let out a gasp before collecting myself and running at Cyrus myself. I did a flip in the air and went to kick him square in the face, hoping that it does enough damage to knock him out. But I felt the sting of the stun gun on my leg, making my entire body quirk and shake until Inded on the ground myself. He let out a lowlyugh and shook his head as he stood over me. I was paralyzed. I couldn¡¯t move my body, but I could still feel the pain of the sticity coursing through my body and making me jerk and shake. ¡°You thought it would be that easy?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Oh, little wolf¡­ I came prepared.¡± He grabbed my unmoved body, lifting me in the air and bringing me out of the cell. It wasn¡¯t just the cell that was rigged to keep our wolves away, it was the entire chapel. He brought me through a long corridor and other dark halls. I couldn¡¯t fixate my eyes on my surroundings, but I recognized the decals on the walls, and I knew we were heading toward the chapel infirmary where they performed horrific satanic procedures during the olden days. That was the main reason this chapel got shut down. I could start feeling the movement in my body again and I attempted to struggle against him, not wanting to go into that room. There was no telling what they were nning on doing with me. But the more I struggled, the tighter he held me in his arms. ¡°Stop struggling, little wolf,¡± he breathed, that smile spreading across his lips again. ¡°The more you struggle, the worse it¡¯ll be for you.¡± I could hear the low murmurs of others as we neared therge doors at the end of the hall. There were others just like him inside that room. The others captured me, no doubt. Cyrus kicked through the doors and made his way into the room where I was met with light. I had to squint because my eyes weren¡¯t used to the change of lighting. As soon as my sight began to adjust, I saw the others that I recognized from before I passed out when they took me. They were standing around a hospital bed and glowing at me. My heart was racing in my chest as I struggled again. Cyrus through me on the bed like I was a sack of potatoes, and the others began to chain me down. The chains were making me feel weak; they must have been enchanted or something. ¡°Let me go!¡± I growled. They said nothing, but I felt a stab in my arm and when I looked, I saw a man was there drawing blood. He was taking my blood and putting it in a tube¡­ but why? Were they running tests on me? Before I could ask them any questions, I mask was being forced over my mouth. ¡°Rx, little wolf,¡± Cyrus breathed against my ear. ¡°Just take a nap.¡± That was thest thing I heard before everything went ck Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Enzo¡¯s POV The old chapel was the perfect ce for them to take L. Awful things had happened long ago at that chapel, causing it to get shut down. It was once a popr tourist attraction due to the dark history that was attached to the building. However, that also got shut down by protesters iming that nobody should be supporting such a terrible ce. Now it sits as an abandoned building that is ransacked by the younger generation and a popr hideout for rogue wolves. Nobody of value goes to this chapel and nobody would think that anyone was being held hostage there. ¡°There¡¯s an underground prison at that chapel,¡± Bastien as we ran through the woods and toward the city of Elysium. ¡°I used to take L there when she was only a little pup. She loved dark stuff like that.¡± ¡°Do you think she recognizes it? Maybe she would know a way out,¡± I suggested. We sped up our pace, aiming to get there as fast as we could. ¡°It¡¯s an underground prison¡­ the only way out is if someone lets you out,¡± Bastien said, worry in his tone. ¡°I should have been more aware¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have let her leave the packhouse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s L¡­ she would have figured a way out of the packhouse even if you chained the windows and doors.¡± Bastien snickered at that. ¡°She¡¯s definitely stubborn. Rachel mes herself too. It was her idea. She wanted to get a treat at the store. She¡¯s going to a rehab facility soon and who knows when she¡¯ll be able to have treats like that again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her fault either,¡± I said; as much as it pained me to say, it wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. I wanted someone to me, but I couldn¡¯t me anyone other than myself. I should have been here with her. Categories Search¡­ The old chapel came into view on the hilltop across the city of Elysium. A dark haze fell upon the chapel Owned by N?velDrama.Org. that sent a chill down my spine. Bastien paused as he stared at the chapel; I could see the utmost worry in his wolf¡¯s eyes. I could smell the scent of honeysuckle clear as day, as if she was standing right next to me Max was getting anxious the longer we waited. ¡°She¡¯s there,¡± I said with confidence. ¡°I can feel her too,¡± Bastien said in return as he looked at me. ¡°And she¡¯s in pain.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I woke up feeling as if my insides were on fire. I screamed out in pain, wanting it to end. I wanted the misery to just be over. I felt a sting in my arm and soon the pain started to subside a little. ¡°Hush, little wolf,¡± Cyrus said from beside me. ¡°Don¡¯t fight me anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­¡± I hissed. That was the nickname my father had given my mother and I won¡¯t associate that with something so evil. ¡°I¡¯ll call you whatever I want,¡± Cyrus chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m the one in charge here. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± I knew that Cyrus was the ringleader, and these other assholes were under his orders. But I wasn¡¯t afraid of him. He infuriated me and I couldn¡¯t wait to get a piece of him on a stake. But I needed to keep myself calm before my anger got me killed. ¡°Wee back to thend of the living,¡± another man said, stepping beside Cyrus. He was an older gentleman with a long white trench coat and a stethoscope around his neck. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Robert Tanner. You can call me Rob.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be calling you anything,¡± I seethed; as I moved, pain shot through my body and I winced, causing Cyrus tough and shake his head. ¡°What did I say, little wolf? Don¡¯t fight.¡± I rxed my body and allowed my head to fall back onto the bed. I was still chained, and I noticed I had a few different puncture wounds on my arms and legs. I was also feeling incredibly dizzy. Across the room, my heart fell into my stomach, when I saw arge bag filled with a dark red liquid. ¡°Is that my blood?¡± I managed to ask in a hoarse whisper. ¡°It is,¡± Robert said with a head nod. ¡°We are running some tests. Finding out what makes you tick. Trying to see what gives you your abilities. The Vna wolf really fascinates me and if we want to harvest your abilities, we need to know how it works.¡± They want to take my power? If they took my powers, where would that leave me? ¡°However, with a little starlight in your system, you nearly died. We had to resuscitate you,¡± Robert continued. My heartbeat was rapidly against my chest. I was highly allergic to starlight. That must have been why my body felt like it was on fire. ¡°How can something so powerful as a Vna wolf be allergic to anything?¡± Robert asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°It makes me question your true ability.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t invincible,¡± I muttered, nearly spitting in his face as I spoke. ¡°But you¡¯re pretty damn close to it.¡± A allowed a growl to emerge from the depth of my throat.¡± ¡°Easy, little wolf,¡± Cyrus warned. ¡°Don¡¯t make me put you back under.¡± ¡°I want to know what else a Vna is capable of. I¡¯ve only heard rumors. But never actually seen it with my own.¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but he spoke over me quickly. ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me. I want you to show me.¡± I closed my eyes and furrowed my brows at him. Cyrus began to unchain my arms and legs; ideally, I was hoping as soon as he did, I would gain a little strength and be able to fight them and get myself out of there. However, even as the chains were removed from my body, I still felt incredibly weak. it must have been whatever they drugged me with, mixed with the starlight still in my system. Cyrus grabbed me and lifted me over his shoulder. I felt helpless and defenseless against him. Robert followed closely behind as we left the infirmary and toward another room, further into the underground of the chapel. We entered arge room that almost looked like an arena. My heart plummeted once my eyes adjusted to the new lighting and I saw Brody chained to a chair in the center of the room. He was beaten fairly badly; he had bruises and blood all over his face and body. He was still breathing thankfully, but he looked to be unconscious. ¡°Brody¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± I growled, fury rising through me. ¡°We made it a little bit easier for you to do what we want,¡± Cyrus said with a shrug as he set me down on the ground. He tensed for a moment; I could tell he was getting a mindlink. He nced at Robert who just had pure excitement in his eyes as he stared at Brody and then back at me. ¡°We have some unwanted visitors outside. I need to deal with it,¡± Cyrus muttered. ¡°Can you handle things here?¡± ¡°Oh, definitely,¡± Robert said, a smile spreading across his mouth. Unwanted visitors? Could it be Enzo and my father? Oh, goddess, I hoped so. Cyrus nodded at him before looking at me. ¡°Try anything funny and I¡¯ll make sure you regret it,¡¯ he sneered before leaving the room. I don¡¯t think I could try to escape or fight even if I wanted to. I hated that I felt this weak. Robert stepped closer to me, lifting me off the ground so I could stand beside him and use him for extra support, so I didn¡¯t fall over. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m going to have you show me your powers,¡¯ he said, staring at me with a dark expression. ¡°I want you to use them all¡­¡± he continued. ¡°On him.¡± Chapter 89 Chapter 89 L¡¯s POV ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± I said, staring at Brody who was barely hanging onto life. ¡°He¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°I want to see everything you can do. Show me,¡± Robert said in a darkening tone. ¡°I can do that without Brody,¡± I said, staring up at him. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt him.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking. You¡¯re making this quite difficult for me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°Find another way. I won¡¯t hurt him. I will turn my powers on you the first chance I get and show you what I can really do.¡± I could see his swallowing a lump in his throat as he stared around my incredibly serious face. I clenched my fists, feeling the power surging through my body. This room was giving me my abilities back and I could nearly feel my wolf waking as we spoke. She was confused and hadn¡¯t quite gotten her voice back, but she was there, and I was ready to use every part of me to get both Brody and me out of here. However, before I could do anything, someone came up behind me and ced cuffs around my wrists, which instantly weakened me. As fast as my wolf was returning to me, she was already gone. ¡°Punish him,¡± Robert muttered, turning away from me. ¡°Then, bring him back to the cell.¡± I let out a scream as a couple more men came out of the shadow region and towards Brody. I was being held in ce so I could watch as they beat Brody till he was nothing but a bloody and bruised mess. Tears sprang from my eyes, and I kept myself from sobbing by biting hard onto my bottom lip. My entire heart shattered as they continued to beat him. He waspletely unconscious; my only hope was that he felt no pain. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ The closer we got to the old chapel, the more I could smell L¡¯s scent. I knew for certain she was there and so did Bastien because he picked up his speed once we neared the front entrance. However, we never got the chance to get through the front doors because a bunch of rogue goons were standing outside. They wererge ck wolves with yellow eyes, snaring theirrge canines at us, growling with saliva dripping off their mouths. ¡°Out of our ways,¡± Bastien hissed before I had the chance to. ¡°I¡¯m here to get my daughter back.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t getting anything,¡± one of the rogues growled in return. ¡°Nobody is getting in, and nobody is getting out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make us fight you!¡± They howled inughter at Bastien¡¯s threat. ¡°There is way more of us than there are of you. You have no chance against us.¡± ¡°You are going to regret those words,¡± I found myself hissing as I lunged towards them, snaring my own teeth and growling as loudly as I could. I could no longer contain Max; he was out for blood, and he was determined to get our mate back. I could feel his fury boiling through my bones and giving me strength. Bastien was right behind me; he was ready to attack as well, and I was d to have him there by my side. I would have toe up with an excuse for my passionter but for right now all I could think about was getting L out of that building. The rogue wolves wererge and strong, but they weren¡¯t a match for Bastien and me. They put up a fierce fight. I could smell the scent of fresh blood as I dug my teeth into the flesh of one of the rogues, ripping at their fur and hearing a loud yelp escaping his lips. I felt a sharp pain in my lower back asrge ws scraped through my thick fur. I quickly spun my head around and chomped down on his shoulder de, watching as he fell to the ground. Bastien was busy fighting his way toward the doorway when the door swung open, and a muchrger and more familiar wolf came walking out. His fur was as dark Grey, and his eyes were as ck as midnight. He stared around at the fighting until his eyesnded on mine and then I saw a glimmer of a smile on his wolf¡¯s canines. I knew this wolf to be Cyrus. He was once a gamma that worked alongside my father. I banished him to the rogue territory when I came into power of the Calypso pack. I wasn¡¯t surprised that he would be in charge of this rogue pack, and I certainly wasn¡¯t surprised that this was all he was doing. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Alpha Enzo,¡± Cyrus said with dark humor lingering in his tone. ¡°What brings you to my neck of the woods?¡± ¡°You know damn well why we are here,¡± I growled, baring my canines at him. Max was ready to pounce and have his blood on our ws, but I held him back. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re here because of a certain little wolf?¡± ¡°If you hurt her¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what? Kill me? You can try, but we both know you aren¡¯t strong enough to defeat me. You¡¯ve tried before, remember?¡± ¡°I was younger then,¡± I hissed. ¡°I¡¯m much stronger now.¡± ¡°So am I¡­¡± Cyrus said with a sly grin. Soon, he was lunging at me. I was ready to dodge his attack, but Bastien came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. I could tell Cyrus was taken by surprise because he didn¡¯t notice Bastien there, but he soon regrouped his thoughts and began to fight back. Other rogues started to fight again as well. Not before long, I heard the buzzing in my mind and knew a mindlink wasing through. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± It was L; she sounded so far away, even though it was in my mind. I froze for a moment. ¡°L?¡± I mindlinked her back. ¡°Where are you?¡± She didn¡¯t respond, but the mindlink was still there so I knew she was still listening. ¡°What the actual fuck!¡± I heard the voice of Cyrus roaring from a short distance. When I nced in his direction, I saw dark shadows emerging from the ground; they were huge and morphed into different shapes. I could see the pure fear in Cyrus¡¯ eyes as these shadows clouded his vision. The other rogues paused the fighting as well and stared at the shadows that also began to consume them. I nced over at Bastien who had a glimmer of humor in his eyes for a brief moment before that determination returned to his face. We both knew this was L¡¯s doing. Bastien and I exchanged simr looks before we headed to the chapel. He knew this ce way better than I did and knew exactly where the underground dungeon was. We ran down a long corridor until we reached a wooden door in the back corner. We used our bodies to break through the door frame and race down the dark stares, emerging ourselves with the shadows. I didn¡¯t hear any talking, which meant whoever was supposed to stand guard was probably preupied with something else. The dungeon was made up of multiple cells and the entire ce reeked of mildew and blood. I had a moment of panic thinking it could be L. Until we reached the cell and froze when I saw who was lying in a puddle of blood and hardly breathing. Brody. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 L¡¯s POV Once they were done beating Brody, I watched as they dragged him out of the arena area and back toward the dungeon cells. My heart was so heavy in my chest, but I had no fight left in me. I allowed Robert and the men to drag me back to the infirmary room. Once we got there, they strapped me back into the bed. It was a different guy who strapped me in this time though; as soon as I was back on the bed, he undid the cuffs, and I felt a strange sense of power returning to me. That idiot. He didn¡¯t know that the only thing blocking my powers was that cuff. Robert wasn¡¯t paying attention; I¡¯m sure if he was, he would have said something about how he shouldn¡¯t have removed the cuffs. The guard stood against the back corner of the room, watching me like a hawk, as Robert left the room to do something. I could tell Robert was annoyed with my refusal to use my powers on Brody. It pleased me that he was infuriated over the fact that he has no control over me. I could feel my wolf beginning to wake once again; however, I knew she was too weak to speak. But she was there, that¡¯s all that matters. Which meant I could channel my powers and send a mindlink. I knew Enzo was nearby; he had to have been. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± I said through the mindlink. It pained me to speak through my wolf to reach his when she was so weak. But I knew he could hear me. ¡°L?¡± Enzo said in return; I sighed in relief to hear his voice in my head. ¡°Where are you?¡± I nced over at the guard who was still watching me, but he looked tired. Categories Search¡­ I sighed and closed my eyes, pretending I was going to sleep, but I was channeling Enzo¡¯s wolf eyes. I wanted to see the world through his eyes at that moment; maybe there was something I could do to help him. As soon as I got a glimpse of his surroundings, my stomach clenched when I saw the number of rogues that he was fighting. But then I saw my father and more relief flooded through me. I was so d that Enzo wasn¡¯t there alone. But then, I saw who my father was fighting. Cyrus. I pressed my lips firmly together and clenched my fists through the straps. I wasn¡¯t sure how far I could stretch my powers, but I was going to try everything I could to help them. I focused my attention on the ground around them, allowing the moonlight to intensify and darken the shadows before I watched them emerge from the ground. Enzo watched in amazement as the shadows grew and strengthened before his eyes. I knew he wasn¡¯t afraid of them; he knew this was my doing. Cyrus on the other hand, looked terrified. I hadn¡¯t actually used my shadows to fight real wolves before, but I was going to try to use them as a distraction so my father and Enzo could sneak away and get into the chapel. It seemed to be working because the fighting had paused altogether, and I saw the pure terror on the rogue¡¯s faces as they were submerged in the shifting shadows. I lost sight of them for a moment as Enzo nced at my father and they both gave each other knowing looks before running through the front doors. I could no longer see what the shadows were doing, but I knew they were still around. I wasn¡¯t sure if could still control them though. I tried my hardest to keep them moving and use them as a distraction, despite my view of being inside the chapel. Enzo and my father were running through dark corridors. I thought about telling them where I was, but I needed them to get to Brody first. They busted through a wooden door that I recognized; it was the door that led to the dungeon area. They ran through the cells, and I could feel Enzo¡¯s high emotions and worry begin sinking in his Owned by N?velDrama.Org. stomach. He thought the rancid smell of blood was mine¡­ but was Brody¡¯s. My heart weighed heavily in my chest as they finally reached the cell that Brody was in. He was lying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. I felt my heart drop in my stomach, but it onlysted a moment because soon, I let the blow of a fist against my face, bringing me back to my current situation. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing?!¡± The guard who was once standing against the wall, asked with fury in his eyes. ¡°Sleeping¡­¡± I muttered, trying to ignore the pain in my face but it was going away quickly. ¡°You were doing something weird with your hands,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°My wrists hurt from the straps,¡± Iined. ¡°I was trying to stretch them.¡± He stared at me for a moment longer before curling his lip up in disgust. ¡°No funny business,¡± he muttered, turning away from me. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Who is that?¡± Bastien asked, staring down at Brody with dismay in his eyes. ¡°Brody¡­¡± I answered. ¡°A student at the academy and L¡¯s¡­ friend¡­¡± I tried not to sound too bitter when I said the word ¡°friend.¡± Bastien nced at me with understanding in his eyes as he shifted into his human form. ¡°I¡¯ll get this cage open and try to get him out of here. Go find L.¡± I didn¡¯t waste any more time; I leaped in the direction of L¡¯s strong scent. Racing through another corridor until I reached arge set of doors. I barged through the door of what looked like an infinity. This was where they performed gruesome procedures back in the day. The main reason this chapel got closed down. I saw L lying on a hospital bed in the center of the room strapped so she couldn¡¯t move. There was only one guard in the room, and he jumped to his feet, alert, as I entered. I saw the pure relief on L¡¯s face when she saw me, and I knew it took everything she had not to smile. Another man came into the room where a long white trench coat like he was some kind of doctor. I growled in disgust at them. The doctor didn¡¯t look like much of a fighter, and he took a step back with fear clear in his eyes. The guard though lunged at me quickly and managed to dodge his attack and counterattack at the same time. He went flying against the wall, mming into the wooden frame of the door. Shadows began to emerge from the ground and walls I knew were L¡¯s doing. Both the doctor and the guard trembled in fear. They didn¡¯t want to stick around to see what more these shadows could do. Not before long, they were both running from the infirmary, both shifting into their wolf forms and sprinting through the dark corridor and toward the stairs. I stood breathlessly, watching them disappear just as the shadows dispersed. I nced over at L who just stared at me, seemingly dazed, for a brief moment. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she wentpletely still. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 L¡¯s POV I woke up groggily in a different bed than when I passed out in. I felt a stinging in my head, but it wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t manage. I groaned miserably for a moment as I reached for my head and felt a tight bandage wrapped around it. ¡°Don¡¯t move too much, L Bean,¡± I heard the familiar andforting voice of my mother from beside me. ¡°You¡¯ve gone through the wringer and your wolf isn¡¯t fully healed yet.¡± I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright lighting of the room until my eyes adjusted and I was able to see that I was in a hospital. My mother stood at my bedside with worry clear in her eyes, but she also looked relieved to see that I was awake. ¡°Wee back, sweetie,¡± she breathed, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. ¡°Mom?¡± I whispered hoarsely. ¡°Where¡¯s Brody?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be okay. He sustained way worse injuries. But the doctors say he will make a full recovery soon enough.¡± I felt an overwhelming sense of relief to hear that. ¡°Can I see him?¡± She frowned and shook her head. ¡°You need to focus on your own recovery,¡± she told me. ¡°I¡¯m a Vna. I¡¯ll recover quickly.¡± ¡°But they gave you starlight; so, your recovery is being dyed a little. Once you are fully healed, you¡¯ll be able to see him.¡± I sighed andy my head on my pillow. There was no use arguing with her and plus she was right; I wasn¡¯t confident that I¡¯d be able to get out of bed without falling over. She gave me a soft smile and sat on my bedside. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Alpha Enzo fought very hard to get you out of there. You¡¯re lucky you mindlinked him before they took you.¡± I felt my face warming and I knew it was as red as a cherry. I had no excuses to give her that moment, but she just chuckled and shook her head, staring down at her hands. ¡°Things have a funny way of working out, you know,¡± she said to me softly. ¡°Take it from me when I say, timing is everything.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant, but somehow her words made me feel a little better. ¡°Where is Alpha Enzo now?¡± I asked, peering up at her. ¡°I think he went back to his pack this morning. You¡¯ve been here since yesterday and he had some stuff he needed to take care of,¡± she told me. I felt a stab of disappointment that he had left me here, but I tried not to show that on my face. ¡°L!¡± I heard the familiar coo of Bri as she ran into the hospital room with Rachel trailing in behind her. Rachel had tears in her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering like she wanted to burst into tears. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± Rachel breathed as she came around the other side of my bed. My mother gave them both kind smiles before standing to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll give you girls some space,¡± she said as she left the room. Brianna wrapped her arms around me tightly and I couldn¡¯t help but wince in pain. ¡°Sorry!¡± Bri said, feeling my wince as she released me. ¡°I was just so worried about you. We all were! How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Lile I¡¯ve been kidnapped and beaten,¡± I told her with a light chuckle. ¡°But nothing I can¡¯t recover from.¡± ¡°This is all my fault¡­¡± Rachel breathed, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Rachel¡ª¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t had insisted, we go get treats at the store¡­¡± she said, interrupting me. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened. I¡¯m so sorry, L¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± I said to her, reaching out to grab her hand. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have predicted this would happen.¡± ¡°It was sote though. I should have known it wouldn¡¯t be safe and¡ª¡± ¡°I agreed to go,¡± I said, interrupting her. ¡°This isn¡¯t on you. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over this. I¡¯m okay¡­ honestly.¡± ¡°What was Brody even doing with you?¡± Rachel asked, shaking her head with confusion clear on her face. ¡°Why was he in Elysium?¡± ¡°He was walking by and saw themotion. He came to help me but got captured as well,¡± I said, grimacing at the memory. ¡°His grandmother lives here, and he was visiting her for the weekend. I don¡¯t think he knew I was here, but maybe he did¡­¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°He could have been killed,¡± Brianna said with a frown. ¡°I saw a glimpse of him earlier¡­ he looks very beaten.¡± I thought back to when I watched them beat Brody and I winced at the very thought. It wasn¡¯t something I ever wanted to think about again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through so much¡­¡± Rachel breathed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I ran¡­¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t had ran back to the packhouse, my father wouldn¡¯t have known something was wrong,¡± I reminded her. ¡°You saved me, Rachel. So, thank you.¡± She thought about it for a moment and then a relieved smile spread across her lips as she nodded. I think she finally believed me because she rxed and sat on my bedside. ¡°Did your father tell you they got the rehab facility shut down?¡± Rachel asked, peering over at me as Bri sat on the other side of the bed. ¡°He didn¡¯t! That¡¯s incredible news!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she chuckled. ¡°The owners and most of the workers are getting arrested for their cruel treatment of other species. I guess others starteding forward about it as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so d to hear that. You must be so relieved¡­ I know I am,¡± I said, hugging her gently. ¡°I am,¡± she said giving me a faint smile. ¡°But they are sending me elsewhere for a month. Another facility across the kingdom. It¡¯s a detox program. It¡¯s only for a month¡­ but I¡¯m going to have to repeat this semester of school if I don¡¯t want to get expelled.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there waiting for you when you get back. So will Ryan,¡± I assured her. ¡°Will you tell me if he wakes up? His condition still hasn¡¯t changed. It hasn¡¯t improved or gotten worse. But he¡¯s still not awake.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be the first person I call when he wakes up,¡± I assured her again. She nodded with relief on her face. ¡°When do you leave?¡± Brianna asked. ¡°Tomorrow morning. Alpha Bastien is taking me himself. He¡¯s really great. You¡¯re lucky to have such a great father.¡± I smiled at that and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, I am¡­¡± I agreed. After a few moments of catching up, Brianna and Rachel finally left. I felt all sort of tired and I was ready to get some sleep. The doctor came in and gave me some antibiotics and exined that I should be ready to leave the hospital in a couple of days. But they want to monitor me for a few days, just in case. Once he left, I felt exhaustion taking over and I began to drift off to sleep. I¡¯m not sure how long I was out for, but I felt a moment from beside me and when I woke up, I was shocked to see the person sleeping beside me in a chair. His head was on the bed and his body was in the chair. I couldn¡¯t help but whisper out loud¡­ ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± Chapter 92 Chapter 92 L¡¯s POV Enzo jumped awake to the sound of my voice. He looked confused as to where he was for a moment. He nced around the room before his eyesnded on me and then he sighed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes on his. He nced at the clock. ¡°A few hours,¡± he told me and then he looked at the window. ¡°It¡¯s nighttime now. You should get some more sleep.¡± ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Maybe an hour ago,¡± he answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept much.¡± I could see his tired eyes with the dark circles and my heart clenched in my chest. Has he not been sleeping because of me? ¡°You don¡¯t need to stay here,¡± I told him, trying to keep my voice low. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. He stared at me for a long while without saying a word. It made me feel a little ufortable, so I looked away. ¡°What were you doing walking around town at thatte hour?¡± Enzo finally asked. I nced at him with a frown; was he seriously questioning me on this right now? ¡°Rachel wanted a snack from the store¡ª¡± ¡°You know how dangerous it is out there. Especially for a Vna.¡± I rose my brows at him; it sounded like he was worried about me. But that couldn¡¯t have been right. Enzo didn¡¯t like Vna wolves. He found them dangerous and frightening. At least, I thought he did. ¡°We¡¯ve never had an issue in Elysium,¡± I told him. ¡°Many don¡¯t bother us because of my father.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°It was still stupid,¡± he muttered, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°You could have been killed.¡± ¡°But I wasn¡¯t,¡± I said in return. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, Professor Enzo.¡± His jaw tightened as he stared around my face for a moment longer. ¡°You should get some more sleep,¡± he said, looking away from me. I stared at his stern features for a moment longer before sighing in defeat. Maybe he was right; I should get some more sleep. I¡¯ll need my rest if I want to get back to campus by tomorrow evening. We were nearing final week and I needed to be as prepared as possible for finals. This could make or break this semester. I also needed to prepare for my big trip to Monstro with Cassidy-Ann. A tight knot formed in my stomach at the thought of that trip. It was only a month away and I still needed to figure out what to pack for this trip. This is the farthest and longest I¡¯ve ever been from home. I hoped I was ready for such a trip. Monstro is supposed to be beautiful, especially during the summertime. It¡¯s a very tropical and beachy ce so I would have to get a new bathing suit. I wondered if Brianna would want to go shopping with me. ¡°Stop thinking so loud¡­¡± Enzo muttered. I looked over at him; he was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest. ¡°You are thinking so much is distracting to my wolf and we are trying to get some sleep.¡± ¡°You can hear my thoughts?¡± ¡°No¡­ but my wolf can feel your emotions to a point where we can practically hear them,¡± he said in return. His eyes opened and he narrowed them at me. ¡°So, stop,¡± he concluded. I felt my face warming under the intensity of his stares. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said in return. I had never had that feeling before; being able to feel someone¡¯s emotions so intensely that I could practically hear their thoughts. It must be an amazing and yet intense feeling. I wondered why he could feel that way for me, but I couldn¡¯t for him. Maybe I was just broken. ¡°We aren¡¯t broken. It¡¯s because he¡¯s a strong Alpha and he has abilities that our minds could never comprehend,¡± Val chirped from inside of me. I sighed in relief at hearing her voice. I could feel her growing stronger as the moments passed while I was in the hospital, but I couldn¡¯t actually hear her voice until this moment. It was nice knowing she was with me once again. ¡°Oh, Val¡­¡± I breathed to her. ¡°It¡¯s so good to hear from you. Are you well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± she admitted. ¡°I think I need a little more rest. But maybe we could go for a runter. I need to stretch my legs.¡± ¡°I would love that so much,¡± I agreed. ¡°And maybe our mate coulde with us,¡± she suggested. I peered over at Enzo who had his eyes closed once again; I couldn¡¯t tell if he was sleeping or not and I wasn¡¯t going to ask him. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I agreed, but I didn¡¯t even believe those words. I rxed my body and closed my eyes; I could finally get a little bit of sleep. ¡­ I woke up the next morning to some talking outside the hospital room door. I noticed that Enzo was no longer in his chair, and I heard what sounded like my father nearby in the hallway. He must have been talking to some doctors before he entered my room. He gave me a faint smile as he came over to my bedside. ¡°How are you feeling, L Bean?¡± He asked, pressing the palm of his hand to my forehead. ¡°Better,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°Will I be able to return to school tonight?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it,¡± my father said in return with a final nod. ¡°Enzo will take you back.¡± ¡°What?¡± I gasped, staring up at him. ¡°I can take my own car.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if he drove you,¡± my father said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want you wandering around by yourself right now. Those rogues are still out there, and I¡¯m worried they wille and find you.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯d be stupid enough to do that?¡± I asked, raising my own brows. ¡°I can¡¯t be too safe,¡± my father said, kissing the top of my head gently. ¡°I¡¯m also having some gammas patrolling your school. Just in case.¡± ¡°But dad¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want any arguments. My decision is final.¡± I sighed and said nothing more; I only nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay,¡± I finally said after a long pause. ¡°Where¡¯s Professor Enzo?¡± ¡°He had to take care of some stuff. But don¡¯t worry; he¡¯ll be back in time to take you back to school,¡± my father answered. ¡°Get a little bit more rest until then.¡± He began walking toward the entrance of the hospital room. ¡­ Third Person POV ¡°What do you mean she got out?!¡± Sarah hissed into the phone; she was clutching her phone so tightly that her knuckles had grown white. ¡°She was never supposed to escape.¡± ¡°Alpha Bastien and Alpha Enzo got her out.¡± That was news to Sarah; she rose her brows and then furrowed them together. ¡°Alpha Enzo?¡± she asked. ¡°Like my professor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°Why would he got out of his way to help that lowly good-for-nothing wolf?¡± Sarah asked, thinking intently about this. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ maybe she¡¯s his mate?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Sarah scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­ something is weird with them regardless and I¡¯m going to find out what it is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you¡­ she¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°No,¡± Sarah growled. ¡°I¡¯m much stronger.¡± ¡°Just be careful¡­I wouldn¡¯t want you getting hurt.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, Uncle Cyrus.¡± Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Enzo¡¯s POV Brody was healing nicely; he no longer had bruises or cuts on his face, and he was fully awake. His wolf was working overtime to heal him. He was surprised when I walked into the hospital room to see him. It was early the next morning and L was still very much asleep. I didn¡¯t get much sleep after she fell back to sleep but I was able to close my eyes for a little bit. The sound of her breathing and the light snoring that came from her nose wereforting me and my wolf. I felt my entire body rxing and I couldn¡¯t help that stupid smile on my face. Was this what it¡¯s like to have a mate? I shook the thought out of my head and stood to my feet. She looked incredibly peaceful andfortable in the hospital bed. My heart ached for her because I couldn¡¯t be there to protect her fully. I could only imagine the torture she¡¯s been through. I hated that I wasn¡¯t there with her. It was Brody that was there with her. I turned away from her and left the room. The hospital was quiet this early in the morning. Only the sound of some nurses on theputers could be heard for miles down the hallway. I already knew which room Brody was in because I saw them bring him there, but I have yet to check on him. I was surprised to see that he was awake when I walked in. He was eating breakfast and sipping on coffee while watching some early morning television on the large TV that hung on the upper wall. He rose his brows as I entered the room. ¡°Professor Enzo¡­¡± Brody said once I shut the door and faced him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I always check on my students that are injured in the hospital,¡± I told him, keeping my eyes locked on his. I wasn¡¯t the jealous type, and I certainly wasn¡¯t threatened by this jock¡­ but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little irritated that he was the one that was with L when all of this happened and she still ended up incredibly injured. ¡°I haven¡¯t been your student sincest year,¡± Brody said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°You are here to check on L.¡± ¡°That too,¡± I agreed; I kept my voice even so he couldn¡¯t hear through my emotions. ¡°I made a promise to her father that I would protect her. I went with him to get you both out of that chapel.¡± ¡°You were the one who saved us?¡± Brody asked, raising his brows. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± he breathed, shaking his head. ¡°They didn¡¯t really tell me anything. I just know that Alpha Bastien was there, and he got me out of the cell. I assumed he went back in for L as well. I thought it was weird that he saved me first¡­¡± ¡°It was a team effort,¡± I exined. ¡°I got L out and Bastien got you out.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Brody said, shaking his head at the thought. ¡°It was insane in there. I don¡¯t remember much because I was beaten so badly. But I remember her screaming¡­ I can¡¯t get it out of my head.¡± He nced down at his hands while I winced at the very thought. I couldn¡¯t imagine what L must have been going through. What she must have been feeling. My heart hurt at the very thought. I wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But I couldn¡¯t. This was the exact reason why I couldn¡¯t. Men like those were always going to be after her; she was always going to have a target on her back. If I continued to hang around her, they would know her importance to me, and that target will only get bigger. I couldn¡¯t do that to her. ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± I realized Brody has been talking to me. I straightened my stance and looked over at him. ¡°Is L okay? How¡¯s she doing?¡± ¡°She will be returning to campus this evening,¡± I told him. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll be there right behind her.¡± He rose his brows in confusion. ¡°She recovered that quickly?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t as badly injured as you were,¡± I exined. ¡°She¡¯spletely healed. She¡¯s just confused and tired. But for the most part, she¡¯s going to be fine. They are discharging her this afternoon and then I¡¯m going to take her back to school on her father¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Brody said. ¡°I was hoping to see her before she leaves. But I guess I¡¯ll just see her back at school.¡± I stared around Brody¡¯s face for a moment longer; he was nothing more than a jock. He was strong and not bad looking, I¡¯ll give him that. But he wasn¡¯t a match when it came to me. I don¡¯t know why I wasparing myself to him. I turned away and back toward the door. ¡°Just get some more rest. I¡¯m d to see that you are well,¡± I said as I walked toward the doorway. ¡°Thanks for checking on me,¡± he said from behind me. I said nothing more as I left the room. I thought about returning to L¡¯s room, but there was some stuff I needed to take care of back at home, so I went toward the main entrance of the hospital instead. That¡¯s when I saw Bastien walking through the doors. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Bastien asked, raising his brows. ¡°I have some stuff to take care of back at my pack. But I¡¯ll be backter to take L to the school,¡± I assured him. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter then,¡± Bastien said, patting me on the back. ¡°And thank you again for all your help, Enzo. I worry about what would happen if you weren¡¯t there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not think about the worst oue,¡± I said in return as I continued toward the main door. ¡­ Upon entering the Calypso packhouse, I could hear amotioning from the kitchen. It sounded like ss shattering and a woman shrieking. I knew the voice very well and it brought an unsettled chill down my spine. ¡°Oh, my goddess!!¡± She hissed. ¡°Who the hell put you in charge?! You are nothing but a clumsy and pathetic woman!¡± I rushed toward the kitchen and opened the door. I saw ss shattered around the ground and water all over Bethany. Dee was scrambling nervously to get paper towels. ¡°Hurry up, you stupid bitch! It¡¯s ruining my silk clothing,¡± Bethany hissed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Dee stammered. I had never seen her appear this nervous before. Has this been a thing that¡¯s always happened? Has Bethany always been this cruel to her? ¡°Sorry isn¡¯t going to pay for my new outfit, now, is it?¡± Bethany growled. Dee ran back to her with a bunch of paper towels and Bethany snatched it from her hand. ¡°Now, clean up this mess. You shouldn¡¯t even be allowed in a kitchen!¡± Bethany growled. Dee lowered her gaze; she looked so defeated. She looked out of her element and the kitchen was her element. I felt a wave of fury rising through me. Dee went to grab a dustpan and broom, but I mmed the door shut, startling them both. ¡°Dee, leave the kitchen for a moment,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on Bethany. I kept my tone calm and emotionless. I saw the color draining from Bethany¡¯s face as she stared into my eyes. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Dee didn¡¯t hesitate to do as I asked and left the kitchen. ¡°Enzo¡­ I didn¡¯t see you there. I wasn¡¯t expecting you back so soon¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Alpha Enzo,¡± I said, stopping her words. ¡°What right do you have to treat my workers in such a heinous way?¡± ¡°She ruined my outfit and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s water¡­ it¡¯ll dry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s silk. It¡¯ll shrink,¡± she argued in return. ¡°You don¡¯t speak to my people that way, Bethany. Especially not Deanna. I¡¯m going to have to ask you to pack up your things and leave. You¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°What?¡± She gasped, tears instantly filling her eyes. ¡°But Alpha Enzo¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to repeat myself. I want you to be gone by sundown. Is that understood?¡± She looked like she wanted to argue more, but he didn¡¯t. She just sighed and nodded her head once. I didn¡¯t stick around much longer; I turned and left the kitchen. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Dee was leaning against the door, listening to the whole conversation. She looked relieved when she peered up at me. ¡°That woman was awful¡­¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m d she¡¯s leaving.¡± ¡°Next time someone is awful to you like that, please let me know,¡± I told her, bringing the emotions back to my voice. ¡°I would never want you to feel less than¡­¡± She gave me a kind smile and nodded her head once. I started to turn away and go toward my study when I heard her speaking from behind me. ¡°L will be pleased that she¡¯s gone. She couldn¡¯t stand Bethany.¡± Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Enzo¡¯s POV I was finishing some work in my office and thinking about what Dee had said about L not being able to stand Bethany. I knew Bethany and L had some issues, but I had no idea that she would speak to Dee about it. I didn¡¯t ask, but it made me wonder what kind of things were discussed on the topic. Bethany was busy packing her things and I could hear her stomping her feet and giving the staff an attitude from my office. I rolled my eyes and shook my head; she was being ridiculous. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see her father calling a few minutester. ¡°Alpha Enzo. Must you send Bethany back here? It¡¯s still not safe and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop you there,¡± I said, stopping his words. ¡°She¡¯s overstayed her wee. She treats my pack members with disrespect, and I won¡¯t tolerate such behavior. I¡¯m sorry that she¡¯s in danger but protecting her isn¡¯t my duty.¡± Protecting L was my duty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry she was in such trouble,¡± he muttered, a little sarcastic. I didn¡¯t entertain him any further with the phone call and hung up. I was done with that conversation. Before I could fully grasp what had happened, I heard a knocking on the door. I already knew who it was before the door opened. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Ethan asked, eyeing me carefully. My Beta. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, raising my brows. ¡°Since when do you ask?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, shutting the door behind him as he made his way over to one of the chairs in front of my desk. ¡°Things have been weirdtely and I wasn¡¯t sure if you were busy.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I am busy, but I always have time to talk to you,¡± I said with a smirk. Heughed and shook his head. ¡°You get all thedies with that charm. You¡¯ll need to teach me your ways,¡± he said, leaning back in the chair. There seemed to be something on his mind because he fell silent for a moment. ¡°Speaking of ladies¡­ how¡¯s L?¡± I was surprised by the question; Ethan and L don¡¯t talk regrly and when she¡¯s here, I didn¡¯t even think he liked her that much. ¡°She¡¯s recovered nicely. I¡¯m taking her back to campuster,¡± I answered. He nodded, but the look in his eyes told me there was something more he wanted to discuss. ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯m d she¡¯s okay,¡± he breathed, staring down at his hands. ¡°And how are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I asked, raising my brows at him again. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I just mean¡­ seeing her in that position probably wasn¡¯t easy for you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.¡± ¡°Beta, what are you going on about?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask him. I was done pretending something wasn¡¯t wrong. He sighed and met my eyes. ¡°Were you ever going to tell me that L was your mate?¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, staring at him with a wary expression on my face. How could he possibly know that? I hadn¡¯t disclosed that information to anybody. ¡°Maybe because you nearly fall to your knees when she¡¯s in the area,¡± Max snickered. ¡°You make it obvious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make anything obvious,¡± I said in return. ¡°The less people who know she¡¯s my mate, the better.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever you say,¡± Max said, but the humor was still in his voice. ¡°Enzo¡­ I¡¯ve been your best friend since childhood¡­ I know how you are when you are interested in a girl. You have this way about you where you feel like you need to be strong all the time. Like you feel the need to prove yourself to her or something. But there¡¯s something different with L. Your ears literally perk up whenever you hear her name.¡± I instantly reached for my ears and cursed my wolf under my breath. ¡°Whenever she¡¯s around, it¡¯s like you look for her everywhere. I¡¯m not stupid¡­ she¡¯s your mate.¡± I was thinking about denying it, but I didn¡¯t want to lie to my Beta. He was right; he¡¯s been my best friend since we were children and lying to him would only make him distrust me. I couldn¡¯t have my Beta and my friend distrust me so I just sighed. ¡°She¡¯s my mate,¡± I admitted to him. ¡°But you can¡¯t repeat that to anybody. Understood?¡± He had a smile on his face as he stood to his feet, pping his hands excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s incredible news though! You found your mate!¡± ¡°Ethan shut up!¡± I hissed, trying to keep my tone low. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to know about this.¡± ¡°Why not? You should be rushing to marry her,¡± Ethan said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Oh wait¡­ is it because she¡¯s your student? I can see how that would be difficult. Maybe transfer schools? Or quit. It¡¯s not like you even wanted to be a teacher anyways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± I said, shaking my head. He was right about that too; I was only a teacher as a favor to Bastien and themittee. Not that I don¡¯t enjoy what I do but I could do without it. ¡°Then, what is it?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°Is it Connie? I know she¡¯s always had a thing for you, but I meane on¡­ this is your fated mate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Connie either,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s the fact that L is a Vna wolf.¡± Ethan instantly frowned and slowly sat back down in the chair. ¡°Like your mother?¡± Ethan asked, raising his brows. ¡°She¡¯s a Vna¡­ like your mother?¡± I nodded my head once. ¡°If I start seeing her¡­ she will be in immediate danger.¡± ¡°She¡¯s already in danger if she¡¯s a Vna wolf,¡± Ethan said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°But she¡¯s a Vna from Elysium,¡± I said to him. ¡°Specifically, from the Nova pack. Her father is Alpha Bastien¡­ nobody in their right mind would mess with her. Except for rogues apparently.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°And you are worried if you pursue her, then your father¡¯s men will know that she has importance to you and they wille after her in full force,¡± Ethan said with a sigh. It wasn¡¯t a question, but I nodded anyways. ¡°I can¡¯t let anything happen to her, Ethan,¡± I said to him. ¡°I need to protect her¡­ even if it means not being with her.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s stupid, honestly,¡± Ethan said, shaking his head. ¡°But you have to do what you have to do.¡± ¡°I have to protect her,¡± I said with a head nod. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I can to protect her.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV ¡°L!¡± Brody said from his bed once I entered his hospital room. I was relieved to see that he was looking well. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he¡¯s discharged as well. ¡°Brody, I¡¯m so d to see you,¡± I said, rushing toward him and throwing my arms around him. ¡°I was so worried¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m okay,¡± he assured me, hugging me back. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot more than a couple of rogues to knock me down.¡± I chuckled through my tears. ¡°Do you know when you¡¯ll be able to return to school?¡± I asked. ¡°They said in a couple of days. So, I¡¯ll be back in time for finals,¡± he answered. ¡°Oh, good,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m so d to hear that.¡± ¡°I was thinking¡­ when I get out of here¡­ maybe we can study together? For the finals I mean.¡± ¡°I would like that, Brody,¡± I said in return. ¡°I would really like that.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said with a toothy smile. ¡°Then, it¡¯s a date.¡± Wait. What? Chapter 95 Chapter 95 L¡¯s POV ¡°Are you nervous about this new facility?¡± I asked, peering over at Rachel who was in the middle of packing her things. We were both packing. She was packing to head to the rehab facility for the month and I was packing to head back to campus. Rachel looked incredibly nervous as she nodded her head; no words could describe how she was feeling at that moment. I couldn¡¯t me her for being nervous though. Thest facility she went to abused her to the point where she nearly died. I still couldn¡¯t believe that happened in Elysium. Thankfully, my father had that shutdown and almost everyone to took part in that was arrested. ¡°What about you?¡± She asked, peering over at me from across my bed as she folded her clothing. ¡°Are you nervous about finals?¡± I honestly hadn¡¯t thought much about finals. With everything going on, it seemed kind of pointless to stress about something like that. I was just kidnapped and nearly killed; Brody was nearly killed. I shook my head, giving her my best confident smile. ¡°Not a chance; I¡¯m going to crush it,¡± I said brightly. She couldn¡¯t help butugh at my words as she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. You crush everything and anything you set your mind to,¡± she said in return. ¡°Just don¡¯t trash our room. I don¡¯t want toe back, and everything is a mess.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± I chuckled. At that point, my father knocked on the bedroom door before he opened it. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I¡¯m going to take Rachel to the facility now. Are you almost packed, L? Enzo will be here any moment.¡± My heart felt heavy in my chest as I thought about spending more time with Alpha Enzo. He saved me from something terrible and I was incredibly grateful that he was there with me. But I still found myself being nervous around him and I didn¡¯t even know why. ¡°Our mate has that effect on us,¡± Val said with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯spletely normal to have butterflies like that.¡± ¡°Butterflies?¡± I asked her in return. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling?¡± ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she said in return. ¡°We feel intense butterflies. Enzo is incredible in every way, and I think you are now just starting to realize that.¡± I didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore, so I tuned out the rest of what my wolf was saying as I turned to my father and gave him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m almost ready,¡± I told him. Rachel zipped her suitcase and pulled it off my bed. ¡°Thank you for letting me stay here this week,¡± she said to me and my father. ¡°It means a lot that you cared enough to help me.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said as I wrapped my arms around her tightly. ¡°You are one of my best friends, Rachel. I only want what¡¯s best for you. You should know that.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she breathed, rxing into my hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing such a mess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable,¡± I said. ¡°You nearly lost someone very important to you. I don¡¯t me you one bit.¡± I say ¡°nearly¡± because I¡¯m refusing to believe the worst oue; even though Ryan still hasn¡¯t woken up. We pulled apart and I saw the tears in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s only for a month,¡± I reminded her. ¡°Yes, but then it¡¯s summer and you are going to Monstro for two months,¡± she said, wiping at her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t see you for like three months.¡± Iughed and hugged her again. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± I whispered. She hugged me tightly, neither of us wanting to let go. ¡°All right girls,¡± my father said, breaking us up. ¡°It¡¯s not forever. But we need to go now.¡± Rachel nodded and grabbed her suitcase. ¡°Please call me if Ryan wakes up,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Of course,¡± I said in return. After a moment longer, she left behind my father. But not before long, my mother entered my room. ¡°Enzo is waiting downstairs for you,¡± she said, eyeing me carefully. I finished zipping my own bag before walking towards the door, which she was blocking. ¡°Are you going to be okay returning to school so soon after what had happened?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together as she examined my face. ¡°I have to be,¡± I told her in return. ¡°Next week is finals and I need to be prepared.¡± She sighed and gave me a hug. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s anyone, I trust to care for you and watch over you, it¡¯s Alpha Enzo,¡± she breathed. I wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but I chose not to ask her. I hugged her back tightly; feeling thefort of my mother was exactly what I needed at that moment. ¡°I love you, L Bean,¡± she breathed. ¡°I love you too,¡± I said in return. ¡°Oh, and your uncle Don sent over some gammas to patrol the academy, so you¡¯ll bepletely safe.¡± I didn¡¯t want gammas to be watching me like a hawk while I¡¯m trying to study, but something told me I didn¡¯t have a choice. I thanked her and hugged her onest time before I followed her out of my room and down the stairs. Enzo was speaking to my father in the front room before my father left with Rachel. I stared up at Enzo who just looked back at me with zero emotions on his face. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by that. ¡°Ready?¡± He asked. I nodded my head once. I said goodbye to my mother and the twins before getting into Enzo¡¯s car. He was a fast driver and most of the ride was fairly quiet. I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat as the silence only grew more intense and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he could also hear my heartbeat. The palms of my hands were growing sweaty, and I thought maybe I was just getting warm from the heat. ¡°Can we turn on the AC?¡± I asked, peering over at him. He clicked on the AC, and I instantly felt a sudden relief. I looked back at the window, watching as the trees whipped past us. ¡°Are you prepared for finals?¡± He asked. He was making small talk. With me? ¡°I think so,¡± I answered. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Are you prepared for finals for my ss?¡± Oh, he was being a teacher. ¡°I hope so,¡± I answered again. ¡°If you need extra help, I¡¯m avable this week,¡± he said. ¡°My finals are going to be tough; so I¡¯d like you to be as prepared as possible.¡± ¡°Maybe we can prepare after school this week?¡± I asked, peering over at him. He was quiet for a moment, and I saw his jaw tensing. I wondered what that meant. Isn¡¯t that what he was getting at? That he wanted me to prepare? When he didn¡¯t respond I decided to speak again. ¡°Thank you for taking me back to school. I could have driven myself,¡± I told him. ¡°It¡¯s better if I drive you,¡± he said in return. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to you on the road.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that but thankfully I didn¡¯t have to. His phone started ringing before another word was uttered. I could see the annoyance on his face as he reached for his phone and answered it. ¡°Yes?¡± He paused for a moment as he listened to whoever was on the other end, and I heard a small gasp escape his lips. ¡°Yes, thank you. We are on our way,¡± he said quickly, as he hung up the phone. We? He began to speed up; I clutched the side of my seat, feeling my heart racing the faster he drove. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked. ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°It was the Hig hospital,¡± he said, ncing at me briefly before fixating his attention on the road. ¡°Ryan¡¯s woke up.¡± Chapter 96 Chapter 96 L¡¯s POV I heard what Enzo said, but I still couldn¡¯t process it. Ryan has been in aa for almost a month with no signs of waking. Now, he was finally awake. The same day that Rachel was going away to a rehab facility. This wasn¡¯t fair. But at the same time, it was so incredible that he was actually awake! Enzo picked up speed and we got to the hospital quickly. I didn¡¯t waste any time getting out of the car and running toward the main entrance. Enzo was behind me and by the time we got to Ryan¡¯s room, he was surrounded by doctors and nurses who seemed surprised that he was awake as well. He was looking well too, which was odd for someone who was just in aa. His wolf must have been working extra hard to heal him. He nced around at all the surprised faces, and I could see the fear in his eyes. I¡¯m sure he was incredibly confused as to what had happened. I wondered if he remembered anything at all. He scanned the room briefly, ignoring the questions that were thrown at him until his eyes reached mine. I saw a flicker of recognition in his gaze before he gave me a broad smile. ¡°I guess I died,¡± he joked with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m going to be known as the dude that beat death.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh; he had the same sense of humor that I remember so well. I would have run to him and hugged him, but I couldn¡¯t get past all the doctors that surrounded him. ¡°You look well,¡± I said to him, and I meant that. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He looked warily for a moment as he thought about how to answer that loaded question. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Like I¡¯ve been asleep for a month,¡± he said in return. ¡°That was some party thought, right? Some might say¡­ it was a banger.¡± I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief. I couldn¡¯t believe he could joke about something like that. Then again, it was Ryan. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. I nced over at Enzo who remained at the doorway, and he just rolled his eyes at Ryan¡¯s jokes. Ryan was keeping his eyes on me, and I knew there was a question on his lips, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to ask. ¡°How¡¯s Rachel?¡± He finally asked. ¡°I hope she didn¡¯t get too hurt.¡± My heart fell into my stomach at the mention of Rachel. I nced back at Enzo who looked at me as well and when Ryan got a glimpse of our look of exchange, his shoulders slumped in defeat. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°She¡¯s not here because she doesn¡¯t want to be. Is she mad at me?¡± ¡°What? No, of course not,¡± I said quickly. ¡°She¡¯s not mad at you at all. She was incredibly worried about you, Ryan. She loves you¡­¡± ¡°Then, why isn¡¯t she here?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°She wasn¡¯t super hurt too was she? Is she in a room somewhere?¡± ¡°Not anymore,¡± I answered. I wasn¡¯t sure how to tell him that his girlfriend rpsed and was on her way to the hospital. ¡°Then, what is it?¡± He urged. He nced at the doctors that were poking him. ¡°Can you give us a minute?¡± He asked, clearly annoyed. They all looked at one another before nodding and leaving the room; leaving the three of us alone. I stepped closer to Ryan¡¯s bed. ¡°L, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ryan asked again. ¡°Where¡¯s Rachel?¡± ¡°Just tell him so we can go,¡± Enzo muttered from the doorway. ¡°Tell me what?¡± Ryan urged again. I sighed; I had to tell him the truth. ¡°Rachel was losing hope that you¡¯d ever recover. She was miserable and then she¡­¡± my voice fell short as I thought of the best way to phrase this next sentence. ¡°She rpsed¡­ didn¡¯t she¡­?¡± Ryan finished my sentence for me. I nodded my head once. ¡°Yes¡­ ¡°I told him. ¡°So, I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s going back to the facility to detox?¡± ¡°A different facility. One that¡¯s much further away. But it¡¯s the best chance that she has to be normal again. It¡¯s also only for a month, so she will be back before you know it,¡± I assured him. He didn¡¯t look super certain, but he gave me a faint smile anyways. ¡°Will I be able to call her?¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯ll get you the number for the facility and you can call her right away.¡± He nodded his thanks before lying his head back down on his pillow. ¡°I¡¯m really tired right now though. I¡¯m going to get some sleep,¡± he told me, closing his eyes. ¡°Haven¡¯t you slept enough?¡± I teased, turning away from him but not before I saw a flicker of a smile on his lips. ¡°So, you got jokes now?¡± Ryan teased back. ¡°What else did I miss?¡± ¡°A lot,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you up another day. Or maybe Rachel can catch you up.¡± We said our goodbyes before leaving and getting back into Enzo¡¯s car. The school wasn¡¯t too far from the hospital, so it was a short and quiet drive. ¡°If you¡¯re going to spend the day studying tomorrow, you should get some rest tonight,¡± Enzo said as he got out of his car. ¡°Why do you care?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to see you back in my ss next year,¡± he said in return, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes at him and started heading toward my dorm room but his voice made me stop in my tracks. ¡°When do you leave for Monstro?¡± He asked. My entire body froze, and my heart thudded against my chest violently. ¡°Next month,¡± I answered. ¡°After the semester concludes.¡± ¡°What exactly are you going there for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Cassidy-Ann¡¯s assistant. I have to be there if she¡¯s there. Plus, it might be a really good opportunity for me at that school. Leroy Klein told me to bring him my portfolio and¡ª¡± ¡°So, you are nning on transferring.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought too much about it yet,¡± I told him honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if he likes my portfolio.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but did I do something wrong?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°Why am I getting the third degree?¡± ¡°I just want to make sure you thought this through before you make any rash decisions,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say to that, so I just nodded my thanks and went straight for the building of dorms. I was more tired than I thought; my eyes were hardly able to remain open as I slumped up the stairs and toward my dorm room. ¡­ Third Person POV Sarah was walking through the long corridors of the academy dorms when she decided to take a walk outside and clear her head. Obviously, her n to get rid of L had failed so now she was going to be stuck with her until Goddess knew when. They were having an election the next year to decide the leader of the studentmittee and Sarah had a lot of students on her side already. She was very popr and incredibly rich. She had no doubt in her mind that she would win. As she went outside, she paused when she saw a car pulling into the parking lot. Nobody typically came in at thiste hour, so that was odd. Sarah paused, waiting to see who emerged from the car and what she saw, she couldn¡¯t believe. Getting out of the driver¡¯s side was Professor Enzo and, in the passenger, side was L. They were arriving at the academy. TogetherN?velDrama.Org content. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 L¡¯s POV It was strange being here without Rachel. The dorm room seemed so big and empty. Most of her stuff was gone except for her purple and ck bedding and a few minor essories. We were only going to be apart for a short time, but still, I missed her terribly. I was counting on her eye for fashion to help me pack for my trip to Monstro. Monstro is a very tropical and beachy ce, which is something I don¡¯t have a lot of experience in. I have never been anywhere like that before. For most of my life, since I was only 3 years old, I¡¯ve lived in Elysium. Between Elysium and Hig was the farthest I¡¯ve ever traveled throughout the werewolf kingdom. Rachel was practically going to a whole new continent to partake in this detox program. She was going through so much and my heart ached for her, but she was going to be incredibly happy when she heard Ryan¡¯s voice. I was still in shock that he was awake. But it was a good shock. As Iid my head on my pillow, I felt my eyes growing even more heavy. It was only a matter of time before sleep took over and the rest of the world would fade to ck. ¡­ The next morning. I promised Ba I would study with her in the library. Finals were next week and with everything going on these past couple of weeks, I haven¡¯t had a chance to study much. Between the fire at Ryan¡¯s party and getting kidnapped, my head was aplete mess. It waster in the afternoon when I went to the library to meet with her and I realized I hadn¡¯t seen Enzo all day. The academy gave us the week off so we can study on our own time, so I wouldn¡¯t have seen him in ss. But I wondered what he was up to. Categories Search¡­ We didn¡¯t talk much since he saved me from being kidnapped and spent a lot of time at the hospital with me. Once they drained me of the starlight that was put into my body, Val was able to heal the rest of me fairly quickly. Brody, on the other hand, was so injured that he had to remain in the hospital for an extra day or so. At the time I was still a little weak and afraid of what using my powers would do, so I didn¡¯t help him in the healing department, but I made a note to myself to visit himter this evening. I wanted to help him get out of the hospital as soon as possible so he didn¡¯t fall behind on his studies. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ba asked as I sat down at the table across from her in the library. I ced a few of my textbooks and notebook in front of me. ¡°A lot better,¡± I told her. I wasn¡¯t going to tell her that those rogues were still in my mind though. I managed to scare them away with my shadows, but they were still out there somewhere. Cyrus was still out there somewhere. He wanted my powers and he wanted to know how they worked. They would have done anything to figure out what gives me my abilities. I shuddered at the very thought. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re able to study?¡± Ba asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been through a lot thesest few days. I couldn¡¯t believe it when your mom reached out to me and told me everything. She said as your friend, I deserved to know. I wanted toe see you but she said the best thing I can do is stay here and wait for your return.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, there was no need for you toe to Elysium,¡± I assured her kindly. ¡°I appreciate your offering though. The best ce for you is right here. I hope you got a lot of studying done in the meantime.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°I could hardly study with how worried I was about you,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°I thought Elysium was supposed to be your safe ce. Nobody would dare got to Elysium to hunt for Vna wolves.¡± ¡°Sssshhhh!¡± Someone from across the library shushed. I mouthed my apologies and turned back to Ba. ¡°Apparently these rogues didn¡¯t the memo,¡± I said in a hushed whisper. ¡°There¡¯s only so much my father can do. He¡¯s the leader of the Alphamittee but unless he has the rest of the werewolf world on his side, he¡¯s powerless against those who wish us harm. Most of the world finds us threatening because of how powerful we are. It¡¯s something he¡¯s been actively trying to change¡­ but as I said, he can only do so much.¡± ¡°What would it take for him to get the support of the rest of the world?¡± I thought about it for a moment, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°But I¡¯m hoping one day he will figure it out. Until then, he has to do what¡¯s best for his pack and for Elysium as a whole. Those in Elysium respect him and his leadership. Even those not in the Nova pack. That¡¯s why Elysium has always been incredibly safe. At least it was safe¡­¡± She looked like she wanted to say something, but no words were enough to express her worried emotions. She lowered her gaze to her books, and I sighed, feeling a little defeated and a lot drained. I trust Elysium and I trust that Vna¡¯s are safe there. There aren¡¯t many of us; at least, I don¡¯t think there are. We¡¯ve gotten good at blending in with the rest of the world. The only Vnas I know for sure that is in Elysium are my mother and me. However, I know there are others scattered across the world and my dream is to make this world a safe ce for them all. I want them to roam free and out of hiding; I want them to feel safe in this werewolf world and not have to worry about others either wanting them dead or harvesting their abilities. I want to travel this world and meet others that are like me. I want to paint them and paint my adventures along the way. Then, once I¡¯m done with these adventures, I want to open my own art studio, using these paintings, so everyone can see the world through my eyes. That¡¯s my dream in life and that¡¯s a dream I¡¯ll do anything to achieve. Leroy Klein can jumpstart that dream if things go well in Monstro. ¡°Am I missing all the fun?¡± A familiar voice said from nearby. I nearly jumped to my feet with a saw Brody walking toward us with his boyish and lopsided grin. He looked incredibly well; like wasn¡¯t beaten at all and that today was just a normal day for him. Ba gasped when she saw him, and this made his grin widen. ¡°Good to see youdies too,¡± he said, running his fingers through his shaggy mess of hair. He walked around the table and sat in the empty chair beside me. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be out of the hospital for at least another day,¡± I told him, looking around his seemingly uninjured face. ¡°I was going toe to see youter.¡± ¡°Figured I¡¯de to see you first,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°My wolf worked all night at healing the rest of my injuries. They discharged me a day early and I traveled back this morning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really good to see that you are well,¡± I said, still in disbelief. ¡°It must have been really scary¡­¡± Ba breathed, ncing between the two of us. ¡°For you both.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t handle,¡± Brody shrugged. ¡°I was more worried about L than anything. But if I¡¯m going to be the Alpha of the Yellowstone pack, then I must be prepared for anything.¡± Yellowstone was another pack inside of Elysium; it was also where Brody¡¯s grandmother and father lived. I found this out about him recently. I should have known that he was next in line to be an Alpha. He had Alpha energy. ¡°I¡¯m just d Enzo and Bastien were there to help us,¡± Brody continued. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what would have happened if they didn¡¯t show up.¡± I was going to say something more, but before I could, I felt a familiar presence that made me freeze up completely. I turned toward the doorway and saw Enzo. He was walking straight toward me Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 ¨C Practicing for the finals L¡¯s POV My breathing got caught in my throat; I¡¯m sure my face was showing none of the emotions that my wolf was feeling at that moment. He was taking long strides across the library and toward our direction. Brody and Ba also noticed him, and they immediately started to study. But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look away from him. How was he this good-looking? I could hear Val chuckling at my inner thoughts, and I worked hard to ignore her, but I couldn¡¯t help the smile tugging at my own lips. He finally stopped once he reached our table and his eyes never left mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said to me, turning away. He was about to walk toward the door, but I remained unmoving, so he paused and looked back at me with a questioning look. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, trying to treat him as professionally as I could with others watching. ¡°You wanted to study more for your finals. I¡¯m going to work with you to prepare you for the finals in my ss,¡± he answered, keeping his tone as even as possible. I nced at Brody and Ba for a moment, both of them staring at me with raised eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m studying with them right now. Maybeter?¡± ¡°I have meetingster,¡± he told me, seemingly annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s now or never. I¡¯m incredibly busy and I¡¯m the one doing you the favor.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ba assured me with a sweet smile. ¡°We can study togetherter.¡± I looked at Brody who didn¡¯t look as understanding as Ba, but he didn¡¯t argue either. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, packing up my stuff and shoving it into my backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guyster.¡± Categories Search¡­ I stood up and followed Enzo out of the library. The walk to the arena was quiet and it was a little awkward as I trailed closely behind him. As we walked, I heard the snickering of Sarah from nearby. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised to see her with Scott. Although, part of me thought that maybe they broke up during her time away from school. But his arm firmly around her waist and pulling her closer to him proved otherwise. They both noticed me as I walked by, and they continued their whispering; only a little more affectionately to try to get to me. It didn¡¯t work though. I ignored them as I walked past them and toward the arena at the end of the hallway. Enzo already had his equipment set up and was waiting for us when we arrived. Before I could say or do anything, he took off his shirt and threw it to the ground. I felt my heart quickening its pace and my face grew incredibly warm. I remembered how warm I was a few weeks ago when I was at the Nova packhouse and how Enzo helped me relieve some of that pressure. My face continued to warm at the very memory, and I could feel Val wiggling in delight. I couldn¡¯t go into heat right here while we were practicing for the final next week. I needed to try and keep a calm head. I didn¡¯t realize he was staring at me until he cleared his throat. I looked up at his strong and stern face as he poured his dark eyes into me. ¡°Are you going to just stand there, are you going to pick a weapon?¡± I rose my brows at him and nced at his wall of weapons. ¡°Pick a weapon?¡± I asked, rifying his request. ¡°My exam is made up of three categories. Weapon battle, hand battle, and shifting battle. We are going to start with a weapon battle. You get to choose the weapon. You¡¯ll be battling a series of professionally trained opponents that will be arriving next week for the exam. You knock the opponent to the ground and get your foot on the stomach to pin them down, you pass that section of the exam. The final part of the exam is fighting multiple opponents in any style you like. Once they are knocked to the ground, they are out. Once each opponent is out, you pass the exam. You fail one¡­ you fail all.¡± ¡°If I fail¡­ then I don¡¯t pass the ss?¡± I asked. I wasn¡¯t too worried because I knew I could fight in any form, but I didn¡¯t have a lot practice with shifting and I worried that might be an issue during this final exam. ¡°Yes. But I will also give you an opportunity to schedule a redo once finals arepleted. I¡¯ll give you another chance to pass the exam. If you fail again, then you¡¯ll have to repeat this semester¡¯s ss.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. ¡°Then, I guess I can¡¯t fail.¡± ¡°I guess not,¡± he said in agreement, raising only one brow. It was incredibly sexy, and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself calm. This was something he noticed, and his eyes darkened as he stared at my mouth. ¡°Pick out a weapon,¡± he repeated, pulling his eyes away from me and turning toward his own supplies. I walked over to his wall of weapons, staring at all the silver and sharp items in awe. We rarely worked with these weapons¡­ usually only fake ones. I was surprised we were using real weapons during this exam. We could seriously injure someone. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never used these before though; most of them, my uncle Donovan had trained me in. So, I was fairly confident that I could fight easily with any weapon that I chose. I decided to go with the de; it was small and simple. It was also beautiful; the handle looked hand carved. It was red with golden swirls and the sharp de was silver. I could see my reflection clearly in the de; it looked brand new. ¡°Interesting choice,¡± he said, eyeing me carefully. He had a sword himself, which didn¡¯t surprise me. Enzo held the sword with such elegance as he took his stance, daring me to attack him. I felt a smile tugging at my lips; I¡¯d been wanting to fight him like this for a while now. Maybe because I was frustrated with his hot and cold attitude toward me; or maybe because I figured it would be fun. Either way, I wasn¡¯t going to hold back. Without further thought, I spun around with the de in my hands and used my feet to attack him first. I think it took him by surprise that I didn¡¯t use the de first because he stumbled at first, but then recovered himself quickly, using the sword to block my attack. He spun the sword around his back and went for an attack; I did a backflip to dodge his attack but as I was in the air I swung the de toward his face, purposely missing him by only a hair. However, he moved in a way that caught me off guard and I nearly fell on my own face. He grabbed my arm before Inded on the ground and twisted me around to face him. I lifted the de in the air, ready to pretend to stab him but that sparkle and yfulness in his eyes took my breath away. It only took that moment of distraction but soon he was spinning me around quickly and the sword swept under my feet,nding me on the ground. I heard the clinking of the de on the ground beside me and Enzo let out a low and threateningugh as he fell on top of me to pin me to the ground. We were both breathing heavily, and my face was growing warmer by the moment. He stared at me for a long while, matching his breathing and his chest movements to mine. Sweat dripped off his chiseled chest, making my mouth nearly water and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at his incredible abs that were only inches from my face. I found myself reaching up to him and running my fingers down his eight-pack andnding just above his pant lining. I saw a yful smile appearing on his lips as I bit mine, trying to keep my wolf under control, but I feared she would soon set herself free and I would be doomed to him. He soon closed the small gap thaty between us; his lipsnding on mine gently. It was like he was asking a question, which I answered when I wrapped my arms around him and pressed myself further into him. Enzo settled himself between my legs and I couldn¡¯t help but wrap myself around him. Val was going insane, and I was pleased to be able to give her this kind of satisfaction. I felt his teeth grazing my bottom lip, tugging at it hungrily and bringing it into his mouth. I ran my fingers through his thick mound of hair; I wanted so much more of him. I needed so much more of him. But our moment was cut incredibly short when I heard the mming of the arena doors and he jumped off me quickly, staring at the person who was interrupting us. I looked over at the door and I saw the dumbstruck face of Connie. #Chapter 99 Connie knows the truth L¡¯s POV ¡°What the hell do you think you two are doing?!¡± Connie growled. She was storming over to us with rage on her face. I scrambled to my feet, adjusting my tank top that was way above my belly button at that point. There was a moment of panic of being caught; my heart was racing and I could hardly contain my breath. My face was hot from the pure horror of the situation, and it must have been red as an apple. I stumbled backward; almost worried about what she might do. Not that I couldn¡¯t defend myself; but did I really want to fight her? She was technically a professor at this academy, even if she was just a contracted fill-in. Plus, she was Enzo¡¯s¡­ well, actually I don¡¯t know what she is to him. She spent the night at his ce and when I saw her, she was practically naked. She hangs around him and flirts with him constantly, and he lets her! I nced up at Enzo to see his reaction and to my surprise, he looked more annoyed than worried. Wasn¡¯t he worried about being found out? ¡°What are you doing here, Connie?¡± He finally asked, keeping his eyes on hers. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here with her, and I wanted to make sure there was no funny business. What are you thinking? What if it was someone else that walked in?¡± What was she talking about? ¡°We were practicing for the finals,¡± Enzo went on to exin. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°That didn¡¯t look like practicing, Enzo,¡± Connie hissed, lowering her tone. ¡°Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten in? The school board will not care if she is your mate!¡± What? Connie knew the truth?! I couldn¡¯t help the gasp that came from my mouth and the horror that was expressed on my face. Connie nced at me, narrowing her eyes in my direction. ¡°Yes¡­ I know the truth,¡± she said like she was reading my mind. ¡°And don¡¯t worry¡­I won¡¯t say a word. But you both need to stop being careless about it.¡± She snapped a look at Enzo at thatst part. I was frozen in my ce¡­pletely stunned. He told her? Why would he tell her something like this? ¡°Seriously, though Enzo¡­ you¡¯ve gotten careless. Have you lost your mind? In the middle of the arena?!¡± ¡°You need to leave, Connie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± I found myself saying, trying to recollect my thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What exactly is going on here? Connie knows?¡± I looked up at him with confusion all over my face. He was still staring at Connie with a deadly look in his eyes. Actually, they were staring at each other. ¡°Yes,¡± he finally said through his teeth. ¡°She knows the truth.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked, still staring at him. ¡°Enzo¡­ did you not tell her about our rtionships?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°It didn¡¯te up,¡± he muttered in return. ¡°Your rtionship?¡± I asked, staring between them both. Connie rolled her eyes at Enzo and nced down at me. ¡°I¡¯m his best friend,¡± she shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other since childhood. His mother practically raised me.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, staring up at Enzo in disbelief. Was he ever going to tell me this information? ¡°This isn¡¯t the time,¡± he muttered, staring at her without even giving me a second look. ¡°If not now¡­then when?¡± She asked in return, raising her brows. ¡°Are you seriously going to be this careless?¡± ¡°I should go,¡± I said quickly, staring between the two of them. I couldn¡¯t take any more of awkwardness. Enzo finally pulled his eyes away from Connie to look at me. For a moment, I thought I sawpassion. He narrowed his eyes at me and said, ¡°Okay¡­¡± I looked up at Connie who was still straring at me with her lips firmly pressed together. My face reddened under the intensity of her stares and I found myself ncing at my feet. I wasn¡¯t a nervous person in general, but I felt a little intimidated by her. I needed to look away. ¡°Thank you for practiciting with me,¡± I said quickly as I went to grab my belongings. He said nothing as I scurried out of the room. Just as I walked out of the arena, I was surprised to see Brody walking in my direction. ¡°Oh, hey,¡± he said, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°I wasing by to see if you wanted someone to walk you back to your dorm.¡± He looked so genuine and polite when he spoke to me that I couldn¡¯t help the smile that tugged at my lips. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you,¡± I said in return. ¡°Thank you. I would like that.¡± His grin widened and he held out his arm for me to take. Brody was kind and he felt safe. I knew he was honest with me and he was incredibly strong from what I could tell. I could get used to having him around as my friend. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L was gone as quickly as Connie came. Connie was still ring at me with deadly eyes. ¡°Seriously, Enzo?¡± She hissed. ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my mate, Connie, ¡° I said, turning away from her. I was starting to walk toward my belongings. I didn¡¯t want to hear any more of what she had to say. All I could think about at that moment was L and how incredible she looked and felt against my body. My wolf was going absolutely insane for her. My heart was racing at a quickened speed. ¡°Enzo¡­ are you even listening to me?!¡± She growled from behind me. ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± I said firmly in return, turning to re at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t your business, Connie.¡± ¡°You could have gotten fired.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t,¡± I said narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t get fired and I need you to stop.¡± She stares at me for a long while, watching as I finished packing my things into my bag. ¡°I do this because I care about you, Enzo. If you want to keep your job and work on getting the best reputation around the kingdom and being the number one Alpha, then you need to behave yourself and not get caught with your student. Regardless of if she¡¯s your mate or not, you could get into huge trouble.¡± I knew she was right, but I no longer wished to discuss this. I finished grabbing my things and started to leave, but not before pausing and staring over at her. ¡°Please, don¡¯t say anything more to her,¡± I pleaded. She stared at me for a moment longer. ¡°Then, don¡¯t be stupid again,¡± she said in return. I sighed and turned away, leaving the arena. Just as I got into the hallway, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I grabbed it and looked at the screen, feeling my heart falling into my stomach and my annoyance surfacing. ¡°Yes?¡± I asked on the phone. ¡°Alpha Enzo? It¡¯s Bethany¡­¡± I already knew who it was. Then, she continued. ¡°Can we grab dinner?¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What can I help you with?¡± I asked, trying to retain my professionalism and not let the annoyance get the best of me. ¡°I feel like we didn¡¯t end things on the proper note and it¡¯spletely my fault. I wanted to apologize in a proper way. If you¡¯d let me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary,¡± I said, seconds away from hanging up. ¡°I know I did you wrong and I¡¯m sorry for that. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to your helpers like that. I wish you would give me a chance to exin myself¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to exin anything, Bethany.¡± ¡°Please, Alpha. Allow to me apologize by treating you to dinner soon. Please say yes¡­¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I couldn¡¯t get Enzo out of my mind regardless of how hard I tried. I hated that I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. I shook my head at the thought and continued studying. Finals were only a few days away and I didn¡¯t have the time to wallow over a guy. Especially not a guy who¡¯s my professor. ¡°Did you practice a lot with Professor Enzo?¡± Ba asked, peering over at me. ¡°Do you feel prepared?¡± I thought about it for a moment; I thought about how to answer that question. ¡°I think so,¡± I said honestly. ¡°He told me the threeponents of his examination. Weapon battle, hand battle, and shifting battle. As long as we do all three, then we can pass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± she said with a lightugh. ¡°I can do all those things. At least, I think I can¡­¡± ¡°Oh, and another thing¡­¡± I said, ncing over at her. ¡°We are using real weapons.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°What?¡± She gasped loudly. ¡°But we¡¯ve only ever seen fake weapons. How does he expect us to use real ones without hurting each other?¡± ¡°We will have to be incredibly careful,¡± I said in return. ¡°I have faith in us that we will be able to pass these finals with flying colors.¡± She looked uncertain for a few moments, but then she smiled and nodded. ¡°Ipletely agree with you,¡± she finally said, ncing down at her books. For the rest of the afternoon, we studied together. By the end of the night, I was feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. As I was returning to my dorm, I paused when I saw Brody looking worried by the student lounge. He was speaking on the phone for a moment before hanging up and shoving it into his pocket. I could tell from his face that something was seriously wrong. ¡°Brody?¡± I asked, stepping toward him. He paused when he saw me, and I could tell he was forcing a smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him with a worried frown. He looked at me for a short moment before sighing. ¡°The Alpha banquet is after graduation and I don¡¯t have a date,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. Of course, I had heard about the Alpha banquet. My father attends every year. It¡¯s a gathering of Alphas that they have at least once a year. They have amazing food and drinks and a lot of music with dancing. ¡°As a future Alpha, this is my first time going; I¡¯m going to look stupid if I attend alone¡­¡± Brody continued. Most Alphas have a future Luna lined up. Ipletely forgot about this even with everything going on and I didn¡¯t even think about Enzo attending it. He didn¡¯t even ask me about it. I couldn¡¯t help the disappointed feeling I felt. This event was supposed to happen before my trip to Monstro, just before summer. So, it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t attend. ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± I tried to assure him. ¡°You could never look like a fool Brody. You don¡¯t need a potential Luna lined up. You¡¯re incredibly strong and brave. You should be proud of your achievements already.¡± ¡°This is really important,¡± he sighed. ¡°I want everyone to know that I can be the Alpha they need and deserve.¡± ¡°And you will be, With or without a luna,¡± I assured him. I hadn¡¯t even thought about such an event because of everything going on but the realization dawned on me as soon as Brody had mentioned it. Enzo hadn¡¯t asked me to this event, and I understood why. Though it hurt a little, I wasn¡¯t going to stress about it; not now anyways. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Brody said, eyeing me carefully. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡± I stared up at him in shock; attending the Alpha banquet with an Alpha was kind of a big deal. Everybody would think I was his future Luna. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea,¡± I said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Plus, I have to prepare for my trip to Monstro. So, I don¡¯t really have a lot of time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only for one night,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°It would be fun to hang out before you leave. Can you at least think about it?¡± I sighed but I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± We parted ways shortly after that conversation and I went back to my dorm room. I left my phone on my bed for most of the day. It was almost thest weekend of the semester, and I was growing more nervous as time moved forward. Pretty soon, this semester will be over, and I will be on my way to Monstro for the summer. ¡°I don¡¯t like being away from our mate for this long,¡± Val breathed sadly, bowing her head in defeat. ¡°We should bring him with us or stay with him.¡± ¡°This is my dream, Val,¡± I told her. ¡°I can¡¯t just back out of it. Plus, I already promised Cassidy-Ann that I would apany her. She bought the ne tickets and everything.¡± I could feel Val¡¯s sadness over the situation, and I didn¡¯t me her. It was going to be hard being away from him for this long. He hasn¡¯t even mentioned the trip to me since finding out about it. I was thinking maybe he just didn¡¯t care at all. My heart was sad, but I suppose it didn¡¯t matter. The next morning, I woke up to a text from Brianna. ¡°We should go into town tonight and go shopping for your trip!¡± she said excitedly. That actually sounded really good. I could use some girl time and Bri had a good eye for fashion. She could help me pick out some really nice clothing for my trip to Monstro. ¡°That sounds great!¡± I texted in return. ¡°I¡¯ll see if Ba wants toe with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to Hig tonight! They have the best boutiques. We can grab some dinner too!¡± Later that night, Brianna arrived at the academy. Ba and Brianna came to my dorm room, excited for a little shopping therapy. I was excited too. We hardly ever got to do something like this, and it would be nice to get my mind off of things. It¡¯ll be nice to get my mind off Enzo. Hig on a Friday night was absolutely perfect. The lights around the city were perfect; it was swarming with people and music. We went to different boutiques and picked out a bunch of clothing, a lot of cute summer outfits, and bathing suits. As we walked on the sidewalks of the busy city, I smelled something absolutely delicious. Val perked up as well and I could feel her excitement. It had to have been a restaurant with the most delicious food. My stomach was growling at the very thought. I went in the direction of the amazing aroma with Bri on my trail. I paused as I got to a window of a small restaurant. I breathed in the amazing scent and heard the howling of my wolf in my mind. She was way too excited for this food. Once I got a look in the window to see the food that was making my mouth water and my wolf crazy, my heart dropped into my stomach, and I stared in shock. It wasn¡¯t food at all. It was Professor Enzo. And he wasn¡¯t alone. Sitting across from him, chuckling and touching his arm, was Bethany. They were on a date. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What can I help you with?¡± I asked, trying to retain my professionalism and not let the annoyance get the best of me. ¡°I feel like we didn¡¯t end things on the proper note and it¡¯spletely my fault. I wanted to apologize in a proper way. If you¡¯d let me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary,¡± I said, seconds away from hanging up. ¡°I know I did you wrong and I¡¯m sorry for that. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken to your helpers like that. I wish you would give me a chance to exin myself¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to exin anything, Bethany.¡± ¡°Please, Alpha. Allow to me apologize by treating you to dinner soon. Please say yes¡­¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I couldn¡¯t get Enzo out of my mind regardless of how hard I tried. I hated that I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. I shook my head at the thought and continued studying. Finals were only a few days away and I didn¡¯t have the time to wallow over a guy. Especially not a guy who¡¯s my professor. ¡°Did you practice a lot with Professor Enzo?¡± Ba asked, peering over at me. ¡°Do you feel prepared?¡± I thought about it for a moment; I thought about how to answer that question. ¡°I think so,¡± I said honestly. ¡°He told me the threeponents of his examination. Weapon battle, hand battle, and shifting battle. As long as we do all three, then we can pass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± she said with a lightugh. ¡°I can do all those things. At least, I think I can¡­¡± ¡°Oh, and another thing¡­¡± I said, ncing over at her. ¡°We are using real weapons.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°What?¡± She gasped loudly. ¡°But we¡¯ve only ever seen fake weapons. How does he expect us to use real ones without hurting each other?¡± ¡°We will have to be incredibly careful,¡± I said in return. ¡°I have faith in us that we will be able to pass these finals with flying colors.¡± She looked uncertain for a few moments, but then she smiled and nodded. ¡°Ipletely agree with you,¡± she finally said, ncing down at her books. For the rest of the afternoon, we studied together. By the end of the night, I was feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. As I was returning to my dorm, I paused when I saw Brody looking worried by the student lounge. He was speaking on the phone for a moment before hanging up and shoving it into his pocket. I could tell from his face that something was seriously wrong. ¡°Brody?¡± I asked, stepping toward him. He paused when he saw me, and I could tell he was forcing a smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him with a worried frown. He looked at me for a short moment before sighing. ¡°The Alpha banquet is after graduation and I don¡¯t have a date,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. Of course, I had heard about the Alpha banquet. My father attends every year. It¡¯s a gathering of Alphas that they have at least once a year. They have amazing food and drinks and a lot of music with dancing. ¡°As a future Alpha, this is my first time going; I¡¯m going to look stupid if I attend alone¡­¡± Brody continued. Most Alphas have a future Luna lined up. Ipletely forgot about this even with everything going on and I didn¡¯t even think about Enzo attending it. He didn¡¯t even ask me about it. I couldn¡¯t help the disappointed feeling I felt. This event was supposed to happen before my trip to Monstro, just before summer. So, it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t attend. ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± I tried to assure him. ¡°You could never look like a fool Brody. You don¡¯t need a potential Luna lined up. You¡¯re incredibly strong and brave. You should be proud of your achievements already.¡± ¡°This is really important,¡± he sighed. ¡°I want everyone to know that I can be the Alpha they need and deserve.¡± ¡°And you will be, With or without a luna,¡± I assured him. I hadn¡¯t even thought about such an event because of everything going on but the realization dawned on me as soon as Brody had mentioned it. Enzo hadn¡¯t asked me to this event, and I understood why. Though it hurt a little, I wasn¡¯t going to stress about it; not now anyways. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Brody said, eyeing me carefully. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me?¡± I stared up at him in shock; attending the Alpha banquet with an Alpha was kind of a big deal. Everybody would think I was his future Luna. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea,¡± I said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Plus, I have to prepare for my trip to Monstro. So, I don¡¯t really have a lot of time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only for one night,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°It would be fun to hang out before you leave. Can you at least think about it?¡± I sighed but I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± We parted ways shortly after that conversation and I went back to my dorm room. I left my phone on my bed for most of the day. It was almost thest weekend of the semester, and I was growing more nervous as time moved forward. Pretty soon, this semester will be over, and I will be on my way to Monstro for the summer. ¡°I don¡¯t like being away from our mate for this long,¡± Val breathed sadly, bowing her head in defeat. ¡°We should bring him with us or stay with him.¡± ¡°This is my dream, Val,¡± I told her. ¡°I can¡¯t just back out of it. Plus, I already promised Cassidy-Ann that I would apany her. She bought the ne tickets and everything.¡± I could feel Val¡¯s sadness over the situation, and I didn¡¯t me her. It was going to be hard being away from him for this long. He hasn¡¯t even mentioned the trip to me since finding out about it. I was thinking maybe he just didn¡¯t care at all. My heart was sad, but I suppose it didn¡¯t matter. The next morning, I woke up to a text from Brianna. ¡°We should go into town tonight and go shopping for your trip!¡± she said excitedly. That actually sounded really good. I could use some girl time and Bri had a good eye for fashion. She could help me pick out some really nice clothing for my trip to Monstro. ¡°That sounds great!¡± I texted in return. ¡°I¡¯ll see if Ba wants toe with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to Hig tonight! They have the best boutiques. We can grab some dinner too!¡± Later that night, Brianna arrived at the academy. Ba and Brianna came to my dorm room, excited for a little shopping therapy. I was excited too. We hardly ever got to do something like this, and it would be nice to get my mind off of things. It¡¯ll be nice to get my mind off Enzo. Hig on a Friday night was absolutely perfect. The lights around the city were perfect; it was swarming with people and music. We went to different boutiques and picked out a bunch of clothing, a lot of cute summer outfits, and bathing suits. As we walked on the sidewalks of the busy city, I smelled something absolutely delicious. Val perked up as well and I could feel her excitement. It had to have been a restaurant with the most delicious food. My stomach was growling at the very thought. I went in the direction of the amazing aroma with Bri on my trail. I paused as I got to a window of a small restaurant. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I breathed in the amazing scent and heard the howling of my wolf in my mind. She was way too excited for this food. Once I got a look in the window to see the food that was making my mouth water and my wolf crazy, my heart dropped into my stomach, and I stared in shock. It wasn¡¯t food at all. It was Professor Enzo. And he wasn¡¯t alone. Sitting across from him, chuckling and touching his arm, was Bethany. They were on a date. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 L¡¯s POV ¡°Is that Professor Enzo?¡± Ba asked, stepping beside me, and following my gaze to the window of an incredibly fancy restaurant. My heart clenched in a tight knot, and I felt Val lowering her head in sorrow as we watched our mate on a date with another woman. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, my voice sounding incredibly far away. Brianna gasped as she also saw what we were looking at. ¡°With Bethany Rochelle?!¡± ¡°They are interested in each other,¡± I said, my voice now sounding strained. ¡°We should get out of here and finish shopping. We didn¡¯t get nearly enough clothes,¡± Bri said, trying to avert my attention. She draped an arm through mine and began pulling me away, but I couldn¡¯t peel my eyes away from the scene in front of me. This was too painful; it felt like someone had punched me straight in the gut. ¡°Are you okay, L?¡± Ba asked with a timid frown. That¡¯s right; she doesn¡¯t know that Enzo is my mate. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said to her, but I knew she didn¡¯t believe me. They both stared at me for a moment longer before Bri pulled me even harder. ¡°Come on,¡± she whispered for only my ears. ¡°You don¡¯t need to see this.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure I had the heart to continue this shopping spree. Every time I blinked; I would see Enzo with Bethany. It just hurt too much. Categories Search¡­ Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Val was in such agony that I didn¡¯t think she would be able to stay in control. Her heart was so broken and because of that, my heart was broken too. Even if I didn¡¯t want Enzo as a mate, the mate bond was too real to ignore. I was drawn to him whether I wanted to be or not. Val was drawn to his wolf. I couldn¡¯t exin this feeling other than sorrow. We left the restaurant and went to another boutique. This one was filled with elegant gowns. I wasn¡¯t sure there was anything in this store that would be fit for my trip, but both of my friends were incredibly eager to check it out. Brianna picked out a gorgeous pink gown that she insisted I try on. I have to admit, the gown made me feel like a princess. I stared myself over in the mirror with a frown; the gown wrapped around my body so elegantly and pushed up my breasts to make them appear much bigger. It expanded in silky fabrics around my waist and fell naturally around my feet. The dress brought out the blonde in my hair as I let it out of its usual ponytail and watched as it flowed evenly around my body. ¡°You look beautiful!¡± Brianna cooed as I stepped out of the dressing room. ¡°Oh, my goddess. That dress was made for you!¡± Ba agreed. Even with their kindpliments, I found it difficult to smile knowing that Enzo was with someone else. But I tried my best to force a smile; a smile that Bri knew right away was fake. ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll ever wear this dress,¡± I admitted; though, I liked it very much. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ba said with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯ll have it just in case.¡± Once we were done in this boutique, I insisted that we went home. I didn¡¯t have it in me to continue this shopping spree and besides, I had enough clothes. ¡°But we were having so much fun,¡± Ba said with a frown. ¡°Something changed when you saw Professor Enzo. Are you sure you¡¯re, okay?¡± I opened my mouth to respond, but Bri beat me to it. ¡°She said she¡¯s fine,¡± Brianna said, wrapping an arm around me. ¡°You should go back to your dorm room. I¡¯ll walk with L.¡± Ba frowned, staring between the two of us. I said nothing; I knew Bri just wanted to be alone with me. ¡°Are you sure?¡¯ She asked, raising her brows at me. ¡°I¡¯d like to hang out with Brianna alone,¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had quality time together with just the two of us.¡± Ba sighed, but she didn¡¯t argue. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said with uncertainly in her voice. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡± Soon, it was just Brianna and me. ¡°I can¡¯t believe your mate is on a date with some other she-wolf,¡± Brianna hissed, folding her arms across her chest. I knew she was pissed, and she hated seeing me like this. I lowered my gaze, trying to keep the tears from falling out of my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not fair. We need to teach him a lesson! Maybe you should go on a date too! I know Brody likes you and¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the answer,¡± I said, stopping her words. ¡°Plus, I can¡¯t do that to Brody. It would hurt him.¡± Brianna sighed. ¡°Why do you always have to be so good?¡± She asked, pouting. ¡°But you can¡¯t just do nothing. It¡¯s not fair to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can do, Bri¡­¡± I said, my voice no longer sounding like my own as I pushed away the tears that so desperately wanted to escape my eyes. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand how he can do that when he knows he has a mate¡­¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t want a mate,¡± I reminded her, meeting her eyes with my tear-filled ones. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want me.¡± ¡°Then, why hasn¡¯t he rejected you?¡± Bri asked, now cing her hands on her hips and cocking her head at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°Maybe he likes having a backup n in case he ends up alone.¡± As much as it pained me to say those words, I felt they were most likely the truth. I hated this feeling, and I hated how much pain Val was in. I pressed the palm of my hand to my chest to provide her with some sort offort, so she knows that I¡¯m there for her. But she stayed silent, lowering her head as her heart continued to break. ¡­ Third person POV Bethany sat across from the handsome Enzo; she had to admit that she didn¡¯t think he would agree to this meeting, especially at such a fancy restaurant. But she has a way with words and she knew Enzo wouldn¡¯t be able to resist helping someone in need, regardless of their past mistakes. She ordered baked Salmon and a ss of wine, while he ordered steak, cooked rare, and a ss of wine as well. ¡°Why exactly did you want to meet with me?¡± Enzo asked, eyeing her carefully from across the table. They were in a secluded area, as requested, near a window overlooking the city. This was Bethany¡¯s favorite restaurant and her favorite seat. ¡°Because I owe you an apology,¡± Bethany said, gazing over at him. ¡°I acted childishly. I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me. But I wanted to treat you to a meal to show you my gratitude for your hospitality.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think I¡¯m the one you should be apologizing to,¡± Enzo said, keeping his tone emotionless. She was used to his coldness; she found it incredibly attractive. She needed a man who was cold and stern at times¡­ yet tender and loving the other times. She knew Enzo was capable of both. ¡°I will send Deanna my sincerest apologies as well,¡± she assured him. ¡°I will also reach out to that L girl. I¡¯m afraid I also treated her terribly and I just feel so awful.¡± Enzo didn¡¯t say anything, he stared at her from across the table with a face she couldn¡¯t quite read. Soon, the waiter came and ced their wine sses before them. He filled the sses and ced the bottle on the table. ¡°Is there anything else I can get you before your meals arrive?¡± The waiter asked, staring between the two of them. ¡°Water,¡± they both said at the same time. This caused Bethany to chuckle and Enzo to feel annoyance, but he didn¡¯t make that known to her. The waiter nodded and left the area, leaving them alone once again. ¡°I will make it up to you all,¡± Bethany said. ¡°I really am sorry, Alpha Enzo.¡± ¡°I appreciate the apology,¡± he finally said after a long pause. He took a sip of his wine and cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m going to use the restroom. I¡¯ll be back,¡± he said, standing to his feet. Bethany watched as he disappeared toward the bathroom. She smirked. This was her opportunity; the real reason she asked him here. She reached into her purse and grabbed a drug that she knew would cause him to be so intoxicated that he would be nothing but submissive to her. She was going to get him into bed and have her way with him. Then, she was going to have his baby Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Third Person POV Not far from Bethany and Enzo¡¯s table, the waiter was returning with their water when he saw that Miss Bethany was sprinkling something in Alpha Enzo¡¯s drink. The waiter nearly dropped the tray of water when he saw her doing this. Enzo was nowhere in sight; he didn¡¯t even have guards with him. Why was Miss Bethany doing such a cruel thing? The waiter went over to the table and gently ced Enzo¡¯s ss of water beside his wine cup. Bethany was typing something into her phone as if she didn¡¯t just drug the Alpha¡¯s cup moments ago. Just as the waiter was about to ce Bethany¡¯s cup down, he pretended to identally trip and knocked her water over. Itnded on the table, and on herp. She shot to her feet quickly; fury radiating in her eyes. ¡°You stupid buffoon!¡± she growled. ¡°Look what you did?! How can you be so clumsy!? Weren¡¯t you properly trained??¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Miss Bethany. I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± the waiter said as he quickly grabbed some napkins. She snatched the napkins angrily from his hands and began to wipe the water off herp, muttering something of profanity under her breath. While she was distracted the waiter took the opportunity to switch the wine sses. Once Bethany recovered from the spill and the water was dry, the waiter received an alert through his earpiece that their meals were ready in the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m going to grab your meals. Again, I am so sorry. I¡¯ll bring you some more wine, on the house.¡± She snarled at him; her eyes glowing as her wolf was resisting the urge to tear his throat out. He swallowed the lump in his throat and bowed his head to her as he hurried to the kitchen. Categories Search¡­ ¡­ Enzo finished washing his hands and left the bathroom. As he walked back to the table, he passed by the waiter who looked seemingly stressed out. It was like he had seen a ghost. He wondered what was wrong, but he didn¡¯t stop long enough to ask. He hurriedly rushed past Enzo and toward the kitchen. Enzo thought that was strange until he got closer to his table and saw a very pissed-off Bethany. She was snarling something under her breath, and it seemed like she was trying to keep her wolf under control. As soon as he made himself known to her, her attitude seemed to lift, and a smile was stered on her face. ¡°Oh, good; you¡¯ve returned. Our meals will be here shortly,¡± she told him, cing her silk napkin over herp. ¡°I just walked by the waiter. Do you have any idea why he seems upset?¡± Enzo¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t using, but it wasn¡¯t pleased either. She frowned. ¡°Not in the slightest. He identally spilled my water on myp. But I told him it was all right. Maybe he was just embarrassed,¡± she lied. Bethany grabbed her wine ss and lifted it in the air. ¡°Enough about the waiter. Let¡¯s make a toast!¡± She suggested, batting hershes at him. He sighed, but he didn¡¯t argue with her. He just wanted to get through this dinner. ¡°To new beginnings,¡± she said, clinking her cup against his. He said nothing, but he wasn¡¯t going to say no to a sip of wine. He took a long and steady drink of his wine, and she did the same. She ced her cup down and gave him a faint smile, but there was still something about her that seemed off. Her demeanor had changed, and he couldn¡¯t tell what it was that caused it. Soon, the waiter returned with their food. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. They ate, mainly silently. There wasn¡¯t much more for them to discuss and frankly, he didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. However, Bethany kept ncing at him and then at his wine ss with a timid frown. Then, she kept clearing her throat and focusing her eyes on her food. She soon stopped eating altogether. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± He found himself asking, eyeing her carefully. She looked dizzy; like she was about to pass out any moment. ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said, but her voice sounded strained and distant. ¡°I just suddenly feel a little unwell.¡± She ced her fork down and then nced at her ss; soon, she was bursting into giggles. Enzo narrowed his eyes, confused as to what was going on. Bethany had no idea that she drank the spiked wine and now she was beginning to grow incredibly drunk from that drug that was in the wine. Enzo, clueless to this information, quickly asked the waiter for the check. Bethany was now slouching in her seat and rambling about something that Enzo didn¡¯t understand. She also couldn¡¯t stopughing. ¡°Are you drunk?¡± Enzo asked her, annoyance in his tone. ¡°I only had one ss of wine,¡± Bethanyughed. ¡°But maybe¡­¡± She began to spin around in her seat, nearly falling off. Once Enzo paid for the meal, Bethany grew angry. ¡°I was supposed to pay! This was my treat!! She whined. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Enzo muttered as he stood to his feet. He wrapped Bethany in his arms and began to carry her from the restaurant. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I returned to campus with Bri beside me; she was nning on sleeping over because it was a long drive back to Elysium. Brody was outside when we got to the dorms, and he frowned when he saw my face. ¡°Goddess, L. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just been a long night,¡± I told him. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you frown like that,¡± he said, stepping closer to me. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help you?¡± ¡°I think I just need to get some rest,¡± I told him. ¡°How about dinner? I was just about to head to the diner,¡± he exined. ¡°Did you eat anything?¡± Brianna shook her head, which resulted in an angry look from me. ¡°You have to eat. Let¡¯s get something to eat,¡± he said, reaching for my hand. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry,¡± I told him. ¡°I won¡¯t take no for an answer,¡± he said, folding his arms across his chest. He nced at Bri. ¡°You can come too.¡± I sighed; my stomach growling gave away my hunger. With all the excitement of the day, I had completely forgotten to eat. I looked over at Brianna who gave me a small smile and nudged me toward Brody. ¡°You two go ahead; I¡¯m going to get some rest. I had a big lunch,¡± she said, waving us away. I didn¡¯t want to leave Bri behind, but I knew I wasn¡¯t going to convince her toe with us. So, I went with Brody alone to a small and casual diner where we ordered some food. I tried to keep a smile on my face, but I knew the sorrow was seeping into my eyes. ¡°Did you not have fun shopping today?¡± He asked with a timid frown once it was clear I wasn¡¯t going to say anything. I looked at him, surprised, which caused him tough. ¡°Ba told me,¡± he said with a shrug. That made sense: I let myselfugh lightly. ¡°I did. It¡¯s just been a long day,¡± I told him. It didn¡¯t seem like he bought that though. ¡°Regardless, you should always remember to eat,¡± he said, eyeing my face carefully. ¡°But lucky for you, I¡¯m here to remind you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile; he was incredibly sweet, and I liked that he cared about me. He¡¯s proved that in more ways than I could count. But my mind and my wolf couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Enzo. ¡°You know I¡¯m always here when you need to talk¡­ right?¡± Brody asked. I smiled at him and nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said in return. We finished our meals, and we headed back to campus. It waste in the evening and Bri would be waiting for me in my dorm. As I reached campus, I sensed Enzo nearby. He must be back from his date. Val groaned at the very thought and rolled over in defeat and agony. Just as we got to the dorms, Brody paused for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m d you came out with me tonight,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you for letting me feed you.¡± Iughed. ¡°You act like I¡¯m a charity case,¡± I said, peering up at him. ¡°You are certainly no charity case, L. But I¡¯ll take any opportunity to spend time with you¡­ friend or not. I¡¯m d to get to know you.¡± I smiled up at him, unsure of what to say. Soon, he leaned down and kissed me gently on the cheek. Just as he parted from me, I looked over his shoulder and saw Enzo staring at me. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What the hell did you do to her?!¡± Alpha John asked as I brought Bethany into their home. I still had her cradled in my arms; she was a drunken mess and singing a song I didn¡¯t recognize, along withughing wildly at nothing in particr. ¡°She drank too much,¡± I answered, but I knew that wasn¡¯t true. She only had one ss of wine. Something must have slipped into her drink. I took her up the stairs and into her room. Her father was trailing behind me, asking me a bunch of questions I was ignoring. ¡°She can hold her liquor! You did something to her!¡± He used, anger clear in his eyes. Max was at his limit; he was already annoyed that I chose to have dinner with her and not our mate, now we were being used of something ridiculous like drugging her. I ced her in her bed and put the nkets over her body. She was half asleep at that point, murmuring things that I also ignored. ¡°Get away from my daughter!¡± Alpha John hissed, stepping in front of me to shield Bethany. ¡°dly,¡± I muttered. ¡°If anything happens to her, it¡¯ll be your head on the stake,¡± he threatened as I turned and left the bedroom. I¡¯ve had enough of this bullshit. I was at my limit, as was my wolf, and all I wanted was to return back to campus. I got into my car and peeled away from Alpha John¡¯s pack. Thankfully, his pack was inside Hig and near the school, so it didn¡¯t take long to get back. As soon as I parked the car and got out, Max was on his toes, sniffing the air hungrily. ¡°Mate¡­¡± he breathed. Categories Search¡­ Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He was right; it was the scent of a honeysuckle. L¡¯s scent. I knew she went shopping this evening with her friends, but it waste, and she should have been back hours ago. She shouldn¡¯t be outside right now. The faculty housing was on the opposite side of the campus, but I wanted to walk by the dorms and see if she really was outside for whatever reason. I wasn¡¯t prepared for what I was about to see though. Her scent grew stronger as we neared the dorms, so I knew for a fact that she was outside; I also sensed that she wasn¡¯t alone. Her emotions were high; I couldn¡¯t tell from the mix what she was feeling at the moment. I could sense a little grief and sorrow, maybe some heartbreak. But I could also feel her being pleased and comfortable. Whoever she was with, made her feelfortable. I soon saw who it was she was with. It was Brody. I watched as he leaned down and pressed his grimy lips against her cheek. Her face illuminated red as she smiled up at him. I stood in shock as I felt my wolf nearly snapping; it was a struggle to keep him inside of me. Soon, her eyes found mine and they widened. Brody said something more to her before going inside the dorms. I stood frozen, staring at her. She had tears in her eyes, and I couldn¡¯t tell if it was from beforehand, or current. But she stared back at him like a dear in headlights. I turned away from her despite my wolf begging me to go to her and find out what was happening. She didn¡¯t follow me; maybe it was a good thing she didn¡¯t follow me. Whatever I had to say to her would have hurt her feelings. I returned to my house in the faculty section of the school and Connie came out of the kitchen with a couple of teacups. ¡°How was your date?¡± She asked, walking over to the couch and cing the cups on the coffee table, motioning for him to sit with her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a date,¡± I muttered, feeling a headache brewing. I sat down beside her and grabbed one of the teacups. ¡°Woah¡­ Enzo. I was kidding. I know it wasn¡¯t a date. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, shaking my head, trying to dismiss the thought of everything that happened that evening. ¡°Seriously, Enzo. What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, following closely behind me. I sighed as I took a long and gradual sip of the tea. ¡°I saw another guy kissing L,¡± I told her, cing the cup back on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you are so hung up over her¡­¡± Connie muttered, taking a sip of her own tea before cing the cup down. ¡°She¡¯s my mate.¡± ¡°I understand that, but she¡¯s also your student Enzo. You could get into huge trouble if the board found out you were mated to your student.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can help who I¡¯m mated to,¡± I reminded her, taking another sip of the tea. I was starting to grow incredibly tired. I could feel my body almost weakening as I leaned back on the couch. ¡°No, but you can reject her and be done with it,¡± Connie said with a shrug. ¡°I won¡¯t reject her,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Something like that could destroy her wolf.¡± ¡°Rejection is a part of life,¡± Connie said, reaching over to grab my hand. ¡°You can¡¯t protect her from this.¡± ¡°With how new her wolf is, I don¡¯t want to take that chance,¡± I told her in return, thinking of how my father¡¯s rejections destroyed my mother¡¯s wolf. My vision was bing distorted, and I had to blink a few times to regain my focus. ¡°Are you feeling all right, Enzo?¡± Connie asked, raising her brows. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m just very tired,¡± I told her. I took onest sip of tea before I stood to my feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Enzo, wait,¡± Connie said, rushing over to me before I strayed too far to my room. She ced her hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at her. At least I tried to, my vision was so blurred, I was seeing multiples of her. ¡°I know she¡¯s your mate and your wolf loves her. But by now rejecting her and not iming her, you are still very much hurting her. It¡¯s not fair to her that you keep her strung along like this. I know you don¡¯t want to hurt her wolf¡­ but you kind of are.¡± I knew Connie had a point, but the thought of actually rejecting her made my wolf incredibly ufortable. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to im her, it¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t right now. Not with my father¡¯s men watching me constantly. Not while Vna wolves are still in danger. Until I could be sure of her safety, I had to keep L at arm¡¯s length. I didn¡¯t say any of that to Connie though; I couldn¡¯t. I had to get to sleep before I fell over. I wasn¡¯t feeling well suddenly. I leaned against the wall, unable to keep myself held up any longer. Connie gasped and wrapped her arm around me. ¡°Enzo!¡± She eximed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I tried to say, but my voice was sounding so far away. ¡°Let me help you get into bed,¡± she said, lowering her tone slightly. I didn¡¯t argue with her; I allowed her to guide me into my room and I fell onto my bed, taking her down with me. She fell on top of me; her long hair covering her face as she tried to recover herself. She was breathing heavily as she stared down at me; I could see the concern in her eyes, but it soon turned into something else. Something a little more seductive. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± She whispered. ¡°You could still reject her and choose me as your mate. I¡¯ve known you my whole life and I¡¯ve loved you every day since then. We could be so good together.¡± I didn¡¯t have it in me to respond; just as she leaned in, about to kiss me, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. ¡­ The next morning My head ached when I woke as if I was hungover, but I hadn¡¯t had anything to drink other than a little wine with dinner. My memory ofst night was a bit foggy, but I remembered talking with Connie about L and then Connie suggested that I rejected L and made her my chosen mate. She confessed to loving me our entire lives and of course, I had already known that, but my feelings for her were nothing more than tonic. She was like a sister to me and always has been. I lifted my head and saw that I was in my room and my shirt was off. I furrowed my brows together and tried to remember what happenedst night. Then, I heard a light snore from beside me and my entire body froze. I looked over and saw Connie sleeping in my bed. My heart stopped when I saw that she waspletely naked. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Enzo¡¯s POV My heart was pounding wildly in my chest. What the hell happenedst night? ¡°Max!¡± I growled to my wolf, feeling the panic setting in. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Max said, equally confused. ¡°Everything went ckst night.¡± Connie stirred in her sleep before her eyes fluttered over and looked over at me. ¡°Good morning, handsome,¡± she said, reaching over to touch my arm, recoiling my arm away from her, allowing her hand to fall to the bed. She sat up frowning, revealing her naked body beyond the nket. I grabbed the nket and quickly covered her. ¡°What happenedst night?¡± I asked firmly, eyeing her features carefully. ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything?¡± She asked, concern on her face. She nced down at her naked torso before looking back up at me. ¡°I think it kind of goes without saying what happenedst night,¡± she said, a little humor in her tone. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Connie,¡± I said between my teeth. I could feel my wolf growing painfully unsettled at the thought of what he had donest night. ¡°We betrayed our mate!¡± He wailed. I ignored him and quickly got out of bed. I was relieved I still had my pants on at least, but I had no memory of anything that happened. The only thing I had was this headache that I couldn¡¯t seem to shake. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t remember,¡± Connie pouted. ¡°What was thest thing you remember?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°We were talking about L and then¡­¡± I paused as the image of Connie on top of me surfaced in my mind. ¡°You kissed me.¡± Her face reddened slightly. ¡°And you kissed me back,¡± she said, batting hershes at me. ¡°And then we did a lot more.¡± I went to respond to her, but my phone started to ring in my pant pocket. I looked at Connie onest time before turning away from her. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and saw on the screen that it was Alpha John. I had taken Bethany homest night after dinner once it was clear she was unwell. She was acting incredibly drunk, which was usual because she only had one ss of wine. ¡°Alpha John?¡± I said as I answered the phone. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°You did this to her, you asshole!¡± John growled. My frown deepened. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked, unsure of what he was going on about. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t wake up this morning. She was hardly breathing!¡± John frantically eximed. ¡°I brought her to the hospital this morning! Whatever you gave her, nearly killed her!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give her anything, I¡ª¡± I paused when I thought back to the restaurant when I got back from the bathroom. She was acting strangely, staring at me and then at my wine ss. Like she was waiting for something to happen. Was she trying to drug me but identally drugged the wrong ss? Or maybe she drugged me as well and it didn¡¯t take effect until I returned home. I certainly wasn¡¯t in the right frame of mindst night. But how stupid could she be to drug herself as well? Fuck. ¡°I¡¯m on my way,¡± I grabbed my shirt off the ground and threw it on. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are you going??¡± Connie called as I rushed to the door. ¡°Something came up; it¡¯s an emergency,¡± I said quickly, but then I paused and turned to her shocked and yet sad face. ¡°We need to talkter. Will you be around?¡± She was hesitant, but she nodded her head once. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. On that note, I turned and left the house. There was a gloomy haze over the hospital like there always was. Alpha John stood in the waiting room, and he looked furious. He was pacing back and forth, muttering something under his breath when I arrived. The doctors were just leaving the back rooms and were attempting to speak to him, but he kept interrupting them, barking at them to tell him what was wrong. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I approached. ¡°These assholes won¡¯t let me what¡¯s wrong with my daughter,¡± Alpha John huffed. ¡°She¡¯s in aa and they can¡¯t wake her up.¡± I looked at the doctors who looked at one another with an odd expression before looking at me. ¡°It seems that Bethany took something we can¡¯t distinguish. It¡¯s not known in our database. It seems to be a foreign substance.¡± ¡°And that caused her to be in aa?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at them. ¡°She was allergic to it,¡± the doctor exined. ¡°We were able to drain it from her system. But there¡¯s no telling when she¡¯ll wake up. Only time will tell.¡± ¡°Thank you, doctor,¡± I said to him before they turned and went back to work. ¡°This is your fault!¡± John eximed. ¡°You did this to her. She went out with you and then came back practically dead!¡± I went to say something in my defense, but I heard my name at the entrance of the Hospital. ¡°Alpha Enzo¡­¡± Police Officer, Ken, came walking into the hospital with a grim expression on his face. ¡°About time you showed up,¡± Alpha John growled. I snapped him a look. ¡°You called the police?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°I want this man arrested for the attempted murder of my daughter!¡± John barked, ignoring me entirely. Officer Ken sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t arrest an Alpha based on an allegation and you know this,¡± he said in return. ¡°I only came here to speak with Alpha Enzo and figure out what happened exactly.¡± ¡°I already exined that I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± I said, looking between the two of them. ¡°We went out to dinner and then I went to the bathroom. When I returned, she was acting strangely. Soon, she started acting drunk and then I took her home.¡± ¡°You had to have done something!¡± Alpha John growled. ¡°This didn¡¯t just happen randomly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Alpha John is right. Something must have happened during this dinner. Maybe while you were in the bathroom and she was distracted, somebody slipped something into her drink?¡± Officer Ken suggested. ¡°Are you out of your mind?!¡± John hissed. ¡°It was Enzo!!¡± ¡°Let me go back to the restaurant and find out what I can,¡± I said, putting an end to their bickering. ¡°I think that¡¯s fair,¡± Officer Ken agreed. ¡°What?!¡± John yelled; Officer Ken stepped in front of him to block him from attacking me. I didn¡¯t give him another look before I turned and walked toward the exit. ¡°You¡¯re just going to let him leave?!¡± I heard John hissing from behind me. I tuned out the rest of their words as I left the hospital. Back at the restaurant, it was still early so they weren¡¯t quite open yet. But when they saw me approaching, they were quick to open the doors. ¡°Alpha Enzo, what can we do for you this early?¡± I recognized one of the waiters as the waiter that served Bethany and me the night before. ¡°I came here to speak with you,¡± I said, eyeing him carefully. I could see the fear on his face and the color draining from hisplexion. The other wait staff looked at him curiously before stepping aside. ¡°Yes, Alpha?¡± He asked once we were away from wandering ears. ¡°Last night, something odd happened with that woman I was with. She started to act strangely when I returned from the bathroom. She got entirely way too drunk after only one ss of wine. She¡¯s currently in the hospital and the doctors say she was drugged with a foreign substance. Apparently, she was allergic to it and is in aa,¡± I went on to exin. The waiter gasped at my words and put his hands over his mouth in shock. ¡°Oh, goddess¡­ no¡­ I had no idea,¡± the waiter murmured in his hands. I rose my brows. ¡°You know something.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. The waiter sighed and nodded, tears filling his eyes. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he said, lowering his gaze. ¡°I switched the cups.¡± ¡°You switched our cups?¡± I asked, unsure of what he was talking about. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± ¡°I saw her put the drug in the cup¡­¡± the waiter exined. ¡°She was trying to drug the cup?¡± I asked, still trying to get rity. He nodded his head once. ¡°Yes, Alpha. Miss Bethany was trying to drug you.¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Enzo¡¯s POV The waiter managed to get me the security footage from the night before and sure enough, as soon as I left the table, Bethany was sprinkling something into my wine ss. The waiter went over to the table and pretended to identally trip and spilled water on the table and on Bethany. While she was distracted, he switched the sses. At least I was able to prove my innocence now, however, it was only one ss that she drugged. Which made me wonder what the hell happened to mest night. ¡°There¡¯s no way we would have slept with Connie unless something happened,¡± Max agreed. The waiter profusely apologized for not telling me sooner and I thanked him for his hard work. I went back to the hospital with the footage, and once it was reviewed, all charges and usations were dropped immediately. ¡°I have no words¡­¡± Alpha John said after his third time watching the video. ¡°I am so sorry for not believing you, Alpha Enzo.¡± ¡°She¡¯s your daughter and I understand that you care and worry about her. I don¡¯t me you for that,¡± I said to him, trying to soundpassionate considering the circumstances. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this happened.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe she was trying to drug you. What was she thinking?¡± ¡°The only person who can answer that is currently in aa,¡± I said, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face. ¡°I¡¯ll keep her in my thoughts until she wakes.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± John said, lowering his gaze. I nced at the clock and realized just howte in the afternoon it was. I waste. ¡­ Categories Search¡­ L¡¯s POV I sat in the arena for a long while. It was 20 minutes past the time that Alpha Enzo said he was going to meet me there. He was supposed to help me practice for the finals next week, at least the finals for his ss. But he waste. Or maybe he decided he didn¡¯t want to show up. He was probably too busy with Bethany. Val was saddened by hisck of effort to help us. She was sickened by the thought that he was with another she-wolf when his mate was waiting for us. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± she said softly. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to want to be with us. We were chosen as mates by the moon goddess herself.¡± ¡°Maybe she made a mistake,¡± I suggested. ¡°The moon goddess doesn¡¯t make mistakes, L. He loves us; I know he does. But I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s choosing to be with Bethany over us.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like love, Val.¡± At least not the kind of love I want to be around, I added silently to myself. I practiced my stretching in the meantime; I was quite flexible, and this kind of exercise came easily to me. I was able to reach and grab my toes without bending my legs. It helped that I was wearing a tight, and stretchy, tank top and yoga pants. Both of which helped me maintain my flexibility. ¡°L?¡± I heard my name from the entrance of the arena. I nced up to see Brody standing before me with a timid frown. ¡°Brody¡­¡± I said, standing to my feet. ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± ¡°I was about to ask you the same thing,¡± Brody said, walking further into the arena. ¡°Why are you in here alone?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I was supposed to meet with Professor Enzo,¡± I said, ncing over at the clock. ¡°He was going to help me practice for finals next week. But he seems to bete.¡± ¡°I was just grabbing my stuff from the locker room on the way to practice. But I have a little time left, I can help you.¡± I raised my brows. ¡°You aren¡¯t even in this ss,¡± I said, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t help you,¡± he said in return with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m going to be an Alpha too, you know. I¡¯m quite skilled in this kind of thing.¡± He was right; just because he wasn¡¯t in this ss, doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know a thing or two about shifting andbat. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I would really like that, thank you.¡± Brody shifted into his dark grey wolf; his eyes were bright green and practically glowed once he was in his wolf form. It was often that I saw him like this, and I had to admit that I was in awe of how big he was. He lowered his head like he was about to pounce at me. He did. Thankfully, I was quick enough to dodge him; I did a backflip and jumped over him just as he neared me. He looked surprised by my quick motion. I don¡¯t think Brody had ever seen me fighting like this before. Once Inded on the ground, I swung my foot around to kick his wolf in the face, but he shifted back into his human form without me even noticing and grabbed my foot with his hand, pulling me out of bnce until Inded on the ground. That was a new move I wasn¡¯t prepared for. He smirked down at me, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°You practice fighting a human that shifts into their wolf form¡­ but not the other way around?¡± He asked, raising his brows at me. ¡°I guess not,¡± I said, taking his outstretched hand as he pulled me to my feet. Just as I got my feet, I shifted into my wolf form and ran around the arena as fast as I could. It¡¯s been a while since I allowed Val that kind of freedom and she was having a great time. For once, we weren¡¯t thinking about Enzo. We were just thinking how great it feels to be running in our wolf form and having no pressure put on us. I leaped through the air, hearing the sounds of Brody¡¯sughter bouncing off the walls as he watched me whip past him. I soon stopped running in circles and turned toward him. For a moment, I saw the nervous look on his face once he realized what was happening. I ran toward him and instead of shifting into his own wolf, he attempted to outrun me in his human form. That was a bold choice, and I knew that wasn¡¯t a battle he was going to win. I pounced, falling through the air, and pushed him to the ground. He spun around onto his back to face me; my wolf was growling loudly in his face. If I wanted to, I could have torn his throat out. But lucky for Brody, I didn¡¯t want to do that. Nor did Val. We considered him to be a great friend, not an enemy. But it was nice knowing that I had the upper hand in this situation. Brody looked nervous for a moment, but then I stopped snarling and eased up on him. I could hear Val laughing in my mind, which made meugh as well. Brody soon rxed and I saw the smug look on his face as is shifted back into my human form. I remained on top of him, pinning him to the ground and continuing myughing. Soon, he was flipping me onto my back and sitting on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I gasped in shock as I stared up at him. He had a strong exterior, and he wasn¡¯t threatening whatsoever. I feltfortable with him, but the more I thought about Brody¡­ the more Val thought about¡ª The mming of the arena door brought me out of my head and caused Brody to shuffle off me and scramble to his feet. I sat up, only to be stared at by Professor Enzo. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 L¡¯s POV ¡°Go to our mate!¡± Val pleaded. ¡°Run to him!¡± She was excited to see him, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do as she requested. I just stood frozen, staring at Enzo. ¡°What are you two doing in here?¡± Enzo asked; there were no emotions disyed on his face and that caused my heart to ache painfully in my chest. ¡°Sorry, professor. I was just helping her practice while I had a little time,¡± Brody said, not sensing that there was anything wrong with that. ¡°I was waiting for you and when you didn¡¯t show up, Brody offered to help me,¡± I further exined, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now,¡± Enzo said, pulling his eyes away from me to re at Brody. ¡°You should get to practice; I think your coach was looking for you.¡± If looks could kill, his look would have certainly ended Brody¡¯s life. Brody looked rmed. ¡°I just have to grab my stuff out of my locker,¡± Brody said as he sprinted toward the locker room. Enzo was quiet as he walked past me; he had his bag flung over his shoulder and I couldn¡¯t help but notice the annoyed, yet tired, look on his face. He must have had a tough morning. ¡°Ask him about it,¡± Val coached. ¡°How was your morning?¡± I asked him, watching as he stripped his shirt off and shoved it into the bag, he threw on the ground. He nced over his shoulder to look at me; I thought he was going to answer, but Brody ran out of the locker room with his stuff. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, L,¡± he said, rushing over to the door of the arena. ¡°Have a good practice,¡± I said after him just before he disappeared. I looked back at Enzo who was no longer paying any attention to me. He was examining his wall of weapons before he picked the weapon of his choice. ¡°Pick something,¡± he ordered, ignoring my initial question. I went over to the wall and grabbed the usual dagger I fight with; this will definitely be the weapon I choose during the finals. I turned to Enzo who was getting into his stance, ready for our practice session. However, there was something off about him. I had never seen him look quite this tired before and there was something in his eyes that I didn¡¯t recognize. He was giving me a look that was annoying, but it was mixed with pain. There was something wrong with my mate and I wasn¡¯t sure he would tell me if I asked him. I knew he went on a date with Bethanyst night and it pained me to think about it. But I wasn¡¯t going to feel better unless I asked him about it. ¡°I saw youst night¡­¡± I found myself saying, lowering my gaze to the ground. He stood up straight and eyed my face carefully. ¡°You saw mest night?¡± He repeated, raising his brows curiously. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°On your date.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a date.¡± ¡°It looked like a date.¡± ¡°Bethany wanted to discuss some stuff and asked to meet up,¡± he exined, still eyeing me. ¡°That¡¯s all there was to it.¡± I felt a little relieved to hear that, but there was still something strange going on; I could see it on his face. ¡°What did she want to discuss?¡± I dared to ask, meeting his eyes. ¡°She wanted to apologize for her behavior,¡± he answered. ¡°Are we done with the questions? Because I have things to doter and would like to get this done.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. I opened my mouth to say something, but I was interrupted by another voice emerging from the doorway. ¡°Hey, handsome,¡± Connie said, batting her longshes at Enzo as she approached. ¡°I had a great time last night. We should do it again soon.¡± Enzo¡¯s demeanor had soon changed; I could see the pure worry on his face as he looked at Connie, and then he looked over at me. It was obvious to me now. That¡¯s why he¡¯s been acting strangely. Something did happenst night. Except, it wasn¡¯t with Bethany. It was with Connie. My entire body seemed numb, and I stumbled backwards as if someone had just struck me in the face. Or punched me in the gut. Val¡¯s heard had shattered in a matter of seconds once she realized what was happening. It was Connie that Enzo wanted. She was his best friend. She was the one who understood him better than anyone. I was nothingpared to her. I should have known that it would never be me. But why wouldn¡¯t he just reject me and choose her instead of stringing me along this entire time? ¡°Connie, you should go,¡± Enzo said, keeping his tone incredibly low. I knew he was only asking her to leave because I was here. I wanted to tell them that I would be the one leaving, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to actually speak. I looked at Connie who was saying something to him, but I couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying. She kept putting her perfectly manicured fingers on his arm and batting hershes while she spoke. I felt physically ill watching them. Her face became nothing short of a blur. My heart was so broken, and this was the kind of pain I had never felt before in my entire life. Enzo looked at me and it looked like he was trying to say something, but I couldn¡¯t hear him. I needed to get out of there. But my legs weren¡¯t working; they were so numb I would have fallen over if I even attempted to walk away. ¡°Val!¡± I pleaded with my wolf. ¡°Please help me! Get me out of here!¡± I could feel the burst of energy from my wolf as she made herself known to both Enzo and Connie. Her violet and blue eyes glowed and herrge canines chomped the air as her howl escaped through my throat. It was enough that Connie had to step back, but Enzo wasn¡¯t afraid. He watched in wonder as I kicked off the ground, shifting into my wolf and sprinting from the arena as fast as Val¡¯s legs would go. We burst through the doors and down the halls. We ran through the doors of the building, and I felt a gust of cold hair from outside as we ran through the campus grounds. Everything in my vision became a blur and we didn¡¯t stop until we reached the forest. I felt safe in the forest and Val knew we¡¯d be able to breathe in the peace of being away from everyone. Nature seemed to give me energy and restore my strength. My powers were in serenity, and I could finally rest. Once we were in the safepacity, she allowed me to shift back into my human form, where Iy on the ground. I pressed my knees to my chest and felt the fresh tears spread across my features. I heard the cries of Val throughout my mind, and this only made me feel even worse. However, I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to sit with my feelings; soon, my cellphone was ringing, bringing me back to the current moment. I frowned when I saw that it was Cassidy-Ann calling. I wasn¡¯t due at work for another couple of hours, so I wondered why she was calling me right now. She couldn¡¯t have picked a worse time. ¡°Hello?¡± I managed to muster into the phone. ¡°L! It¡¯s Cassidy-Ann! I need you at the studio right now. It¡¯s an emergency!!¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Hey, handsome. I had a great timest night. We should do it again soon.¡± Fuck. What the hell was she doing here? I could feel Max growing angry at her presence; this was thest thing we needed right now. L was already upset enough about seeing me with Bethanyst night, now she was about to find out what happened with Connie and me. Not that I knew what happened with Connie with me. Regardless of how hard I tried, everything was still such a blur. Connie approached, batting hershes and swaying her hips; she had to have known that whatever happened was a mistake and won¡¯t happen again. I clearly wasn¡¯t in the right frame of mind. She ran her long fingers down my arm and grabbed her wrist, holding it firmly in my grasp, trying to keep my wolf under control. ¡°Connie, you should leave,¡± I said in a low tone between my teeth. She looked starlted by my words. ¡°Enzo¡­ have you gone mad?¡± She asked. ¡°What did I do to make you so angry?¡± ¡°We need to talk about what happened,¡± I said in a lower tone so L couldn¡¯t hear. Though, she was standing close enough where she probably could. However, she appeared to be in a daze, so maybe she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± She asked; she sounded sad and her lips turned into a pout. I went to answer, but I heard a deep growl emerging from L¡¯s throat, turning our attention to her. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ I saw the glowing of L¡¯s eyes and the shadow of her wolf seeping through. L¡¯s wolf was escaping through her body with such force that it frightened Connie. She took a step away, afraid of what L might do. But I new she wouldn¡¯t hurt us; she was in pain. I had caused this pain. Max wailed in agony; it was difficult for him to see her in this kind of pain. He has barely said a word since we woke up beside Connie this morning. Max also had no memory of the event that happenedst night and I knew it was bothering him more than anything. We stayed silent as we watched L shift into her wolf; a surge of power escaped from her. I could feel the strength she portrayed, but I could also feel her hurt. Soon, she was running from the arena, leaving Connie and me alone. Connie had been holding her breath the entire time and let out a gasp as soon as L was gone. She looked up at me withrge and rmed eyes. ¡°Did I do something to cause that?¡± She asked, peering up at me withrge and frightened eyes. she said weakly. ¡°You need to leave,¡± I told her; my tone darkening as my wolf began to surface. There was no holding him back any longer. ¡°We need to go after our mate,¡± Max pleaded. ¡°She needs us.¡± ¡°She needs space,¡± I said in return, trying to calm him, but to no prevail. ¡°We¡¯ve upset her. YOU upset her. We need to make sure she¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t take this kind of heartache. We have to go!!¡± Max growled, trying to push himself out of me. I said nothing to Connie as I fully shifted into my wolf and sprinted out the arena. Max picked up L¡¯s scent as soon as we were outside; he knew exactly where she was. It was obvious to me as well; she went into the forest. We ran as fast as we could until we reached the forest ground and we saw her running toward us. Actually, she wasn¡¯t running toward us at all. She was just running; she was in her human form and tears were staining her fairplexion. I shifted into my human form as well and watched as she pumped her legs as fast as she could. It seemed like she didn¡¯t see me; at least not at first. She ran toward me, and then into me. I managed to wrap my arms around her and keep her still as she nced up at me inplete shock. She was in a daze, that much was clear. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked her, not letting her go. ¡°Let me go¡­¡± she croaked, trying to push off me but her body failed her miserably. ¡°Talk to me¡­ where are you going?¡± I asked again, holding onto her even tighter. ¡°Cassidy-Ann called me¡­ there¡¯s an emergency at the studio¡­¡± she exined, tears falling down her eyes. Her body was trembling badly, and my heart broke even more knowing that I was the cause of this. I needed to speak with her and exin myself. But right now, she needed to get to the studio quickly. I shifted back into Max and turned my back to her. ¡°Get on¡­ it¡¯ll be faster if I take you!¡± She was hesitant for a moment, staring at me with dismay written all over her face. ¡°Get on, L!¡± I ordered with forcefulness in my tone. She slid onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck, and nuzzling her tear-filled eyes against my fur. All Max wanted to do wasfort her, but we had to go. This mate bond was intense. We got to the art studio and there were police officers already outside. Cassidy-Ann was in tears when we arrived. L didn¡¯t waste any time getting off me; she ran to Cassidy-Ann just as I shifted back into my human form. ¡°Oh, L! You are here,¡± she cried, tears falling from her eyes. I have never seen Cassidy-Ann disy such weakness and sadness before. She didn¡¯t even care about the makeup that was smeared across her features. ¡°Alpha Enzo,¡± Officer Ken greeted with a head nod. ¡°Officer Ken,¡± I greeted in return. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We just got here. We haven¡¯t gone inside yet, but there appears to be some vandalism.¡± ¡°Vandalism?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him before ncing over at L who was staring at Officer Ken with wide eyes. ¡°The studio was vandalized?¡± She asked inplete horror. This caused Cassidy-Ann to burst into tears again. ¡°It¡¯s awful¡­¡± she sobbed. Cassidy-Ann worked incredibly hard on this art studio and knowing that somebody would go out of their way to destroy it was unsettling. The color in L¡¯s face hadpletely drained. She went with Cassidy-Ann inside and I followed closely behind them along with the officers. My heart sank into my stomach when I saw that most of the paintings werepletely destroyed. There was graffiti all over the ce and paintings crumbled to the ground. ¡°Oh, goddess¡­¡± L breathed, staring around at all the destroyed art. Cassidy-Ann sobbed into her hands. ¡°That¡¯s not even all of it,¡± she said between gasps. L and I looked at her confused as she led us toward the back of the exhibit¡­ L¡¯s section. Whatever it was we were about to see, I knew L wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. But we couldn¡¯t protect her from this. We stopped in front of a portrait that was still very much hung on the wall; it was the portrait that she had done of me. The portrait had gotten a lot of attention in the exhibit. It was her first real work of art. However, sprawled out on the front of it, in ck spray paint was the word: Skank. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 ¡¯s POV Skank. My drawing of Enzo had the word ¡°skank¡± written in ck paint. The entire painting waspletely ruined. But this was nothingpared to all the art that Cassidy-Ann and her artists worked so hard to create. Her entire gallery waspletely destroyed. It would take months to get everything back the way it was. My heart ached for her. Cassidy-Ann was crying in the background as she spoke to the police officers and Enzo stood behind me as I stared at the painting. He was oddlyforting considering he wanted nothing to do with me and everything to do with Connie. But I allowed him to stay nearby because, for some odd reason, he still brought my wolf immensefort. ¡°Who would do such a thing?¡± Val asked in a choked-up voice. ¡°You worked so hard on this painting¡­¡± I didn¡¯t have an answer for her. This was my very first painting of Enzo, so attached to this painting were memories. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were calling me a skank, or Enzo. But if I had to guess; I would say they were talking to the artist. ¡°You can paint another one¡­ can¡¯t you?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked, stepping beside me. ¡°A better one.¡± I didn¡¯t have a voice to speak; I cried so much today that I was afraid I would burst into tears again if I even tried to speak. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be seeing this¡­¡± Enzo said, his tone low and only for my ears. ¡°Let me take you back to your dorm.¡± Categories Search¡­ I didn¡¯t want to go back with him; he stepped closer to me, but I stepped away from him in return. I couldn¡¯t even look at him. Knowing what he had done the night before; he didn¡¯t care about me. He never cared about me. He hates me and I knew it was because I was a Vna wolf. I wanted nothing to do with him right now. Val gasped at my inner monologue, and I knew she was saddened by my words; but if we stayed around him any longer, it would only cause her more heartbreak. I had only just gotten my wolf. I couldn¡¯t watch her heart deteriorate anymore. ¡°Do you think you can take me back to my dorm?¡± I asked, peering up at Cassidy-Ann who just looked surprised. ¡°I have to clean up here,¡± she said with a timid frown. ¡°I need to figure out what to do. Obviously, you can have tonight off. I need to meet with my artists and see what needs to be done to recreate these paintings. I also need to hire a cleaning crew and reach out to my decorators.¡± I nodded my head once; I understood. She had way too much to do to worry about me getting back to school. ¡°If you need a ride, I can take you back to campus, Miss L,¡± Officer Ken offered. ¡°I¡¯m heading that way anyway.¡± I forced a smile of gratitude in his direction and nodded my head. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him. I didn¡¯t even look at Enzo as I walked past him. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to him or how to act around him. I just knew that I needed to get away from him. I needed to get Val away from him. She was hardly thinking straight, and I needed her right now. He didn¡¯t argue, and he didn¡¯te after me. ¡­ I sat in the student loungeter in the evening. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go back to my dorm room knowing that I didn¡¯t even have Rachel there to talk to. She¡¯s only been gone for a few days, and I miss her terribly. My heart ached at the thought of not seeing her again until after summer. Ba was off somewhere studying for exams, and I should be with her, also studying. But every time I opened a book, my mind would wander and all I could think about was my heartbreak. Exams were only a few days away and I feared I would be too distracted to pass them. Whoever vandalized Cassidy-Ann¡¯s studio, I had a feeling it was an attack on me. My painting was the only one with actual writing on it¡­ and it wasn¡¯t pleasant. I sulked in my seat, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders and my heart sinking further into my stomach. ¡°Hey L,¡± said a familiar voice. Brody was approaching with a saddened smile as he sat across from me at the table I was sitting at. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked with concerncing his tone. Ba must have told him what was going on. I ran into her when I got back to campus, and I told her everything that had happened at the studio. Leaving out the part where Enzo was there. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe the studio got destroyed. Cassidy-Ann was so upset. I¡¯ve never seen her like that before.¡± ¡°She¡¯s an incredible artist, as are you. I bet she will be just fine. You will all be able to create even better paintings. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Whoever did this¡­ I think they were after me,¡± I said meeting his eyes. He frowned at my words. ¡°Do you have any idea who would want to do that to you?¡± He asked curiously. I thought about it for a moment, but then shook my head. ¡°No¡­ Officer Ken said they weren¡¯t going to rest until they figure out who did this. I guess I just have to trust them¡­¡± I said as I sighed. ¡°I could always see if my father would look into it as well. He¡¯s a great Owned by N?velDrama.Org. detective.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. If anyone can figure this mystery out, it¡¯s Alpha Bastien,¡± Brody said with a bright smile. His smile always seemed to light up the room; even though he wasn¡¯t my mate, Val seemed to have rxed as well. He was right though; my father would be able to figure out who vandalized the studio quickly. I made a mental note to call himter and ask for his help. But for right now, I needed to get to ss. ¡°I should go,¡± I told him. ¡°I need to get to art ss.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said, standing to his feet just as I did. ¡°But hey, if you need any help creating a new painting, let me know. I don¡¯t mind helping you.¡± ¡°You know how to paint?¡± I asked, raising my eyebrows. ¡°Well, no,¡± heughed. ¡°But if you need a new muse¡­¡± he paused and grinned. It would be nice to have a fresh face for my painting. Plus, I didn¡¯t really want to face Enzo long enough to paint him again. This might actually workout. ¡­ Later, Brody met me in the art room after my art ss finished for the day. Brody sat in one of the chairs that I set up and for a moment, he looked a little ufortable and awkward. It made meugh. ¡°Just rx,¡± I told him as I sat in front of the canvas. ¡°We are going to be here for a little bit.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV I asked Cassidy-Ann and some of her artists for a favor after L left the exhibit with Officer Ken. I wanted to give L something incredibly special as a token of my apology. I just hoped that she would ept it. I looked at the clock and knew that L would be in the art room at this hour. Her art ss ended a little while ago and typically she enjoyed staying after ss and doing some extra work. The art Professor usually gave her the keys to lock up. She should be alone right now and that would be the perfect time to give her the gift. I stared at the large canvas I had covered in a sheet. Grabbing it, I headed straight across the campus to the academic center; I traveled to the art wing of the center until I reached the ssroom that I knew L was in. I could smell her scent lingering outside the door and it made my wolf go crazy. But as I opened the door, I froze, staring at the scenery before me, stunned, and fuming. L was there, in her seat with the canvas in front of her¡­ but her muse in the seat on the other side of the canvas¡­. was none other than Brody. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Third Person POV Enzo hadn¡¯t returned home in over a day and Connie was beginning to grow impatient. She remembered her night with Enzo clearly and she¡¯d been nning it for some time. She knew that Enzo was out with Bethany for the evening and that bothered her more than anything. It was bad enough that he had a mate that wasn¡¯t her, now he was going on dates with a gorgeous singer. It was infuriating. Connie had loved Enzo for most of her life and she kept waiting for him to choose her as his chosen mate, but he still hasn¡¯t. He refuses to reject that Vna wolf despite Connie¡¯s warnings about him being mated to his student. When Enzo mentioned going to dinner with Bethany Rochelle, Connie thought to herself, ¡°Great¡­ more competition.¡± She waited awake for him; she waited for what felt like an eternity. But when he didn¡¯te home early, she grew even more upset. She texted him that evening, asking him when he would be home, and he didn¡¯t reply until muchter. ¡°On my way right now,¡± the text message said. She was pleased he wasn¡¯t spending the night with her. Now he could spend the rest of the evening with Connie. ¡°But what if he doesn¡¯t want to?¡± Her wolf asked. ¡°What if he rejects the idea?¡± ¡°Then, we won¡¯t give him a choice,¡± Connie said in return. She went into the kitchen and brewed a couple of mugs of tea. He enjoyed tea at this hour, so it wouldn¡¯t be unusual. But what he doesn¡¯t know is that Connie is spiking his mug with Starlight. ¡°You¡¯re going to have your way with him?¡± Connie¡¯s wolf asked in shock. Categories Search¡­ ¡°No!¡± Connie eximed. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster. I just want to make him think we had sex. He will be asleep and he¡¯s going to think he did this on his own free will. It will get into his head, and he will start wondering if maybe he subconsciously wants to be with me all along.¡± ¡°OH! That¡¯s brilliant,¡± her wolf chuckled. ¡°He will start wondering if he really does love you.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Connie agreed. ¡°Plus, it will drive a wedge between Enzo and L. It¡¯s like killing two birds with one stone.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L jumped to her feet quickly and Brody seemed to be tense as I entered the art room. L was breathing quite heavily, and I knew it was taking everything she had not to run in the opposite direction. Not that she could get far without me catching her. ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± I said, trying to sound unbothered. ¡°I thought I would find you in here.¡± I set L¡¯s gift against the wall before turning to them. ¡°I was creating a new painting for the art studio,¡± L exined, ncing over at Brody sheepishly. ¡°I figured I¡¯d go a different route.¡± ¡°Sorry, Professor,¡± Brody said, standing to his feet with a worried frown. ¡°That doesn¡¯t bother you, does it? I wanted to help her in any way that I could, and this seemed like the best way to do that. She was upset that her panting was destroyed and¡ª¡± ¡°I know why she was upset,¡± I said, cutting off his words. I also know that it wasn¡¯t because of her painting, it was because of the art studio as a whole. She felt rotten for Cassidy-Ann. L wasn¡¯t selfish enough to only care about her painting. But I didn¡¯t say that out loud. He stopped talking instantly and lowered his gaze to the ground. ¡°No, of course, it doesn¡¯t bother me,¡± I continued, looking between the two of them. ¡°I got a hold of Alpha Bastien, he¡¯s going to investigate the vandalism. He¡¯s also going to call youter,¡± I added that last part looking at L. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that,¡± she said, ncing at her feet. ¡°I was going to call him myself and ask for his help.¡± ¡°I guess we think alike,¡± I said in return. Max was growing restless with Brody¡¯s presence, and I knew I needed to get him to leave before my wolf destroyed him. ¡°Brody, can you give us a few minutes,¡± I asked, trying to keep myself calm. Brody looked at me for a short minute before looking over at L. She wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes, but she looked up at Brody and gave him a small nod. He still looked uncertain, but he left the room anyways. I walked over to L; she kept her eyes fixated on the ground, refusing to meet my gaze. It was bothersome, but I couldn¡¯t me her for being upset. I wish I knew for sure what had happened with Connie, but I wasing up nk. ¡°You don¡¯t have a right to be upset¡­¡± she finally said, her voiceing out in a whisper. ¡°I just wanted to paint something different¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset,¡± I told her, sitting down in the chair that Brody was sitting in. ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± She asked, lifting her gaze to meet mine. I shook my head. ¡°No,¡± I answered. ¡°Did I give you the impression that I was upset?¡± She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. But she remained silent, keeping her eyes on mine. ¡°I understand that you wanted a fresh painting for the studio, and I don¡¯t me you for that,¡± I continued, leaning back in the chair. ¡°But we never got a chance to talk since earlier.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, I¡¯d rather not hear the details. Or discuss it¡­¡± she said, her tone low and sounding defeated. I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d be able to give her the details even if she did want them. ¡°But¡­¡± she started to say slowly. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I answered without hesitation. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just reject me?¡± She had asked me this question before, and I hadn¡¯t answered her. ¡°Do you have any idea how painful a rejection is?¡± I asked her, leaning back in my chair. ¡°Especially when it¡¯s an Alpha that rejects you? With how new your wolf is, it could put her in hibernation and there¡¯s a chance she won¡¯te out of it. That¡¯s not something I¡¯m willing to risk.¡± ¡°By not iming me¡­ you are hurting my wolf even more,¡± she eximed, tears filling her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s painful for us both, Enzo¡­¡± ¡°Trust me, rejection is even worse. That quite literally feels like a stabbing in the heart. I won¡¯t do that to you. I promised your father I¡¯d take care of you and¡ª¡± ¡°My father wouldn¡¯t want this for me,¡± she said, putting her foot down. She was definitely angry, and I could see her wolf pulsating in her eyes. ¡°Being rejected is not something you cane out of easily. The pain you feel now is only temporary. But the pain of rejection could have asting effect on your wolf.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the n? You keep stringing me along until my wolf is strong enough to be rejected?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest. I stood to my feet, keeping my eyes on hers. My wolf was scolding me for acting so cruelly. We came here to apologize, but instead we were making things worse. ¡°Is having a mate that terrible for you?¡± L asked hoarsely. ¡°What?¡± I asked her, unsure if I heard her correctly. ¡°Having a mate¡­ you say you don¡¯t want one¡­ but you don¡¯t really specify why. Is it terrible for you to love someone? What do you have against love, Enzo?¡± Her question made me think of my mother; she was in love with my father until he rejected her cruelly and banished her from the pack, forcing her to be a rogue. She had never been the same after that rejection. N?velDrama.Org content. Her wolf never recovered. I was nothing like my father, but I didn¡¯t have a lot of examples of true love growing up. I never thought I would have real love in my lifetime. Maybe I did have something against it. I didn¡¯t answer her question; I turned away from her and left without another word. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I stared after Enzo. He didn¡¯t even bother to answer my question, but I knew he wouldn¡¯t. I saw the look of pain cross his face; there was something wrong. I packed up my things, no longer in the mood to paint. But as I neared the door, I paused when I saw something that wasn¡¯t there earlier. It looked like a canvas that was covered in a sheet. Come to think of it, I¡¯m pretty sure Enzo left it behind. It must be a painting or drawing, but what would Enzo be doing with something like that? Filled with curiosity, I grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it off, only to stumble backward and gasp at the painting before me. It was a beautiful handmade portrait¡­. ¡­Of me Chapter 110 Chapter 110 L¡¯s POV It¡¯s been a few days since Enzo had given me that painting and I hadn¡¯t said much of anything to him about it. The painting was absolutely beautiful and captured every detail perfectly. It even had the outlining of my wolf shadowing behind me and we were surrounded with purple and blue flowers, bringing out the coloring in my eyes. Upon further investigation, I found out that one of my coworkers had painted it per request of Enzo. This was only a copy of it; the real painting was going to be hung up at the art studio to rece the painting that was destroyed. The officers were still trying to figure out who vandalized the art studio, but unfortunately, the camera system was entirely wiped clean. My father was working alongside them and investigating things himself. It was going to take them a while to figure out who it was, but in the meantime, I had to get ready for finals. I woke up early this morning so I could cram a little extra knowledge in my head before our first round of finals. ¡°Are you ready for finals?¡± Ba asked as I joined her in the library bright and early. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± I told her, but I wasn¡¯t super confident; I hadn¡¯t had a lot of time to study this past week with everything going on. But I knew I had to try the best I could if I wanted to move on to the next semester. We began studying and we were soon joined by Brody. ¡°I¡¯m nervous,¡± Brody admitted. ¡°If I don¡¯t do well, my pack won¡¯t respect me when I be the Alpha.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be great, Brody,¡± I assured him. ¡°Just rx and do the best you can. Channel your inner Alpha.¡± Categories Search¡­ Heughed and rxed some. Soon, it was time to get to ss and start the finals. My first round was incredibly easy. It was my math and writing sses; then I had Chemistry. Soon, was my Shifter History course, which was a little challenging, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle. By the end of those rounds, I was already exhausted. I wanted to pass out from the stress and exhaustion, but I kept myself going. Thankfully, I only had one more round of finals left for the day. It was the Shifting and Combat course with Professor Enzo. Tomorrow was going to be my art finals and then by the end of the day, we will receive our scores. Enzo was looking incredible as always with his shirt off across the arena with the rest of the ss standing nearby and waiting for orders. Beside Enzo stood 3 very strong and incredibly talented fighters. All three of them specialized in something different. I recognized them from television, theypeted in the Werewolf Olympics, and they were really good at what they did. I learned a few of my own moves based on theirs and I was eager to fight them and show them what I could do. I couldn¡¯t believe we were going to be fighting actual professionals. ¡°About time you showed up,¡± Sarah said as we joined the others. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t start until you got here.¡± I felt my face redden at her words as I looked over at Enzo; he was eyeing me carefully, but he said nothing. We hadn¡¯t spoken much since west talked in the art room. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say to him. ¡°We could always thank him for the gift,¡± Val reminded me. I knew she was right; I needed to say something to him about it. But not here¡­ not now. Enzo turned to the Olympic champions and began talking to them in private. Then they all turned in our Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. direction and Enzo stepped forward. ¡°We are going to be fighting in three categories. Shiftingbat, handbat, and weaponrybat. Handbat is when you fight without weapons,¡± he exined. ¡°You will be fighting each one in their specialties and then the final battle will consist of fighting all three in any form you¡¯d like. We will be going one at a time and I¡¯ll choose who goes first. The rest of us will be your audience. Once you knock down your opponent, pin them with your foot for three seconds.¡± Everyone stayed silent, but we nodded in understanding. ¡°During the final battle, as soon as the first two you knock down hit the ground, they will be out. The third one will need to be pinned with your foot for 3 seconds. Manage to win all four battles, and you will pass the exam.¡± He turned to the opponents and said something to them; they nodded in understanding before Enzo turned back to the rest of us. ¡°Sarah, you can go first.¡± I was a little disappointed he didn¡¯t choose me first, but it was fine. I stepped back with the others as Sarah stepped forward. She was confident, which was a good thing during this exam. I watched as she did incredible work, fighting and shifting like she¡¯s done this her entire life. She fought so effortlessly, and she was able to pin each opponent with her foot quickly. She finally got to the final battle and at first, I thought she was going to lose. They had the upper hand for most of the fight; but in the end, she outsmarted them and ended up knocking each one down. Everyone cheered excitedly for her. One by one, Enzo chose other students to take their tests before me. Soon, Sarah gasped and looked at me. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot! I have a gift for you!¡± I frowned; I didn¡¯t trust Sarah whatsoever, but she seemed genuinely excited about this. She grabbed onto my arm, and I allowed her to pull me away from the others and toward the locker rooms. She went to her locker and pulled out arge white box. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked, uncertainty in my voice. ¡°Open it,¡± sheughed. I opened the box and gasped when I saw the most gorgeousbat shoes I had ever seen. They were white and pink; they were also bulky and perfect for all sorts of activities. I rose my brows at her. ¡°These must have cost a fortune,¡± I said, eyeing her carefully. ¡°Pocket change,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°But it¡¯s my token of apology for all the shit I did to you. I really am sorry.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked, unsure if I believed her. After all, she was nning on running against me for the leader of the student council, an organization that I created. ¡°Yes, really,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been terrible to you, and I wanted to make it up to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I said, looking down at the shoes. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything,¡± she said with a wide smile. ¡°Put them on and wear them for your finals today!¡± The excitement on her face made it almost impossible to say no. I took my shoes off and slipped the new ones on. They felt a little snug and they were very heavy, but they weren¡¯t terrible. They were actually kind offortable. She pped her hands together excitedly. ¡°They look so good on you!¡± She cooed I smiled; they did look really good. ¡°L!¡± Ba said from the doorway. ¡°It¡¯s your turn!¡± I felt my nerves bubbling in my stomach; Sarah gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Good luck!¡± She eximed. Ba looked suspicious, but she said nothing. I went back into the arena where everyone was watching me. My first opponent stood in the center, waiting for me to approach. Enzo was watching me carefully, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the back wall. I don¡¯t know why this made me feel even more nervous. ¡°Are you ready?¡± My opponent asked, getting into his stance. The first round was handbat. Which meant no shifting and no using weapons. I lifted my hands to him and nodded. Soon, we were both fighting. I did a few of my signature flips and kicks in the air, causing gasping and cheering. I felt sweat pouring down the nape of my neck the quicker I fought. I managed to dodge most of his attacks. I went to kick him in the face, but I felt a stinging sensation on my feet. I managed to fight through it and kick him though, but the pain started to grow worse the longer the fight went on. This gave my opponent the upper hand for a moment and knocked me off my feet, but just before he was about to pin me with his foot, I spun out of reach and managed to get to my feet again. I did another backflip to get away from him but as my feetnded on the ground, I felt a sharp pain going up my leg, causing me to fall back to the ground. Everybody gasped and then grew silent. My opponent was about to attack me once again. I rolled out of reach of him, trying to kick him but he grabbed my foot and yanked me so hard it nearly took my entire leg off. This made me scream in pain; both my feet felt like they were on fire. This only proved it. Something was wrong. these shoes were digging into my flesh. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 L¡¯s POV It felt like my feet were on fire; these shoes were digging into my flesh. I fell to the ground, unable to handle staying on my feet any longer and I grabbed at the shoe, holding onto my foot as pain seeped into me. I heard the gasps of my peers around me and when I looked up, I saw Sarah smirking in the distance, folding her arms across her chest. She had done this on purpose; I should have known she didn¡¯t give me these shoes out of the kindness of her heart. I met the eyes of a very worried Ba; she furrowed her brows together as she looked at the shoes and then back at Sarah. This couldn¡¯t be happening to me right now. Even my opponent was looking worried on my behalf. ¡°Where did you get those shoes?¡± I heard Enzo whisper as he knelt down in front of me. I hadn¡¯t noticed him walking toward me until he was already in front of me. I nced over at Sarah who looked annoyed now, but I didn¡¯t say her name. ¡°They were a gift,¡± I said in return, looking back at Enzo. Before I knew what was happening, he was pulling the shoes off my feet and then my socks. Everybody, including myself, gasped when they saw how bloody and bruised my feet were. Enzo sighed and stood to his feet; he went toward his stuff that was tossed in the corner of the room and rummaged through his backpack until he got what he was looking for. He came back with some medical supplies. ¡°You carry that stuff on hand?¡± I asked, raising my brows as he began dabbing my feet in the alcohol. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ I winced in pain. ¡°I¡¯m abat and shifting professor; I need to be prepared,¡± he muttered in return. Once the blood was cleaned, he started to wrap my feet in long cloth bandages. ¡°This should be a lesson to all of you,¡± Enzo said loudly. ¡°Never wear new shoes to a fight. Always break them in for at least a week first.¡± I felt stupid; I should have known that information already. I felt even more stupid for leaving my normal shoes in the locker room. Once Enzo was finished wrapping my feet, he stood up. ¡°Now continue,¡± he said, turning away from me. ¡°Without shoes?¡± He looked back at me, his eyes dark. ¡°Whose fault is that?¡± My heart fell into my stomach at his cruelness. I pressed my lips firmly together and stood to my feet. Without saying anything, I turned back to my opponent. He nced down at my feet questionably before meeting my eyes. ¡°You sure you want to continue this?¡± He asked, getting into his stance. ¡°I¡¯m not failing this ss,¡± I said, getting into my own stance. He smirked and soon we were both fighting once again. I was able to fight much better without shoes and I think it¡¯s because I spent most of my life fighting without shoes. I was fast, faster than my opponent. He soon looked tired and winded, and I knew I had the upper hand. I was able to get him to the floor with ease and press the palm of my foot against his chest, pinning him to the ground. He was too exhausted to fight me anymore. My ssmates pped for me, and I smiled as I helped him to his feet. ¡°You fight beautifully,¡± he said, bowing to me. I bowed in return and waited for the next opponent. This one was the weaponrybat. I grabbed my weapon of choice, which was a dagger, and they grabbed a bow and arrow. My heart fell when I saw her pick up that weapon. How could she use that without actually puncturing me? I looked over at Enzo who didn¡¯t seem as concerned as I was, so I knew I had to trust them. She got into her stance, and I did the same. Soon, Enzo was giving us the signal to start, and an arrow was flying directly at me. In a panic, I used the dagger to shield myself from the arrow and the arrow hit the dagger in a clink and fell to the ground. A couple more arrows were flying directly toward me, and I did the same exact thing, watching as the arrows bounced off the dagger and fell to the ground. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest as I stared at this woman who was now snarling at me. She was not holding back. She was getting another arrow ready; her form was perfect, and she was very fast at using this weapon. On the other students, she used a sword. I wondered why she was using a bow and arrow only for me. The others were deadly silent as they watched the fight go on. My mind started toe back to me and just as another arrow came flying at me, I kicked off the ground and flipped over it. It hit the wall in the distance behind me. I did more flips, as more arrows went flying at me. At one point, as I flipped over an arrow, I ended up grabbing it with my hands and throwing it back at her beforending on the ground. It missed her only by a hair, but it was on purpose. I didn¡¯t want to actually hurt her, and she wasn¡¯t prepared for it, so she didn¡¯t have time to dodge the attack. She was shocked though, as was everyone else. Soon, I was back on the ground, only inches from her, and I swung the dagger at her, also missing her by just a hair. She went to grab another arrow to defend herself, but I kicked it out of her hand and then kicked her legs until she fell to the ground. She screamed out in pain as her shouldernded on the bow that upied her back. Before she had any more time to react, I pressed the palm of my foot to her chest and pointed the dagger at her. The room waspletely silent for a couple of seconds before everyone began cheering wildly. I looked over at Enzo who said nothing, but I almost saw admiration lingering in his eyes. That alone made me feel good. My opponent stared up at me with shocked eyes, but then she smiled as I held out my hand to help her up. ¡°He was right,¡± she said in a low tone for my ears only. ¡°You are incredible.¡± I stared at her stunned. Was she talking about Professor Enzo? Before I had the chance to ask; thest opponent stepped forward. He was much bigger, and he appeared stronger. Which made sense because this was the shiftingbat opponent. I knew his wolf was already on the edge. ¡°Val?¡± I channeled my wolf. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, L¡­ I got this,¡± she said, lowering her head in my mind¡¯s eyes as she prepared her own stance. Soon, my opponent was shifting into his dark grey wolf and lunging at me; before I had time to react, Val was shifting as well and lunging at him in return. She was fierce and she was channeling all her frustrations into that moment. The two wolves tackled each other; Val growled loudly, echoing through the arena. She might have been smaller than this other wolf, but she was quick, and she fought with a lot of heart. Val managed to dodge most of his attacks; she got scratched a couple of times, but she also counterattacked and got a few good swings in with her own ws. This wolf was strong and when he had the upper hand, tackling us to the ground, I shifted back into my human form and switched positions before he had the chance of knowing what was happening. Then, I switched forms again and allowed Val to continue the fight. He might have been big and strong, but that also meant he wasn¡¯t as fast and limbal. My quick movements seemed to have tired him out, and much like the first opponent, I could feel him giving up. The fight would havested forever if he hadn¡¯t. I was too quick and flexible for him to pin me to the ground. I was never going to give up and my stamina was too great for that. He soon fell to the ground and allowed me to pin him. I shifted back into my human form and pressed my foot to the chest of his wolf. There were even louder cheers around the arena and when I looked at Enzo, he gave me a single nod of encouragement. I took a step back to catch my breath and that¡¯s when I noticed, I was now surrounded by all three opponents. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 L¡¯s POV Before I saw any signal from Enzo, all three opponents were running at me. This was not how they did this with the others, and I wasn¡¯t sure why they were treating me differently. Like they didn¡¯t care if I lived or died; they weren¡¯t holding back. Arrows were flying at me just as one of the opponents shifted into his wolf and lunged at me. The third opponent was doing some flips in my direction, getting ready to attack. ¡°Val!¡± I yelled at my wolf. ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± she said with determination filling her voice. Soon, she was shifting into her form and leaping over the opponents; her movement was so quick and delicate that she was able to run through the flying arrows, weaving around them and allowing them to miss her coat by a hair. I could see the frustration on that opponent¡¯s face, however, she paused for a moment in wonder. We reached the opponent in his wolf form and Val immediately had the upper hand because he was distracted by how fast she was getting around those arrows. Val tackled him to the ground but kept her eyes on the opponent in his human form. He was running at us with anger clear on his face. Soon, he did a front flip and was about to kick us in the face until I shifted back into my human form and used my foot to block his attack. He tripped over me andnded on the ground right beside the wolf. They were both on the ground, being pinned by both my legs. This meant that they were automatically out; now it was only the opponent with the arrows left. She stood a distance from me, getting another arrow ready to shoot at me. Just as I watched the arrow flying toward my face, Val shifted. It felt like she burst through me without my control. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. She lunged at the arrow that was heading directly toward us and caught it in her teeth. I thought for a moment that the force of the arrow would have at least broken a tooth, but my wolf was stronger than ever. I heard the gasps of everyone around me, including my opponent. Val growled loudly in her direction just as the arrow ttered to the ground. My opponent was distracted enough for Val to lung toward her and knock her to the ground. I shifted back into my human form and quickly got to my feet, just as she went to reach for the bow that had fallen to the ground beside her, I stepped on her arm, stopping herpletely. With my other foot, I stepped on her chest, pinning her to the groundpletely. I was surprised I didn¡¯t lose my bnce at that moment, but thankfully I didn¡¯t need to stand on her for long. I heard the bell sound and everyone around me began cheering loudly. Ba looked to be inplete shock over the scene that had yed out in front of her. I was breathless, but I felt stronger than ever. My opponents also looked winded, and a little hurt from their falls. But they had surprised and pleasant looks on their faces as they helped one another to their feet. ¡°That was quite impressive,¡± the one with the arrows said, holding out her hand for me to shake. ¡°You were impressive too,¡± I said, beaming up at her. I went to look over at Enzo, but I saw he was no longer paying any attention to me, which irritated me greatly. He was writing something down on a clipboard, probably my testing scores. I was able to beat all three opponents and I beat the final round; so that meant I passed the ss. But I was nervous to see what kind of grade he was going to give me. By the time ss was over, Enzo was back to speaking to the opponents, so I didn¡¯t get a chance to talk to him myself. I still haven¡¯t thanked him for that painting, and I wanted to do so before the day was over. But it didn¡¯t look like now was going to be a good time. ¡°So sorry about those shoes,¡± Sarah said with a fake pout. ¡°I had no idea that would happen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t,¡± I said, folding my arms across my chest. Her eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t think I did that on purpose, do you?¡± She asked, raising her brows. I could see the insincerity in her eyes. ¡°I would never do such a thing. Especially while I¡¯m trying to get back on the good side of the board.¡± I wanted to believe her, but something was telling me not to. Soon, Ba was wrapping an arm through mine. ¡°Come on, L. Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± she said, staring directly at Sarah who just glowered at her. I went with Ba without giving Sarah another look. By the time we were in the student lounge, I felt like I could finally breathe. We sat down at our usual table in the back of the room and we both nearly copsed from such a long and exhausting day. ¡°How were your finals?¡± Brody asked, looking equally tired as he sat down beside me. ¡°I think they went well. I¡¯m a little nervous about the grades though because you never know,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m hopeful they went well. How about yours?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about a couple of sses. If I failed any of them, it would get back to the pack and I¡¯d never get their respect,¡± Brody said, staring down at his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did fine,¡± I told him, trying to remain as positive as possible. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re incredibly smart. I¡¯m sure you did great too,¡± Ba agreed. ¡°I think I did pretty well. As long as I passed, I don¡¯t care what grade I get. Brody and I gave one another looks before we both burst outughing. Ba looked confused for a moment, but then sheughed too. It felt good tough; I feel like I don¡¯t do this often enough. Now that most of my finals were over and done with, I could finally let loose andugh a little. ¡°The three of us should do something tonight to celebrate,¡± Brody suggested, looking between the two of us. ¡°Like go to dinner or clubbing or something.¡± I shook my head, meeting his eyes. ¡°That sounds exhausting. Maybe another time,¡± I said to him. ¡°But my parents are hosting this party on Saturday as a celebration for me moving on from this semester. It doubles as a goodbye party before my trip. You are both invited, of course.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Brody asked curiously. ¡°I would be in the same room as the famous Alpha Bastien?¡± Iughed. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°I could put in a good word for you, maybe get you on themittee when you are old enough.¡± Brody¡¯s father was on themittee, but my father had to approve all members and the process was a painfullyplicated one. Or so I¡¯ve heard. But, putting in a good word, might help Brody¡¯s chances. ¡°That would be amazing!¡± He said happily, giving me a quick side hug. Just as his arm wrapped around me, Enzo walked into the student lounge. He looked at me for a moment before his eyes shifted to Brody¡¯s hand and I swear I saw his eyes darken. He was soon turning away from me and leaving the lounge. Val was not happy by this. ¡­ This next morning. The art finals only took about an hour; we just had to draw a quick portrait using the given prompt. Which I could do in my sleep. Grades were postedter in the evening. As predicted, I got As on all my finals. Enzo¡¯s grades weren¡¯t posted yet, and I wondered why. He waste. Everybody was whispering and wondering where Enzo was with our grades, including the staff. After what felt like an eternity, he finally appeared with a paper, only to be assumed were our grades. As he walked down the line of students, everyone grew silent. He paused when he began passing me; his eyes locked onto mine and held them for a brief moment. It almost felt like we were the only two in the room and I could hardly breathe. Then he broke eye contact and went toward the bulletin board and posted the grades. Everyone went running to the board to check and I could hear some sighs of relief, and others cheered with excitement. Then there were a few that cried and let out sounds of frustration. I could only imagine what kind of grade he was going to give me. ¡°Holy hell, L,¡± Ba gasped. ¡°Check you out.¡± She pointed to my name and peered over at me. I gained at my name and gaped. Next to it was an A+, along with a golden star. I was the only one with a star. ¡°He named me his top student. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 L¡¯s POV ¡°Why are you so surprised? You kicked ass in that ss,¡± Ba said, muchter in the evening as I packed my suitcase in my dorm room. I was getting ready to return home for the weekend. On Monday I would be going to Monstro, and I was incredibly nervous. ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t think he liked me enough to make me one of his top students,¡± I admitted, and that was the truth. I heard Val chuckling. ¡°Take the win,¡± Ba said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m just d I passed.¡± ¡°Getting a B is a good grade,¡± I told her. ¡°I don¡¯t sell yourself too short.¡± ¡°True,¡± she said. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe Sarah got a C. I didn¡¯t think she was that bad.¡± I thought about it for a moment; I thought it was strange that she got a C as well. She was furious when she saw that grade. She was going to demand answers from him, but by the time she turned around from the bulletin board, he was already gone. ¡°Maybe there was something she did during the final that we didn¡¯t see,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°You mean besides trying to sabotage you?¡± ¡°It could have been an ident,¡± I said, looking at her. She rolled her eyes. ¡°We both know it wasn¡¯t an ident,¡± Ba muttered. She was right; I just didn¡¯t want to believe that Sarah could really still be that cruel. ¡°You¡¯re going to be at the party tomorrow, right?¡± I asked as I continued to pack. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss it,¡± Ba said, standing up from my bed. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, L.¡± Categories Search¡­ She soon left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡­ My car was filled with most of my stuff. I wasn¡¯t going to be returning to campus for a couple of months, so I needed to be as prepared as possible. I didn¡¯t leave right away though. I wanted to see Enzo before I went anywhere. I was hoping he was going to be at the party tomorrow evening and I would be able to say goodbye to him there; I also wanted to thank him for not only the painting he gave me, but also the fact that he made me his one and only top student. My heart was pounding heavily against my chest as I made my way to the faculty housing. I knew that Enzo didn¡¯t like it when I just randomly stopped by like this, but he didn¡¯t answer the texts I sent him. Students going to the faculty housing was prohibited, but it was only going to be for a minute. I just wanted to make sure he was going to be at the party tomorrow night. I knocked on the door and during the time that I waited for it to open, I didn¡¯t breathe. Then the door swung open, and I saw Connie leaning against the door frame. She looked surprised to see me, but she kept her eyes locked on mine as she raised her brows. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to bother you¡­¡± I said to her, keeping my tone low. I tried to peer around her, but she blocked my vision. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± She asked, sounding annoyed. ¡°Is Enzo home?¡± I asked. ¡°I wanted to talk to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the shower,¡± she answered. ¡°I was actually just about to join him,¡± she added with a sly grin. Her words were like a punch in the stomach, and I staggered backward. ¡°I see¡­¡± I breathed, lowering my gaze in defeat. ¡°I just wanted to make sure he was going to the party in Elysium tomorrow night.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can make it,¡± Connie said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°We were going to spend the entire day together tomorrow.¡± I wanted to burst into tears, but I kept them from escaping my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you,¡± I said again, turning away. She didn¡¯t stick around to watch me leave; she mmed the door, making me flinch before I took off. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV I heard the front door mming as soon as I got out of the shower. I grabbed my pants and left the bathroom, only to find Connie standing in the living room with a smile on her face. I thought she had left for the evening. She was supposed to return home. ¡°Who was at the door?¡± I asked, eyeing her carefully. ¡°Just salesperson,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I told her we weren¡¯t interested.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t answer the door anymore. This isn¡¯t your home.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, lowering her gaze. ¡°Do you still want me to leave?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best,¡± I told her. ¡°After what happened the other night, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best idea for you to stay here anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if what we didplicated things. But you have to admit that there must be something between us if you can subconsciously be with me like that¡­¡± she said, stepping closer to me. ¡°All I know is that I wasn¡¯t in the right frame of mind. It¡¯s just better I we weren¡¯t hanging out with each other so much. You can understand that, can¡¯t you?¡± She didn¡¯t say anything for a moment; she sighed and peered up at me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop loving you¡­¡± she said. ¡°No matter what you say or do.¡± I didn¡¯t bother responding to her; I turned away and went into my bedroom. Grabbing my phone, I frowned when I saw L¡¯s name on the screen. I could sense that she was lurking around nearby, and I wondered if it was her at the door and not a salesperson. I was hoping Connie wouldn¡¯t lie to me. ¡°Are youing to the party tomorrow night?¡± The text message read. Alpha Bastien had invited me to a party that he was having for L, but I couldn¡¯t go. I had far too much stuff to do before Monday and I couldn¡¯t be distracted because of a party. I¡¯m sure L would understand. ¡°We should be there for our mate,¡± Max whined. ¡°She might take offense of it. It¡¯ll hurt her feelings. She won¡¯t know how we feel about her.¡± ¡°I made her my top student and gave her a gift. I¡¯m sure she knows how I feel about her.¡± ¡°Maybe not¡­ we can¡¯t be too safe.¡± I ignored my wolf, not wanting to get into this with him. L would understand. ¡­ L¡¯s POV It was the evening of my party, and everybody had shown up. My cooked arge feast and they yed music loudly and into the night. Our entire pack showed up for support and others from outside packs as well. A bunch of Alpha¡¯s showed up as well. I received gifts, which were mainly money, and a bunch ofpliments and congrattions. I was pleased at the oue and so was my family, I¡¯m sure. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, kid,¡± Uncle Aiden said, giving me a side hug. ¡°L! You look gorgeous!¡± Bri said, wrapping her arms around me. ¡°I bet you¡¯re excited for Monstro. I¡¯m going to miss you,¡± Brody said as he stepped beside me. ¡°Why do you look so sad?¡± Ba asked frowning at me. I couldn¡¯t tell them why I was sad; I was incredibly happy I was able to celebrate with my friends and family. I was excited and nervous about Monstro. However, my mind and wolf kept drifting further away because he wasn¡¯t there every time I looked at the door. Enzo hadn¡¯t shown up Chapter 114 Chapter 114 L¡¯s POV ¡°L, darling, what¡¯s going on?¡± My mother asked as she came into my room. I could hear the party continuing down the stairs, though it was growingte in the evening, and most were heading home. Ba and Brody are each set up in one of the guest rooms and I had said goodbye to Brianna a little while ago. Only Bri knew the real reason why I was upset, but for the most part, I quietly went up the stairs and headed to bed. I hoped nobody would notice my absence, but my mother did. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just not feeling too well,¡± I told her, curling up in my bed and pressing my knees close to my chest. It was taking everything I had not to cry. She frowned and walked toward me; with one quick motion, she pressed the back of her hand against my forehead for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t feel warm,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Do you want me to bring you some tea?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay,¡± I assured her. ¡°I¡¯m just going to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Is it because you¡¯re nervous about your trip?¡± ¡°Maybe a little bit,¡± I admitted. I was most nervous about not seeing Enzo for two months. Tonight was myst chance to see him before I left. I wasn¡¯t sure how Val would be able to handle being away from him for this month. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about it. ¡°You¡¯re going to be wonderful, L Bean. Cassidy-Ann will take wonderful care of you and help you get settled,¡± my mother assured me as she sat down on the bed beside me. ¡°And you can call us every night to update us. You know I¡¯ll aways answer your calls.¡± Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I gave her a kind smile as she wrapped her arms around me. ¡°I love you so much,¡± she said to me. ¡°I love you too,¡± I said in return. ¡°Everything okay?¡± My father asked, poking his head in the doorway. ¡°L has a little cold feet about her trip. I was just telling her everything was going to be fine,¡± my mother filed him in. He gave me a worried frown. ¡°Cold feet, huh? It¡¯s not like you to get nervous that easily. Are you sure there¡¯s nothing else bothering you?¡± I felt my face redden as my father continued to pour his stare into me. I lowered my gaze, not wanting to tell them anything more. How could I possibly tell them that my professor was my mate? They would make me drop out of the university. A tight knot formed in my stomach, and I took a deep breath to settle my anxiety. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I reassured them after a pause of silence. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± ¡°I bet you are especially after you kicked ass in your in finals yesterday. I just got off the phone with Enzo and he told me that he made you a top student.¡± My mother gasped at his words as she looked at me; I sat frozen on the bed, staring up at my father¡¯s twinkling eyes. ¡°You spoke to Professor Enzo?¡¯ I asked, my voice sounding incredibly far away. ¡°Just now?¡± He nodded once. ¡°He sends his apologies for not making it,¡± my father said, keeping his eyes on mine. ¡°L, why didn¡¯t you tell me you made top student in Alpha Enzo¡¯s ss?¡± My mother asked with wide and curious eyes. ¡°That¡¯s incredible news. You should be so proud of yourself.¡± I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away from my father and I saw something unfamiliar in his eyes. It was like he knew something that he wasn¡¯t telling me. ¡°Congrattions, L Bean,¡± my father said, his smile widening. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to them both, lowering my gaze to my hands. ¡°Did Professor Enzo mention why he didn¡¯te?¡± ¡°He said something came up,¡± my father answered with a shrug. ¡°No big deal though.¡± Maybe it wasn¡¯t a big deal to him, but it was to my wolf. I sighed and nodded as my mother wrapped her arms around me again. ¡°I¡¯m so unbelievably proud of you,¡± she breathed, hugging me tightly. She finally released me and stood to her feet. ¡°We will let you get some rest. We leave for the airport tomorrow evening and I¡¯m sure you have more packing to do,¡± my mother said as she joined my father at the door. ¡°Tomorrow evening? I thought I wasn¡¯t leaving until Monday,¡± I said, staring between the two of them. My mother looked up at my father with a deepened frown. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her?¡± She said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°It must have slipped my mind,¡± my father said in return. ¡°Cassidy-Ann had your ticket changed for a day earlier. I guess there¡¯s a meeting or something on Monday she needs to be at and she wanted her assistant there. She called me because she knew I had the connections to get the flights switched.¡± Tomorrow evening. I wasn¡¯t going to be seeing Enzo at all. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest; this trip was happening way too soon, and I wasn¡¯t sure I was ready. But it was way toote to back down now. I had to go through with this. My parents gave me a kiss before leaving my room and leaving me alone with my thoughts. ¡­ It was a sleepless night. I tossed and turned for most of the night when I should have been sound asleep. I wish I was more excited about this trip, but I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Enzo. I took out my phone and brought up our text thread; I thought about texting him again, but it would be the fourth unanswered text message and I couldn¡¯t do that morally. I put my phone on my bed and worked on packing everything that I could. I packed the new clothing I got and the old clothing I had. I packed all my personal items that I can¡¯t live without for the next couple of months and essential things. It took a few hours, but I managed to get everything ready for the airport. Beta Aiden took my things to the waiting car. Brianna, Ba, and Brody were all at the packhouse still and they hung out with me for most of the day. They all went with my family and me to the airport to say their final goodbyes. I don¡¯t think there was a dry eye in the house. Everybody had misty eyes as they hugged me tightly. ¡°I¡¯m only going to be gone for a couple of months,¡± I said as I hugged a sobbing Brianna. ¡°I know but it¡¯s going to feel like a lifetime,¡± she cried. ¡°It was bad enough when you moved to the Shifter academy which was an hour away. Now you¡¯re going across the world.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it,¡± I told her, hugging her tightly. ¡°Call me every day,¡± she ordered, finally releasing me. I chuckled, but the chuckle didn¡¯t reach my eyes. ¡°I will,¡± I promised. I hugged both Ba and Brody as well. I wished Rachel could be here, but I knew she was focused on her recovery right now and wouldn¡¯t be back for another few weeks. ¡°Have an amazing trip,¡± Brody said with a fond smile as he wiped a tear away from my face using his thumb. I smiled at him. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him. I hugged the rest of my family tightly before finally taking a step toward the terminal gate. ¡°Call when yound,¡± my mother ordered. I gave them a wave before turning toward the gate and greeting the stewardess. I handed her my ticket and she handed me my seat number. ¡°Enjoy the flight,¡± she said politely. I thanked her and boarded the ne. ¡°We should wait a little longer,¡± Val said in a hoarse whisper. ¡°He might show up.¡± I nced out the window of the ne and saw the luggage being transported to the bottom of the ne. I saw a bunch of people walking around the runway, getting nes ready for takeoff. But I didn¡¯t see Enzo. ¡°He¡¯s noting,¡± I told her, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit around and wait for someone who clearly doesn¡¯t care.¡± She was quiet once I said that. We made our way down the aisle until I found my seat. It was next to a hooded gentleman who sat by the window. I put my backpack between my legs and took a deep breath to rx my nerves. This was my first time on a ne. I was d to not get the window seat. The man beside me appeared to be sleeping already; maybe I should fall asleep too so I can sleep through this flight. The stewardess walked down the aisle as others began taking their seats. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said as she reached me. ¡°Can I get a soda while we wait for the ne to take off?¡± ¡°Yes, certainly,¡± she said with a kind smile. ¡°I¡¯ll grab that for you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as she disappeared down the aisle. ¡°You know, those things aren¡¯t good for you,¡± the man beside me muttered. His voice sounded oddly familiar. I frowned and looked over at him; I was about to tell him off when he removed his hood and looked over at me. Soon, all words were gone from my mind and I gasped loudly. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was looking at. Or rather, who I was looking at. ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha Enzo, I need a favor from you,¡± Bastien said one night on the phone. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I answered, waiting for him to continue. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about this trip L is going on. I can¡¯t be there to protect her. She¡¯s never been this far from home before. I know it¡¯s a lot to ask but¡­¡± ¡°You want me to go on this trip with her?¡± I asked, raising my brows. I had thought about going on this trip multiple times. I¡¯ve even gotten as far as looking up ne tickets around the same day and time as L¡¯s. But I knew it would cause issues if anyone found out that I went on the trip with her. Plus, I couldn¡¯t just leave my pack behind while I went to Monstro. Though, Ethan had offered to take care of it for me while I¡¯m away. ¡°I understand if you can¡¯t. I know you¡¯re busy running your pack and working on next semester¡¯s curriculum. It would just make me feel better if someone I trusted was with her. I know she wouldn¡¯t want to bring any of my gammas with her. It¡¯s bad enough that I had them patrolling the school.¡± ¡°What makes you think she¡¯d want me to go with her?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°I know she hasn¡¯t said it, but you are her favorite teacher,¡± Bastien said in return. ¡°I think she would handle it a lot better if you went with her vs. a gamma warrior.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± I said, thinking about how L would react. She¡¯s been upsettely, and I can¡¯t help but wonder if it was because Connie living in my faculty house. I know it¡¯s been rough for her as my mate to watch me living with another woman. Especially a woman whom something seemed to have happened with. I still have no memory of that night and it¡¯s been bothering me. Categories Search¡­ Max has been living with this guilt for some time now and he¡¯s willing to do whatever L and her wolf want. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Enzo,¡± Bastien finally said after a short pause. ¡°You can say no. I just thought I would ask¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying no,¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised you¡¯re asking me to go with her across the world. If I do this, I don¡¯t want her to know I¡¯m doing this.¡± ¡°You want to keep it a secret?¡± Bastien asked. ¡°Just until I get on the ne. But I¡¯m worried if she finds out, it¡¯ll cause some issues. She might not even go and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to live with the fact that I kept her from pursuing her dreams.¡± ¡°I knew I could count on you, Enzo.¡± I hung up the phone without another word. I was soon purchasing ne tickets once Bastien sent me L¡¯s flight information. He even moved her flight a day sooner because her initial flight for Monday waspletely filled. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get on that ne. Finals begin today and the opponents I had brought on for the exams had just arrived. When students, including L, began to pile into the arena, I pulled the opponents aside to speak to them. ¡°That one student over there,¡± I said, motioning to L with my head. They all looked over at her before looking back at me. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on her¡­ treat her like she¡¯s your worst enemy. ¡°You want us to hurt her?¡± One of the opponents asked with an rmed expression. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt her,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°But you can certainly try.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t understand¡ª¡± ¡°She¡¯s my top student,¡± I began to exin. ¡°She won¡¯t even let you get too close to her. She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s truly incredible.¡± They looked at one another with uncertainty for a moment before nodding in agreement. One by one each student went up to face the opponents. Only a couple of students had failed the exam, and some were merely mediocre at best. N?velDrama.Org content. I nced over at L and watched as she went into the back locker room with Sarah. I had a bad feeling about that. Sarah wasn¡¯t exactly her number-one fan and she¡¯s caused problems in the past. I couldn¡¯t just walk away in the middle of these important exams. These students were counting on me to be here and watch them fight these opponents. However, it was about to be L¡¯s turn. I saved her forst. Looking over at Ba, I saw that she too was looking worriedly at the locker room. ¡°Ba,¡± I called her over. She looked startled at first but then worriedly walked toward me. ¡°It¡¯ll be L¡¯s turn soon. Can you make sure she¡¯s out here in time?¡± She nodded quickly. She turned away and ran toward the locker room. Momentster, she emerged with L tailing behind her. Sarah came out a few minutester. I furrowed my brows as L stepped forward and toward her first opponent. I looked her over briefly¡­ there was something different, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Then, she started fighting and I saw her face wincing. It almost looked like she was limping. It wasn¡¯t until she fell to the ground that I noticed what was different. Her shoes. She was wearing brand-new shoes, which wasn¡¯t a good thing to do during a fight. It¡¯s always been a rule to never wear brand-new shoes during a fight when you haven¡¯t broken them in yet. I nced over at Sarah who was watching her with an evil smirk on her and my blood began to boil. When will this girl just stop already? I heard L scream out in pain as she ripped the shoes off her feet. I watched as blood trickled down her foot andnded on the ground around her. It took everything I had not to lose control at that moment. I grabbed my medical supplies from my bag and went to L. She looked incredibly worried; I scolded her for wearing new shoes to the fight. However, I knew where she got them from. But if I acknowledged it at that moment, everybody would know that L was my mate. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. As I cleaned the wounds on her feet and wrapped them in bandages, I knew from the look on L¡¯s face that she wasn¡¯t done yet. She was going to continue the fight and she was going to kick ass. She certainly proved herself when she beat all three opponents. Later in the day, I went to the student lounge to tell her that I¡¯m making her the top student in the ss, but I saw Brody¡¯s arm around her. That stupid jock, I thought to myself. Fury washed over me, and I needed to leave before I lost control of Max. After I posted the grades, I had a bunch of things I needed to do before the trip to Monstro. A tip that L didn¡¯t know I was going on yet. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are leaving me to go on a trip,¡± Connie pouted leaning against my bedroom door to watch me pack. ¡°I¡¯m doing this as a favor to Alpha Bastien.¡± ¡°We both know that¡¯s a lie,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just tell me the truth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your concern, Connie.¡± ¡°Are you seriously going to pretend nothing happened the other night, Enzo? We¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a memory of whatever happened,¡± I said, ring at her. ¡°You know this. I wasn¡¯t in the right mindset. I¡¯m not sure3 what happened but I¡¯m sorry if you got that wrong idea.¡± She stood, dumbfounded. I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose between my index finger and my thumb. ¡°Look, Connie. I think it¡¯s better if you just moved out,¡± I said, meeting her eyes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be living in the faculty housing when you aren¡¯t full-time faculty anyways.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kicking me out?¡± She gasped, tears filling her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to return to your home. The one you came from before you came here. For the sake of our friendship, I think it¡¯s for the best.¡± ¡°Is that really what you want?¡± She asked in a broken whisper. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°It is.¡± I turned away from her, no longer wishing to continue the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower,¡± I said as I left her alone in her thoughts. ¡­ Back in the present moment, L stared at me withrge eyes as we sat next to each other on the ne. Both of our wolves nearly escaped from us at the same time. ¡°Professor Enzo?¡± She gasped. ¡°What are you doing here??¡± Chapter 116 Chapter 116 L¡¯s POV ¡°Did my father put you up to this?¡± I asked, staring at him with such shock. Val was instantly in a better mood as she cooed ¡°I told you so.¡± ¡°He might have mentioned not wanting you to go on this trip alone,¡± Enzo admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he would do that,¡± I said, feeling a little hurt. ¡°He cares about you and was worried,¡± Enzo said with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re busy enough. He didn¡¯t need to pull you away from your duties this summer to babysit me.¡± ¡°I was probably going to go anyways,¡± he said, sounding disinterested as he looked out the window. ¡°What? Why?¡± I asked, peering over at him with raised brows. He sighed before looking back at me. ¡°Do you really have to ask?¡± We stayed silent for a moment longer; staring at one another. I felt like the breath was taken right out of my mouth and my heart was beating rapidly against my chest. At one point, Enzo looked down at my lips and I thought that maybe he would kiss me. Part of me was hoping that he would. But he didn¡¯t. The stewardess returned with a can of Pepsi. ¡°Here¡¯s your soda, mam,¡± she said, handing it to me. I thanked her kindly while she went to check on everyone else. Enzo rolled his eyes as I took a sip. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Those aren¡¯t good for you,¡± he muttered. ¡°They calm my nerves,¡± I told him in return. He nced at me sideways. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked, raising my brows at him. ¡°We are going to be incredibly high in the sky.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the pilot knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± Enzo said; I think he was trying to be reassuring, but his tone wasn¡¯t veryforting. Although Val was in sweet bliss listening to him. ¡°Maybe so¡­ but still¡­¡± I said, staring down at my hands. ¡°I¡¯ve never flown before.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± he muttered, looking out the window. ¡°What does that supposed to mean?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest, feeling slightly offended. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the type to ever leave your hometown or your pack.¡± ¡°I went to Hig for school,¡± I pointed out. ¡°A whole hour,¡± he said, shaking his head. I ignored that remark. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been able to talk to him and I¡¯ve been meaning to. But something always seemed to happen whenever I tried to. A tight knot formed in my stomach as I thought about Connie the other day when Enzo was in the shower. For Val¡¯s sake, I didn¡¯t want to think about such a thing anymore. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you¡­¡± I found myself saying slowly. ¡°Why did you choose me to be your top student?¡± He was quiet for a moment. ¡°Because you earned it,¡± he answered. ¡°You kicked ass in that final; even when you were shoeless.¡± ¡°Is that the only reason?¡± He red at me and the way he looked at me made me feel small at that moment. ¡°My personal feelings have nothing to do with how I grade my students.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡ª¡± I tried to say. ¡°Then, what exactly did you mean?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that, so I remained quiet. Only the sounds of my rapid heartbeat could be heard. Along with the light murmurs of the other passengers. Soon, a voice sounded on the loudspeaker, making me jump. ¡°Good evening, everybody; this is your pilot speaking. We will be departing shortly so make sure you listen to your stewardess as she walks you through the emergency protocols. This flight is a direct flight to Monstro and takes about 16 hours. We will be serving meals and snacks throughout the hours of the ride, along with beverages of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There seem to be clear skies and not much on the radar for turbulence, but we will keep you updated as we are updated. If you have any questions, please see the stewardess, and thank you for flying with Harmony. Sit back, rx, and enjoy the flight.¡± Once he was done speaking, the stewardess went over the basic safety protocols and showed us the equipment. The more she spoke about possible dangers, the more nervous I got. ¡°Will you try to rx?¡¯ Enzo muttered from beside me. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long flight and I¡¯d rather you not fidget beside me the entire time.¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°I can¡¯t help it,¡± I whispered in return. ¡°What makes you so confident about flying anyways?¡± I asked him. ¡°It¡¯s not my first time flying,¡± he answered. ¡°How many times have you flown?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Enough times to be confident.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes at him as I looked away. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I felt the ne jerk forward. I quickly grabbed onto the armrests, not realizing that Enzo¡¯s arm was right there, so I grabbed onto his arm firmly. He stared at me with a wary expression for a moment, but he didn¡¯t say anything as I continued to dig my ws into his arm. Soon, the ne was going faster and faster and it took everything, I did to not scream in fear. ¡°Will you just rx?¡± Enzo muttered from beside me. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. He reached into his bag on the ground and pulled out a neck wrest pillow, along with some earbuds and an eye mask. Was he seriously about to take a nap right now? That selfish jer¡ª Before I could finish my thought, he was putting the neck pillow around my neck and shoving the earbuds into my ears. He started ying some lovely ssical music on his phone. Then he put the eye mask over my eyes so I couldn¡¯t see anything. I was closed in my own little dark world. Nothing could hurt me, and Val was feeling incredibly rxed as well. ¡°Finally¡­¡± Enzo muttered. ¡°I can get some peace.¡± His voice faded out as the music grew louder; I wanted to scold him for treating me like a child, but I felt incredibly rxed so I couldn¡¯t be too mad. I felt the ne lifted into the air, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. This was it¡­ it was on my way to Monstro. With Enzo. ¡­ At some point during the flight, I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was nighttime. I took the eye mask off my face and peered around the ne. It looked like the majority of everyone was fast asleep. There was a nket draped over me that wasn¡¯t there before I fell asleep. The only one who seemed to be awake still was Enzo. ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡± I asked in, keeping my tone low so I wouldn¡¯t disturb anyone else. ¡°A little,¡± he said, not looking at me. ¡°I don¡¯t sleep well on nes.¡± ¡°Do you want the eye mask? It helps,¡± I said, handing it over to him. He didn¡¯t take it. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he muttered. ¡°You should get more sleep.¡± ¡°I slept a lot already,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my father made youe with me.¡± I felt a sense of guilt knowing that Enzo has so much going on already and now he was stuck traveling across the world to babysit me. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I could use a vacation.¡± I stayed silent for a moment longer. ¡°I never got a chance to thank you,¡± I said, peering over at him. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°That painting. I saw it after you left. It¡¯s really beautiful,¡± I told him, feeling my face growing warm. ¡°It wasn¡¯t really much of anything. I had the artists at the studio paint it after your portrait got destroyed.¡± ¡°It was incredibly sweet of you to think of me.¡± My wolf was practically begging to be released; she was in sweet bliss being this close to him. I knew she was starting to doubt him before our flight. But once she saw him on the ne, she was very pleased. That made me happy, but it also worried me at the same time. Was his motive to be closer to me as his mate? Or was he just doing what my father asked of him? Hourster, the ne wasnding, and we were on the ground safely. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t relieved. The sun was up by the time wended and everybody leaving the ne looked exhausted. ¡°L!!¡± I heard my name being called across the airport once we got off the terminal. I saw Cassidy-Ann rushing toward me with a wide smile on her face. She already looked tan from her time here. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here. I¡¯ve been going crazy without my assistant,¡± she said, hugging me tightly. She released me and nced up at Enzo. ¡°Hello, Alpha. I heard you would be here as well,¡± she said, smiling at Enzo. ¡°I took it upon myself to book you both a shared room.¡± What?! Chapter 117 Chapter 117 L¡¯s POV ¡°Did you just say a shared room?¡± I asked in shock, staring at my boss with wide eyes. Enzo was incredibly quiet as he stood behind me and I wouldn¡¯t dare look at his face. Why would she book us a room to share? Didn¡¯t she know he was my professor? I couldn¡¯t share a hotel room with my professor for two months. She must have been out of her mind. I tried desperately to ignore Val¡¯s cooing, but it was all I could hear, and it was rattling my brain. ¡°It¡¯s a sign from the moon goddess, L!¡± Val squealed. ¡°We are meant to be together!!¡± ¡°Val, this isn¡¯t good. If word got out that we are sharing a room with our professor¡­¡± ¡°We are across the world, L. Nobody is going to find out anything unless you tell them.¡± A knot had formed in my stomach; I couldn¡¯t believe this was happening to me right now. Word was bound to get to my parents. I couldn¡¯t speak to them on the phone without them finding out about this. Cassidy-Ann justughed. It¡¯s a hotel suite with two rooms; you two can rx,¡± she chuckled. I sighed in relief; it was still going to be weird sharing a suite with him, but it could have been a lot worse. ¡°You should have seen your faces,¡± she continued tough. Enzo just rolled his eyes and began walking toward the baggage im without saying a word. CassidyAnn just watched after him with a frown on her face. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have much of a sense of humor,¡± she said, shaking he head with dismay on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you have to deal with that the entire trip.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, giving her augh in return. ¡°I¡¯m kind of used to it.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know how anyone can get used to that,¡± she said, shaking her head as she draped an arm through mine. ¡°But at least he¡¯s good-looking.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Val growled at her words; apparently, she didn¡¯t like it when others found Enzo good-looking. It made me a little ufortable too, but I didn¡¯t make that known to Cassidy-Ann. Enzo was able to grab both of our things quickly and he met us at the entrance of the airport. ¡°I have the car ready to take you to the suite,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m having lunch with a few girls I met here and I¡¯ll meet up with youter. I¡¯ll text you the details for tonight.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± I agreed. Enzo opened the car door and motioned for me to get inside while the driver ced our things in the trunk. I gave Cassidy-Ann a quick hug goodbye before sliding into the backseat. Enzo sat beside me. As we drove, I was in awe of everything around me. I had never seen palm trees before, and this ce was full of them. Everything was so beautiful and colorful. The trees were greener than I had ever seen them. Every color flower was blooming and gorgeous. Even the sky was incredibly blue. I couldn¡¯t believe that only moments ago I was souring through that sky. I wish I had appreciated that a little more. But I couldn¡¯t get past the fear. Enzo was also taking in the scenery, although he didn¡¯t look as impressed as I did. I knew it was just a show he was putting on though. I wasn¡¯t sure how I knew that, but I knew. The hotel resort was incredible as well; it looked otherworldly, and I was so excited to see the room. I felt like a little kid as I got out of the car and waited for Enzo to grab our things. ¡°I can take one of my suitcases,¡± I told him attempting to grab a bag from him, but he stood out of reach and when he backed away, I nearly fell over. I swear, I thought I saw a smirk on his face, but it was gone within seconds. He turned away and began walking toward the main entrance. I followed closely behind him. The hotel clerk sat behind the front desk, typing away on herputer and she nced up when she noticed us walking toward her. The floors of the hotel lobby were made of beautiful rose gold marble and in the center of the lobby was a giant crystal fountain. The hotel must have been at least 10 stories tall; looking up, I could see all the different floors and the clear elevator that took guests to their floors. ¡°It¡¯s incredible in here,¡± I breathed, but Enzo ignored me as he spoke to the woman behind the counter. He gave the woman our names and the timeframe of our stay and she typed on herputer to look us up. ¡°Oh, here you are,¡± she said with a faint smile. ¡°A hotel suite for two, booked by Miss Cassidy-Ann. She¡¯s one of our most famous guests. You¡¯re lucky to be associated with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her assistant,¡± I exined. ¡°We are here for a work trip.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said ncing at me briefly. She seemed uninterested in what I had to say. She nced back up at Enzo and batting hershes she asked, ¡°Are you an Alpha? You seem like an Alpha.¡± I saw what was happening and my stomach squeezed into a tight knot as this woman flirted with my mate. Val was getting ready to attack her, but I calmed her down enough so we wouldn¡¯t lose control in the middle of this fancy resort. ¡°I¡¯m the Alpha of the Calypso pack,¡± he answered. But he didn¡¯t sound that interested in the conversation; he sounded more impatient than anything. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s so far away. I¡¯ve heard of that pack. It has an interesting reputation. Thest Alpha¡­ his name was ise, right?¡± ¡°That was my father,¡± he answered, his tone hardening. ¡°Can we get our room keys?¡± She frowned. ¡°Oh, yes, of course,¡± she said. She printed a couple of keys on the spot and slid them across the counter. She nced at me with uncertainty on her face before looking back at him. ¡°If you ever tire of the assistant,e find me,¡± she said, winking at him. I was tense at her words. This time, I couldn¡¯t keep my growl in. It escaped through my throat, and it made her look back at me with a startled expression. Enzo grabbed my arm to keep me in ce. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± he said to her quickly. She said nothing as she watched us head for the elevator across the Lobby. ¡°I didn¡¯t like that woman,¡± I muttered once we were inside the elevator. ¡°No kidding,¡± he said in return, shaking his head. He didn¡¯t say much more about it. We left the elevator and walked down a long and wide hallway until we reached our given room. As I walked inside, I gasped at how big the room was. It was the size of a full apartment with a kitchen and everything. The living room was huge, and it had two sofas along with a loveseat, a huge television, and so many decorations. The ground was made of white marble with a pink rug, which matched the light pink window curtains and the pink cushions on the beige couches and loveseats. There was also a huge balcony outside the window and on the balcony was a hot tub big enough for 8 people at least. Our suite overlooked the incredible ocean, and I got a good view of some more palm trees as well. The balcony had a set of stairs leading down to a huge patio area that held a bunch of lounge chairs, a couple of grills, pic tables, and a huge fire pit. There was also a sandy path that led directly to the beach. I had never been to a real beach before; only ponds because we weren¡¯t close to the ocean in Elysium. Around the corner, there seemed to be another path that led to the pool area; I was eager to check that outter, but for right now, I was more intrigued by the beach. ¡°Can we go to the beach?¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 L¡¯s POV ¡°Right now?¡¯ Enzo asked, raising his brows. ¡°We just got here. Let¡¯s get settled in first.¡± ¡°We have two months to get settled in. I want to check out the tropical beach,¡± I said, peering up at him. ¡°I can always go myself if you don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he interrupted. ¡°But let me at least put my stuff in my room.¡± He grabbed his own bags and went across the living room area and towards a room he apparently decided he wanted in a matter of seconds. ¡°I have to change anyways,¡± I said, grabbing my things and going into the room on the opposite side of the living room area. Each bedroom had its own bathroom attached to it and a walk-in closet. The room was huge and they also had their own little balcony that had stairs that lead to the same patio area. The floors had light pink carpets that matched the pink bedspread and window curtains. They also had huge TV¡¯s that hung up on the wall in front of the giant king-sized beds. Being here for two months was going to beplete heaven. Rummaging through my suitcase, I pulled out the pink bikini that I got specifically for this trip. It was one of the bathing suits that Bri insisted that I get. ¡°It¡¯ll show off your figure and you look so cute in it!¡± She cooed when I tried it on. I felt a little weird wearing it, but I hoped that Enzo would like it. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to love it,¡± Val purred as soon as those thoughts echoed through my mind. I slipped the bikini on and took a look at myself in the mirror. It made my books look rather nice and, just like Bri had said, it showed off my figure. I grabbed a towel and theplimentary beach chair that sat on the other side of the room, against the wall. Categories Search¡­ I also figured I should probably put some real clothes on for the walk to the beach, so I grabbed the N?velDrama.Org owns all content. light purple bathing suit cover I had packed for this trip as well and slipped it over my body. It covered me nicely and fell down around my knees. I felt a little morefortable being covered. When I left my room, I paused when I saw Enzo also emerging from his room. He was wearing his bathing suit shorts and he waspletely shirtless. I should be used to seeing him like that because he rarely wore a shirt during ss, but something about seeing him in this hotel suite in his bathing suit and no shirt, it made me speechless. I could hardly think of words to speak at that moment, and I knew I was staring pathetically. He looked me over for a moment; there were no emotions on his face which greatly bothered me. He must think I look terrible. My heart was pounding so quickly against my chest, I thought I was going to vomit. I hated the way he looked at me and I couldn¡¯t even meet his eyes. I stared at the ground, feeling a wave of shame crossing me. ¡°Are you ready?¡± He finally asked, after what felt like a lifetime of silence. I nodded. I brushed the thought of Enzo hating what I looked like out of my mind and got excited again for the beach. I heard that the beach in Monstro was unlike any other beach in the world. We made our way down the stairs of the balcony; the air was hot and nearly stuck to my skin. The water was going to feel so nice. It was a short walk to the beach but once we got there, I couldn¡¯t believe how big it was. The water was light blue and very clear; the sand was white with little sparkles of crystal in it. It was certainly nothing like the pond beaches we have in Elysium and Hig. There was even a bar on the beach; it was still fairly early in the afternoon, and they were already serving drinks to guests. I could also hear musicing from somewhere on the beach. In the distance, I saw a stage and there was a band ying live music. ¡°This ce is unreal,¡± I gasped. Once again, I was ignored as Enzo went to find a ce to sit that wasn¡¯t upied by a bunch of people. We finally found a ce that was semi-secluded, and we set up our stuff for lounging. I grabbed some sunblock from my beach bag and stripped from the bathing suit cover, throwing it into the sand beside my stuff. This time, Enzo had a very different look on his face as he took in my new appearance. It was still unreadable, but it was very different from the stonewall look he gave me in the room. His eyes had darkened drastically, and he stared at my body like he was struggling against something. It made me feel incredibly embarrassed and I fought the urge to cover myself up again. He finally pulled his eyes away from me, breaking the small trance I was under. ¡°Want some sunblock?¡± I asked, trying to keep a normal tone. ¡°Sure,¡± he said in response, taking it from my hands. I watched as hethered the sunblock across his body; my breath nearly got taken away from me. He was so incredible to look at; being around him these next couple of months was going to be so difficult. I could feel Val¡¯s impatience from within me. ¡°Nobody we know is going to be here. We can do whatever we want,¡± she reminded me. ¡°It¡¯s not like he wants to do anything with me anyways,¡± I said in return, shaking my head at the very thought. I heard her chuckling, but she said nothing more. Soon, Enzo was standing to his feet. He still wasn¡¯t looking at me, but he began to walk toward me, and then passed me. ¡°I¡¯m going to the water,¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± I said as I quickly put sunblock on and rushed after him. The water was cold, but it felt so nice on my warm skin. I breathed in the sweet smell of the salt water. I felt the fish tickle my toes as a school of them rushed past me, making meugh lightly. Enzo stood and stared into the distance. He watched as boats made their way across the sea and I wondered if he liked sailing. I wanted to ask him, but I was still feeling a little embarrassed about it earlier and chose not to say anything. I went further into the water until it touched my shoulders. I swam around inps, allowing the water to soothe my body and put me into sweet tranquility. I could get used to this. ncing over at Enzo, he was frowning, but he was now watching me with curiosity. He wasn¡¯t the kind of Alpha that ever smiled or allowed himself to have fun. The other Alphas would oftenin about it. I wondered if I could at least get him to crack a smile. I swam closer to him; he narrowed his eyes at me; he was probably wondering what it was I was going to do. I kept myself at chin level with the water and made my way over to him using my hands. Once I was at his feet, he continued to stare down at me. He seemed perplexed, but also a little annoyed at the same time. Then, I did something definitely wasn¡¯t expecting. I sshed him. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Enzo¡¯s POV I stood frozen as water attacked my face; as soon as it hit me, I stumbled away, wiping it out of my eyes so I could see clearly. The look of regret was soon on L¡¯s face as she stood to her feet. I wasn¡¯t mad, but I was having trouble thinking straight about how sexy L was looking in that small bikini. When she took off that bathing suit cover, and I first got a glimpse of her, I nearly lost control of Max right then and there. It took everything I had to do to keep him at bay. But all he wanted to do had his way with her. She might be our mate, but she was still my student. I wasn¡¯t there as her mate, I was there as her protector, just as Alpha Bastien had requested. He needed someone to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn¡¯t get herself into trouble or get hurt. I was nothing more than a bodyguard. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on her,¡± Max pleaded. ¡°Am I really that big of a hard ass?¡± I asked my wolf in return, feeling only a little offended. ¡°You act cruelly to her, and you know he doesn¡¯t deserve it,¡± he scolded. ¡°She¡¯s our mate and should be treated as such.¡± ¡°You know exactly why we can¡¯t treat her like our mate. My father¡¯s men will¡ª¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s men aren¡¯t here,¡± Max reminded me. ¡°Nobody is here. You both are safe and free to do what you want. You can have sex with her all night long and no one would ever find out.¡± He was right and the member in my bathing suit also jumped at that idea. But could I really do this? Technically this was a business trip. I didn¡¯t want to disrupt the work because of my wolf¡¯s horny needs. Categories Search¡­ But then she bit onto her bottom lip, chewing on it in her usual nervous fashion and my heart skipped a beat. I looked around; there wasn¡¯t anyone nearby. Most everyone was off swimming in the distance. I nced back down at her and just as she was about to say something, I kicked water at her face, startling her and making her fall backward into the water. This time, I allowed myself tough. It wasn¡¯t often that Iughed; at least not in front of many people who weren¡¯t a part of my inner circle. But something about L brought this side of me out and I feltfortable enough to allow myself this laughter. She looked surprised at first; she stared at me as Iughed, and her face grew that much redder. But then she smirked and sshed me again. I sshed her without hesitation, and she burst out into laughter of her own. Herugh was musical, and it made me feel this sense of warmth on the inside. She stood to her feet and kicked water at me, but this time she turned away and ran before I could retaliate. Something about that didn¡¯t sit right with me; I scowled at her and ran after her. She screamed yfully as I neared her. She might have been fast in the water, but I was much faster, and I was driven with determination. She turned to face me as she ran to see how close I was, and she shrieked when she realized just how close I was to her. I growled at her, allowing Max toe to the surface only a little bit. He wanted to y too. Her eyes grewrge once she noticed him and then I saw her wolf surfacing as well. I don¡¯t think it was something she could control like I could. As soon as she saw Max, her wolf must have burst through her with excitement. It only took that moment of pause for me to catch up to her fully and wrapped my arms around her. She gasped as I lifted her off the ground and spun her around,nding both our bodies in the water. She went underwater for a moment once she surfaced, sheughed a lot and Iughed with her. I kept my hold around her body, but lightly so she could decide to wiggle out from my grasp or not. She remained still; both of ourughter dying down as we looked into one another¡¯s eyes, seeing our wolves at the edge, and breathing huskily in our ears. Her body was incredibly warm, and I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t because of the heat outside. I ran my fingers down her arm gently and I saw a small smile ying on her lips. Max was right when he said that nobody we knew was going to be here and we could do whatever the fuck we wanted. Before I knew what was happening, she leaned up and kissed me. She was the one who made the first move, which was surprising to me. Her lips were soft, warm, and inviting. She kissed me like her life was depending on it; I¡¯m sure her wolf had something to do with that as well. She breathed me in like I was her air, and she couldn¡¯t get enough of it. Her tongue explored my mouth like it was on a quest searching for something. I firmly wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me as I leaned into her kiss, allowing her to get her fix of whatever she wanted before I took what I craved from her. I allowed my tongue to wander into her mouth as well, but only for a moment as my teeth grazed her bottom lip. I bit onto it gently, and then I used more force, firmly bringing it into my mouth. I ran my fingers down her arms, watching as goosebumps formed on her skin; she kept her eyes closed, taking me in through her senses andvishing in my scent. I wasvishing in hers as well; honeysuckle filled my nose and rxed my entire body. Running my kisses down the nape of her neck, I stopped at the area around the back of her shoulder, licking it gently as I felt the hunger my wolf was feeling at that moment. He wanted to bite into her and Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. mark her. It¡¯s something he¡¯s been wanting to do for a long time, and I¡¯ve held him back until this moment. If I marked her, iming her as my mate, it would change everything. She would be the highlight of the danger. My father¡¯s men would never stop hunting her if they knew her importance to me. I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to her because of me. The thought made me put my canines away, much to Max¡¯s dismay. He groaned with aggravation, but I ignored him. My fear of losing her was greater than my desire to mark her. I ran my hands down her body until I reached her bathing suit bottoms. She had her legs wrapped around me and was practically sitting on top of me under the water. I¡¯m sure she could feel my manhood underneath her, but it didn¡¯t seem to bother her. I bought my kisses back to her lips and continued to suck on her bottom lip. She ran her fingers through my wet hair, tugging at it gently as she continued to press herself into me. I moved her bathing suit bottoms to the side and began brushing my fingers across her most sensitive areas, causing her to gasp with desire. Her body was nearly on fire from her growing passions, and I knew there was only one way to ease this type of difort. She threw her head back as I threw my fingers inside of her. Under the water, it was hard to tell, but I knew she was oozing her desires all over my hand. Her breasts were nearly in my face and all I wanted at that moment was to release them from her bathing suit. But I worried that others would see if it if I did. She gasped as I quickened my pace and then she began to kiss my neck. Nibbling and licking every corner she could reach. I felt her hands trailing down my sides until they were ying with the lining of my bathing suit bottoms. She wanted to release me from them. I had taken away her first kiss, and now¡­ ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked in a breathless whisper, peering down at her. I paused all my movements at that moment, and she stared up at me with a lustful look in her eyes and a small smile ying on her swollen lips as she nodded once. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± she answered, her whisper matching mine. At that moment, I freed myself from my bathing suit bottoms and I took her virginity. Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Enzo¡¯s POV I started off slowly; I slid into her only a bit so she could get used to it. She was breathing heavily, and I knew how badly she wanted it; how badly she wanted me. But I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. She went in for another kiss, and I let her. I didn¡¯t want her to regret anything, so I started this process slowly. But once I was inside of her, it was like she couldn¡¯t get enough. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself into me. She only whimpered slightly but once she got used to it, she began thrusting on her own. We were still in the water, but nobody in the distance knew what we were doing under the surface. She kept her legs wrapped around my waist and I knelt on the sand, so the water was at shoulder length. I continued to kiss her gently as we thrashed into one another. A small moan escaped her lips while she nibbled my earlobe. Max wanted so much more of her, and I knew that her wolf wanted more too. But I wouldn¡¯t give it to them. This was L¡¯s first time having sex and I wanted it to be without regret. I wasn¡¯t sure what oue I wanted after this, but I knew at this moment I just wanted her. ¡°Oh, Enzo¡­¡± she whispered against me, keeping her eyes closed tightly. I ran my fingers down her back, ying with the spot her bathing suit was tied together. I was tempted to undo the tie and expose her breasts to me. But if I did that, then I would be exposing her to the beach. I wasn¡¯t going to allow anyone else to see her like that. I kissed across her chest until I reached her cleavage. I just wanted a small peak here for myself. It was like she could read my mind because she gazed down at me, with a small smile ying on her perfect lips, and she pulled down the bathing suit piece to expose only one breast. Categories Search¡­ That was all I needed. I trailed my tongue across her nips and circled around it, causing it to harden and turn a light shade of pink as her entire body nearly lit up from the sensation. I yed with it between my teeth, tugging at it gently and smiling as she chuckled. She continued running her fingers through my hair and I would be lying if I said it didn¡¯t feel incredibly good. L began kissing my neck again and the sensation caused goosebumps on my own skin. Nobody has ever given me goosebumps before. Then again, I had never had a mate before. I wanted to take her to the resort suite and have my way with her. Her breathing deepened and I knew she was reaching her climax. Once she reached her peak, she gasped and fell into me. I allowed myself to climax as well, holding her tightly against me and nuzzling my face in the warmth of her neck. At that moment, she was the most beautiful thing in the world to me. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Holy shit. I lost my virginity. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think but I knew my entire body was tingling. I couldn¡¯t believe I had lost my virginity to my mate. To my professor. It hurt at first, but then it felt so incredibly good. I sat against him for a long while in the water until my fingers had turned into prunes and then I found the strength to pull away from him. He almost seemed resistant to letting me go, but eventually, he released his hold on me and let me swim to shore. He followed behind me and weid out on the towels that we spread across the warm and white sand. He remained close to me; his shoulder touching mine as weid out on our stomachs, bathing under the intense heat of the sun. I closed my eyes, allowing the sun to nket its warmth across my wet skin. I felt Enzo¡¯s lips on my shoulder and my eyes fluttered open to see him gently kissing me. His fingers traced my back as he continued the kiss, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. His kiss was soft and sweet; he was incredibly gentle. This was a new side of Enzo that I never thought was possible to surface from him, but he was so tender and careful with me. It made my heart rapidly beat in my chest. I leaned toward him and kissed him on the lips. I wanted so much more of him. I wasn¡¯t sure I was ever going to be able to handle being apart from him again. His fingers trailed my arm and went up my shoulders, up my neck, and caressed the side of my face gently, leaving goosebumps in their path. I leaned against him, deepening the kiss. It took everything I had to not rip off his bathing suit. ¡°You taste so good,¡± he whispered against my lips. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the room,¡± I suggested; I saw his eyes darken but he didn¡¯t argue. We quickly went back to the room where we immediately started making out. He lifted me off the ground and brought me to his room. This is how I also figured out that our rooms with identical with the same balcony and the same view of outside. I wrapped my legs around him and we fell into his bed, draping ourselves in the sheets that upied his bed. This time, he didn¡¯t hesitate to take my top off. With one quick motion, he had my bathing suit top untied, and it was falling beside me on the bed. He did the same thing with my bottoms. I waspletely exposed to him, but I didn¡¯t care at that moment. He didn¡¯t look at me with judging and disgusted eyes; he looked at me with lust and desire. I could see his wolf nearing the surface and it was drawing Val out as well. Every time I saw his wolf, mine wanted toe out and y. He kissed and sucked on every corner of my body, and I couldn¡¯t help the moan that escaped my lips. He positioned himself between my legs, just as he did the first time I had gone into heat, and he used his tongue to please me. I dug my fingers into the bedding and allowed the sensation to take me away to a better ce. Chills upied my skin, and I gasped as his tongue swirled around my center. I felt my climax quickly approaching and just as I reached the peak, he stopped. He kissed up my torso until he reached my breasts and then he began nibbling on them yfully. The feeling was ticklish to me, and I chuckled as I ran my fingers through his hair. It tickled me, but I also didn¡¯t want him to stop. I moaned again as I felt his manhood pressing onto my leg, begging to enter inside of me. I wanted to please him too, but I was worried I wouldn¡¯t do a good job. I went to reach for it, but I stopped myself. I think he sensed my hesitation because, for a moment, he stopped kissing me to stare questionably at me. Then, I saw a smirk ying on his face as he pulled away from me. I fought a groan as I watched him distance himself. I wanted to beg him toe back, but the words failed me. I saw that he was digging around the dresser drawer that he must have unpacked some stuff into and then he pulled out a silver packet. It was a condom. We failed to use one of those earlier in the ocean and my heart fell into my stomach. It wasn¡¯t even a thought that urred to me. How could I have been so stupid? I quickly brushed the thought out of my head as I watched him slip the condom over his manhood and then he made his way back into bed, crawling on top of me. I awaited him eagerly as he once again kissed me tenderly. Not before long, we were making love. However, it didn¡¯tst nearly long enough. Soon, we were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. Dripping in sweat, I rolled over andy beside him in bed as he grabbed his phone. Frowning as he looked at the screen. ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked, trying to gain control of my breath. He looked at me keeping that frown on his face. ¡°It¡¯s your mother.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 L¡¯s POV Out of all the times for my mother to call, it had to be right now? I stared at the phone with a racing heart. ¡°Are you going to take it?¡± Enzo finally asked, putting the phone on mute so my mom couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Should I?¡± I asked, raising my gaze to meet his. ¡°You probably should. I don¡¯t think you called her when wended.¡± Oh, my goddess. Enzo was right; Ipletely forgot to call her, and we¡¯d been there for hours. I grabbed the phone from him, scrambling out of bed. For a moment, I forgot that I waspletely naked, and it wasn¡¯t until Enzo¡¯s eyes trailed downward that I remembered. I grabbed my clothing off the ground and attempted to cover my body but to no prevail. He smirked at my attempt, which caused my face to redden. Turning away from him, I quickly went into the bathroom and took my mother off mute. ¡°Hey, Mom,¡± I said, trying not to sound suspicious. ¡°You didn¡¯t call me when younded,¡± she immediately said. ¡°You promised me that you would, and I was worried.¡± ¡°Sorry, I had a lot going on as soon as I got here. Also, you failed to tell me that Alpha Enzo would be joining me,¡± I said in return, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone. Not that I minded that Enzo was here; my wolf was certainly pleased. ¡°It was your father¡¯s idea. You know how worried he gets,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡¯m not a weak little girl. I can fight my own battles and take care of myself,¡± I said, sighing. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Neither of us doubt that, L Bean. But with these recent attacks on Vna wolves and the fact that you have recently been kidnapped and targeted at the art gallery, we just want to make sure that you are safe. I couldn¡¯t bare it if anything were to happen to you. You know we love you so much.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± I said in return. ¡°And I love you too. I just wish I wasn¡¯t blindsided. You could have given me a heads-up.¡± ¡°We were worried you would refuse hispany if we told you. This might be good for you both; it¡¯ll give you a chance to get to know him. Who knows¡­ you might like him.¡± My face grew warm. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She had no idea that Enzo was my mate, and she certainly didn¡¯t know that I just lost my virginity to him. I couldn¡¯t believe I had sex with Enzo. He¡¯s my professor. I wondered if he regretted it yet. ¡°Just give him a chance,¡± my mother said after a breath of silence. ¡°Okay,¡± I agreed. ¡°I wish you and Dad could be here,¡± I said, changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful. You would love it.¡± ¡°Maybe next summer we can go as a family,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go and I¡¯m sure the twins would have fun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. I¡¯m sure they would too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you enjoy the rest of your day. Call me tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call tomorrow,¡± I assured her. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too,¡± she said just before the line disconnected. I finally let out a sigh of relief; she didn¡¯t suspect a thing. As I looked into the mirror, I saw how red my face was. I heard a knock on the door, and Enzo¡¯s voice brought me back to the present moment. ¡°Your phone is ringing,¡± he said from outside the door. At that moment, I remembered that I was currently on Enzo¡¯s phone. I quickly finished dressing before leaving the bathroom and grabbed my phone from Enzo¡¯s outstretched hand. It was Cassidy-Ann. She probably wanted to tell me what the n was for the evening like she said she would. ¡°Hello?¡± I said into the phone. ¡°Oh, good, L. I was worried you weren¡¯t going to answer. Are you settled into your suite?¡± ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s absolutely gorgeous. We already checked out the beach and everything,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. So, I¡¯ve made reservations at this restaurant on the waterfront. I¡¯ll text you the address. The reservation is for 6, so that gives you a couple of hours to get ready. Wear something nice. We will discuss the n for the next couple of months. Alpha Enzo can also join us if he¡¯d like,¡± CassidyAnn exined. ¡°Sounds great,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡± I hung up the phone and turned to face Enzo who was staring at me with a frown. I almost forgot he was there. Cassidy-Ann¡¯s phone call reminded me that this was a work trip and I needed to stay focused. I had dreams that I wanted to makee true and Enzo¡¯s hotness was only going to be a distraction. ¡°We have dinner reservations at 6 tonight. So, we should probably get ready,¡± I told him; hinting that we weren¡¯t going to continue what we were doing before my mother called. He got what I was saying instantly. I turned and left his room, returning to my own room so I could find something nice to wear for the evening. Brianna had picked me out a nice maroon dress that was perfect for any kind of business event. I needed to make an impression. Even though I already knew Cassidy-Ann and she already liked me, I wanted her to know that I¡¯m taking this very seriously. ¡­ The restaurant Cassidy-Ann had told me about sat right on the water with a dock that led to the front entrance. Around the top of the building were lights that almost looked like Christmas lights, along with some low-hanging lights around therge ss doors. The water looked absolutely gorgeous this evening with the moon¡¯s reflection making the clear blue waters glisten. ¡°I¡¯m d you made it,¡± Cassidy-Ann said as we approached the entrance. ¡°Our table is ready.¡± We followed her through the restaurant until we reached a table that sat right next to arge window that overlooked the water. ¡°This ce has amazing food. Have you ever heard of it?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked, staring between the two of us. I went to answer, but Enzo spoke first. ¡°I¡¯ve been here before,¡± he said, ncing at the menu. ¡°Their food is in fact delicious.¡± I had no idea he¡¯s been to Monstro before; I looked at him, dumbfounded, but I chose to say nothing, and he didn¡¯t notice me looking at me. He kept his eye fixated on the menu. Before Cassidy-Ann said anything more, the waiter appeared with his notepad. ¡°Hello, my name is Mike, I will be your server for this even¡ª¡± his voice trailed off when he saw CassidyAnn, and then his eyes grewrge. ¡°You¡¯re Cassidy-Ann?!¡± Mike eximed. ¡°I am a huge fan. I love your artwork. I have some of your pieces hung up in my home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you,¡± Cassidy-Ann said with a small smile. ¡°But please, treat me like I¡¯m just anyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be difficult because I¡¯m such a big fan and I¡¯ve always dreamt of meeting you. But I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Mike said with a nervousugh. ¡°Can I start you off with something to drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a red wine,¡± she answered. Mike then looked at me and I ordered a white wine; Enzo also ordered a white wine. So, our taste in wine was simr. ¡°We have a lot inmon with our mate,¡± Val chuckled. The waiter left to get our drinks and Cassidy-Ann turned her attention to me. ¡°So, we have a lot to discuss. These next couple of months are crucial to my business. We are going to be incredibly busy. I have 2 art shows this week, one being at the academy and another being at the Monstro Art exhibit, one of the biggest exhibits in the world. Obviously, I¡¯ll need you there with me. I¡¯m also teaching a summer course at the academy, at the request of Leroy. I¡¯ll need you there as my aid. It¡¯s on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 pm-2 pm. For the next couple of months every Friday, I¡¯ll be having an Assembly at the Town Center, at 4 pm and will be having an art signing after the assembly for about an hour.¡± She spoke so quickly that I could barely grasp all she was saying. Thankfully, the waiter returned with our wines and then took our orders. I took a sip of the wine as Cassidy-Ann reached into her purse and pulled out a new-looking cellphone. She slid it across the table in my direction. ¡°This will be your work phone while we are here. Anybody who is anybody has this number and will be calling you periodically to set up appointments, meetings, or make purchases. I¡¯ll also need you to monitor my website and make sure it¡¯s running properly. When I call, I expect you to answer immediately¡­¡± I nodded as I took the phone. ¡°Monday through Friday we¡¯ll be doing office hours from 10 am to 12 pm. That¡¯s when I catch up on my work and when you¡¯ll be taking orders, answering questions, and basically being my assistant. Leroy set up an office for me at the academy that we will be using.¡± Cassidy-Ann continued talking just as I heard Enzo¡¯s phone ringing. He took out his phone and nced at the screen; I couldn¡¯t help but look at it as well. But as soon as I saw the name on the screen, my heart sank into my stomach. Connie was calling. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 L¡¯s POV As Enzo excused himself to take that phone call, I couldn¡¯t help but stare after him with a heavy heart. Why would Connie be calling him? Connie and Enzo had spent that night together, but from my understanding, it was a one-night stand. A drunken evening where two friends took things a little too far. At least that¡¯s what I was hoping it was. ¡°L?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked, bringing me back to the present moment. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry; can you repeat that?¡± I asked, trying not to look back in Enzo¡¯s direction. ¡°I was just saying on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week we will have dinner together. That way we can discuss things and unwind. Think of it as small meetings, but with delicious foods,¡± Cassidy exined. ¡°I¡¯m sending an email of our schedule for the next several weeks to your work email. Make sure to check that frequently; I added your email to my website so new orders will be sent to you as well. I¡¯m also thinking about having a charity banquet in a couple of weeks. I might decide to have you do some character artwork for the guests. I think that would be a fun idea; what do you think?¡± She was talking at a million words per second, and I was having trouble keeping up with everything, especially when my mind was only focused on the fact that Enzo went off somewhere to talk with Connie in private. What could they be talking about? I nced over in his direction, and he was in the far corner, just outside the bathrooms. ¡°Your mind doesn¡¯t seem to be here,¡± Cassidy-Ann pointed out. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± She followed my gaze to Enzo and frowned timidly. ¡°Something tells me he¡¯s more than just a bodyguard.¡± My face warmed as she looked at me questionably. ¡°He¡¯s my professor,¡± I exined. ¡°It¡¯s kind ofplicated.¡± Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°It¡¯s not going to get in the way of your work, is it?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°No, of course not,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll be focused; I promise.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Why are you calling me?¡± I said as I got far enough away from the table. ¡°I know you¡¯re upset with me. But I didn¡¯t want to leave things off the way we did,¡± Connie said quickly. ¡°We were best friends. Don¡¯t let one night destroy that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around that one night,¡± I said in return. ¡°I need some space.¡± I was annoyed that she called and even more annoyed that she called while I was seated next to L. She saw Connie¡¯s name on my phone screen. I looked back over in her direction and saw that she was watching me with a painful look in her eyes. ¡°I know you are confused. I thought you were in the right frame of mind and I¡¯m sorry for that. But please don¡¯t be angry with me anymore. I love you Enzo¡­ but if you only want me as a friend, then I will have to respect that as painful as it might be.¡± ¡°I appreciate that.¡± I genuinely meant that, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to continue this conversation. ¡°I¡¯m at dinner right now though; we¡¯ll have to talk about this another time,¡± I said. ¡°I understand¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°Will you call meter?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ bye Enzo.¡± I hung up without saying another word. By the time I got back to the table, our meals had already arrived, and L was slowly picking at her food. ¡°Not hungry?¡± I asked, sitting down beside her. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten much today.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m just not feeling all that well,¡± she said softly, staring down at her food. ¡°Did you have a nice talk with Connie?¡± ¡°It was fine,¡± I answered. ¡°She just wanted to apologize for some stuff. Did I miss anything?¡± ¡°We were just going over our schedule for the next couple of weeks. Nothing you need to be concerned about, Alpha. I¡¯m sure L will fill you in on the detailster.¡± L started to eat a little bit more as Cassidy-Ann continued talking her ear off. L wore a maroon dress that hung loosely off her body, ending just above her knees. The dressy low on her chest, revealing her cleavage. She had her hair down but draped over one of her shoulders, making her neckline visible, and the matching maroon ne that dangled against her chest. ¡°Goddess, our mate is so sexy,¡± Max breathed; he couldn¡¯t get enough of her. Having her this morning wasn¡¯t nearly enough. My eyes lowered and I saw that her legs were crossed in front of her. ¡°So, as I was saying¡­¡± Cassidy-Ann continued. ¡°Make sure that phone stays on so you can be easily reached.¡± L listened to Cassidy-Ann, nodding asionally at her words. I reached over and touched the top of L¡¯s leg, and watched as her entire body froze. She wouldn¡¯t look at me; she kept her eyes locked on her food until Cassidy-Ann started talking again and then she fixated her eyes on her. As they continued talking, I moved my hand upward, only slightly. L instinctively uncrossed her legs; however, she ced her hand on top of mine to get me to stop. I saw a little red creeping around her nose and that only made me want her more. My wolf was bing feral as L¡¯s honeysuckle scent became potent to him. I slowly moved my hand towards the inside of her tightly closed legs, and the redness around her nose spread to her ears. She continued to keep up the conversation with Cassidy-Ann and I was admittedly impressed. I wiggled my fingers between her legs and forced them apart. She nearly choked on her food and now CassidyAnn was looking at her with concern. ¡°Are you well?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked. L nodded as she took a long and steady sip of her wine. My fingers traced the lining of her underpants. ¡°And of course, I¡¯m going to be paying you extra,¡± Cassidy-Ann continued to talk, unaware that L was no longer paying attention. How could she pay attention when my fingers were about to make her forget her own name? She bit onto her bottom lip, just as my hand entered her underpants. Her breathing grew more evident, and I thought for a moment that her heart was going to burst out of her chest. ¡°Eat your food,¡± I ordered in a low tone for only her ears as I used my other hand to casually eat. She struggled for a moment to grab her fork, but once she had it in her hands, she attempted to act as casually as I was and eat. ¡°So, tomorrow we will meet at the academy at 9 am. I¡¯m hosting a signing at 11 am and need you there early to help set everything up,¡± Cassidy-Ann said to her. I thrust my fingers inside of her, feeling her juices pouring out. I thought about bending her over the dinner table and having my way with her. ¡°9 am; got it,¡± L said, trying to sound casual but that distress was oozing out into her voice. ¡°So, tell me. Alpha Enzo. What exactly do you teach at L¡¯s school?¡± Cassidy-Ann turned her attention to me. ¡°Shifting and Combat,¡± I answered, watching from the corner of my eye that L was digging her nails into the tablecloth with one hand and trying to eat her food with the other. ¡°What made you want to teach that?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked. ¡°The school was down a teacher and L¡¯s father, and head of the Alphamittee, Alpha Bastien, asked me for the favor of stepping in as the new professor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure a strong man like you is really good at that kind of thing. I bet all thedies are after you at that school. Do you get a lot of women, Alpha Enzo?¡± I was quiet for a moment, feeling L tense from beside me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t notice. I don¡¯t date my students,¡± I said, trying to keep my tone even. I felt L¡¯s hand on top of mine, and now she was urgent to get me to stop, so I removed my hand from her underpants. ¡°Well, if you ever want to have a little fun with a woman, stop by,¡± Cassidy-Ann said with a wink as she slid a white card across the table and toward me. Both L and my eyes fell on the card, realizing at the same time what it was. Cassidy-Ann¡¯s room key Chapter 123 Chapter 123 L¡¯s POV I stayed quiet. I wasn¡¯t sure what else I could do or say. It¡¯s not like I was surprised; Cassidy-Ann was incredibly beautiful and very single. She was married at one point but divorced him a few years ago. She fought him on everything and won literally everything he had. Not that she needed any of his stuff; she was already rich before she married. But she always said, ¡°It served him right.¡± I was still a little flustered from what Enzo was just doing a few minutes ago. I couldn¡¯t even wrap my head around it long enough to be mad at him. It was careless and childish and inappropriate. I had never been more humiliated in my life; although it¡¯s not like anyone knew what he was doing under the table. But still. Cassidy-Ann¡¯s room key remained in front of us, and Cassidy-Ann was batting her long and very fake, eyshes in his direction. Enzo said nothing; he just looked at the key and then back at her with an expression I couldn¡¯t even read. I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, making me want to vomit. It was the same feeling I felt when he went to talk to Connie on the phone. Soon enough, the waiter returned with the bill. Cassidy-Ann gave him her tinum credit card without even looking at the bill; her eyes never leaving Enzo¡¯s. I was starting to feel like a third wheel and all I wanted was to leave. Categories Search¡­ N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I can grab a cab and return to the suite,¡± I found myself saying as I stood up. ¡°That way you two can enjoy the rest of the night together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here,¡± Enzo said, standing up with me. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to take my eyes off you. Per the orders of your father.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only one night and I¡¯m just going back to the suite to sleep. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, trying to keep the pain out of my voice. I knew I needed to leave before I broke down and cried. ¡°I¡¯ll see you both in the morning.¡± I turned around to walk away, but Enzo grabbed my arm. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± He asked, lowering his voice so only I could hear him. I looked into his eyes for a moment longer before finding the courage to look away from him. ¡°I¡¯m just tired and dinner is over,¡± I said to him. My eyes were beginning to betray me, so I kept my face turned away from him. ¡°She gave you her room key¡­I think you should take it. She¡¯s a beautiful woman.¡± It killed me saying that to him, and I didn¡¯t want to stick around any longer. So, I took my arm back from Enzo and I left. ¡­ The suite looks bigger when I¡¯m by myself. It¡¯s also very quiet. Not that Enzo talked a lot, but at least I had somebody to talk to. I¡¯ve only been back for about 30 minutes, but it felt longer as I counted down each minute that Enzo¡¯s been with Cassidy-Ann. The knot in my stomach tightened. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, leaving them alone like that. I basically pushed them together. I should have fought a little harder for him, but I let myself fall into the rabbit hole of my mind. I thought about all our intimate moments today; in the ocean, in his bed, in the restaurant¡­ my face grew redder with each passing thought. How could he just go off with another woman? I asked myself, small bursts of anger seeping through my dread. ¡°Our mate loves us, L,¡± Val reminded me. ¡°He¡¯s not going to sleep with another woman when his mate is right here.¡± ¡°Then exin Connie,¡± I said in return, waiting for her toe up with some excuse for him, but she was quiet for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she finally said, a little hurt in her voice. ¡°But maybe it¡¯s not how it seems. You have to give him a chance. He¡¯s our mate and we only get one.¡± ¡°The goddess gives out second-chance mates all the time,¡± I said in return. ¡°But Enzo would have to reject me before I get a second chance mate.¡± The thought of Enzo rejecting me caused my chest to ache. I still didn¡¯t understand why he wouldn¡¯t reject me. He says that it¡¯s because my wolf would never be able to handle something like that because she¡¯s still so young. But I was beginning to think he enjoyed stringing me along. He knows I¡¯m a Vna wolf and because of his father, he doesn¡¯t trust our rare kind. So, maybe this was his way of purposely hurting me. ¡°Please don¡¯t think such things, L,¡± Val pleaded. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t hurt us on purpose. Please, believe me. I need you to trust me.¡± I needed to get my mind off things before Ipletely lost it. My eyes instantly went to the hot tub that sat on the balcony and overlooked the ocean. I put my new bikini on and through my hair in a messy bun before stepping outside and into the hot tub. I instantly felt my entire body rxing as the hot water soothed my aching muscles. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath, and allowing the steam to clear my insides. Silently, I prayed to the moon goddess. Asking her for some rity when it came to Enzo and what her n was. I was having trouble seeing anything beyond this heartbreak. But still; as much as it hurt, I wondered what Enzo was doing. ¡°Are you falling asleep?¡± A voice said from extremely close by. I opened my eyes immediately and was shocked to see Enzo sitting across from me, inside the hot tub. He was shirtless with just his swim shorts. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I gasped, sitting up. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be with Cassidy-Ann?¡± ¡°Why were you pushing me with her?¡± Enzo asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°You made things extremely awkward. You shouldn¡¯t have left like that.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to make things awkward,¡± I said in my defense. ¡°But she seemed like she really liked you and¡ª¡± ¡°I think I have a say when ites to who I want to spend my nights with.¡± My face immediately grew warm, and I knew it must have been as red as a cherry. ¡°Of course, you do,¡± I said in return. ¡°I just thought seeming she gave you her room key that¡ª¡± ¡°That I¡¯d run off to have sex with her after I just¡ª¡± He stopped speaking and met my eyes. I knew what he was going to say, and I didn¡¯t need him to continue that thought. ¡°Do you really think that little of me?¡± ¡°¡­no,¡± I said, my voice dropping to nothing more than a whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t think little of you at all¡­¡± I added, a little flirtatiously. His brows rose as he stared around my face. Then, he leaned in closer to me. He was about to kiss me. ¡°I thought you don¡¯t date students,¡± I said, putting my hand on his chest. He was only inches away from me, our noses and forehead practically touching and our breathing bing synced. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he said in his husky and incredibly sexy voice. He closed the gap between us, and our lips connected. Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Enzo¡¯s POV L tried to hide the pain on her face, but it was obvious to me. I¡¯m not sure what just happened, but it seems like she¡¯s pushing me toward Cassidy-Ann. Cassidy-Ann leaned in from behind me and whispered so only I could hear her. ¡°If you care about her future, you will let her go.¡± Her words stunned me; was that a threat? ¡°She gave you her room key¡­I think you should take it. She¡¯s a beautiful woman,¡± L had said; she was completely oblivious to what Cassidy-Ann had just said. I said nothing; I just watched as she turned away and left the restaurant. Turning to Cassidy-Ann, I wasn¡¯t sure if was going to be able to keep Max contained. He was growing more feral and angrier by the second. Neither of us took being threatened lightly; especially when it was L¡¯s future on the line. ¡°I can see the way she looks at you and I don¡¯t me her,¡± Cassidy-Ann said folding her arms across her chest. ¡°It¡¯s cute that she has a little crush on you. However, I need that crush to end.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a distraction to her. This trip is very important to not just me, but her as well. It could make or break her career. But she¡¯s obviously crushing on you, and she can¡¯t concentrate.¡± ¡°And what do you want do you want me to do about that exactly?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°I want her crush on you to end and the only way I could think to do that is to make you unavable to her,¡± she exined ncing at the room key she had given me. ¡°Send her the message that she has zero chances of being with you bying back to my room with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Categories Search¡­ Cassidy-Ann stepped closer to me, cing a hand on my arm. ¡°It¡¯s a win-win, Alpha Enzo,¡± she said, batting hershes. ¡°I get my assistant to focus on her work and not on you, and you get all of this¡­¡± I stared at Cassidy-Ann for a short moment, the disgust evident on my face before I turned away and left without saying a single word. I wasn¡¯t going to entertain that idea and Max was itching to catch up to L. However, once we were outside, L wasn¡¯t there. She must have gotten a cab and went back to the suite already. So, I did the same; I got a cab and went straight to the resort where I saw L rxing in the hot tub. She hadn¡¯t noticed I returned yet and I didn¡¯t want her to know just yet. I went into my bedroom and put my swimming shorts on, taking my shirt off and throwing it on my bed. I stepped out onto the balcony; it was a warm summer night and there wasn¡¯t a single cloud in the sky. The stars shined brightly, and the moon sat directly over our heads, sparkling off the gorgeous water. L seemed to be in awe of everything around her until she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I stepped into the hot tub, lowering myself down and when I made myself known to her, her entire body stiffened, and her eyes opened quickly. ¡°What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be with Cassidy-Ann?¡± ¡°Why were you pushing me with her?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask her. She had to have known that I would never have gone with Cassidy-Ann. ¡°You made things extremely awkward. You shouldn¡¯t have left like that.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to make things awkward,¡± she said in return, lowering her gaze. ¡°But she seemed like she really liked you and¡ª¡± ¡°I think I have a say when ites to who I want to spend my nights with.¡± ¡°Of course, you do,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I just thought seeming she gave you her room key that¡ª¡± ¡°That I¡¯d run off to have sex with her after I just¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t want to remind her of what we had done in the restaurant. ¡°Do you really think that little of me?¡± ¡°¡­no,¡± she said in only a whisper; her face turning different shades of red. ¡°I don¡¯t think little of you at all¡­¡± I added, a little flirtatiously. Her scent was so potent, I couldn¡¯t help but lean closer to her. Max was being driven crazy; our moment in the restaurant wasn¡¯t nearly enough and now that we had her alone, he could only think about getting her out of that bathing suit. She remained unmoved, staring up at me with beautiful, curious eyes. I pressed my forehead against her, our noses touching. ¡°I thought you don¡¯t date students,¡± she said, using my own words against me. Her long slender fingers touched my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeat. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She was right; this was wrong on all levels. If anyone back home found out about this, it would cause only issues for us both. ¡°If it¡¯s so wrong, then why does it feel so right?¡± Max asked in a low whisper as he took in our mate. I leaned in and kissed her; tasting her lips and the softness they brought. She seemed hesitant at first, but then she deepened the kiss on her own, moving in closer. Wrapping my arms around her, I lifted her onto myp so she could wrap her legs around me; she wrapped her arms around my neck and kept herself close to me as we continued to kiss. My tongue explored her mouth cautiously and curiously. I undid the tie on her bathing suit top with ease and allowed it to fall into the water, exposing her amazing breasts to me. I cupped one in my hand and allowed my tongue to circle around her pink and hardened nipple. She threw her head back and her breathing grew thick. I tugged at her nipples with my teeth as she draped her fingers through my hair. I raised my kisses back up her chest until I reached the nape of her neck. Her skin was so soft; I could help but run my fingers up her arms, watching as goosebumps formed on her flesh, and kiss every N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. corner that I could. She ran her hands down my torso slowly; silently asking me permission. A permission that I granted as I moved my bathing suit down slightly to release myself. I untied her bathing suit bottoms, watching as it floated to the top of the hot tub. She kissed me, running her tongue down my neck and then reaching my ears where she gently nibbled. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore; I needed to have her. All of her. I slowly slid into her, she gasped at the sensation but soon she rxed and allowed me ess. I kept my hands on her hips and moved her up and down slowly. I couldn¡¯t tell from her eyes that she was questioning herself, wondering if she was doing it right. I leaned in and began to kiss her neck and then I whispered, ¡°Keep going,¡± to assure her that she was perfect. She began to move up and down on her own, grinding her hips against mine and quickening her speed. I took her breasts in my mouth as they bounced in front of my face. Water sshed everywhere the quicker she moved her hips. A small whimper escaped her lips, and I knew she was close to her climax. But Max was ravenous for more. I lifted her up and pulled myself out of her. She was breathing heavily, and her entire face was cherry red; she also looked very confused until I spun her around and bent her over the edge of the hot tub. From there, I shoved myself back into her and she gasped again, unsure of what to make of this new position. I began to thrust my hips against her, watching as her entire body jolted. She held onto the edge of the hot tub as she moaned loudly. Her moans echoed through the night and could probably be heard from the beach. I grabbed her breasts from behind her, ying with them through my fingers and tugging at them hard as she arched her back and gasped for breath. I felt my climax quickly approaching and I knew she was at her peak too. Just as she screamed out and her legs buckled, I pulled out of her and finished in my towel nearby. We were both breathless and panting and we stayed like that for a few minutes until she peered up at me. ¡°Can we do that again?¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 L¡¯s POV I slept in Enzo¡¯s bedst night. My entire body tingled with satisfaction; I had no idea something like this could feel so incredible. Despite not knowing what my future with Enzo had in store for us, I couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off my face. He was still asleep beside me, naked, when my new business phone started ringing. ¡°Hello?¡± I said in a low and hushed whisper so I wouldn¡¯t wake Enzo. ¡°Where are you?! You were supposed to meet me at the school this morning!¡± Cassidy-Ann scolded on the other end of the phone. I quickly sat up and nced at the clock. Holy hell, I waste. I had never beente for anything in my entire life. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Cassidy-Ann. I¡¯m on my way there right now,¡± I said, quickly getting out of bed. ¡°See that you are,¡± Cassidy-Ann said through her teeth just before the line disconnected. She was so angry with me; I had let her down. But now was not the time to feel guilty. I had to get to that school quickly. I ran from Enzo¡¯s room and went into my own room. I grabbed a skirt and a blouse before running into my bathroom to take a quick shower. ¡°Want breakfast?¡± Enzo asked as soon as I ran out of the bathroom. ¡°I don¡¯t have time,¡± I said breathlessly as I struggled to put on my shoes. ¡°I¡¯m runningte. I was supposed to meet Cassidy-Ann at the academy.¡± ¡°I already called you a cab,¡± Enzo surprised me by saying. ¡°But it won¡¯t be here for another few minutes. You should eat something while you wait.¡± Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. He was caring about my well-being? I grabbed an apple off the counter before turning and leaving. ¡­ ¡°About time you showed up,¡± Cassidy-Ann scolded as soon as I reached the art room of the academy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte,¡± I said, typing my messy mound of hair into a ponytail. ¡°I overslept.¡± ¡°Students will be here shortly for the signing. I need you to be in charge of the line,¡± she ordered. I nodded and went to set up the red rope for the line while Cassidy-Ann set up her station. I couldn¡¯t believe I allowed myself to get so distracted that I waste for something this important. I promised Cassidy-Ann that Enzo wouldn¡¯t be a distraction, but that¡¯s proving to be a lie. I was so embarrassed. Soon, students were eagerly waiting outside the doors and the art professor was trying to keep them orderly before allowing them to enter. ¡°Are you sure you can handle this? They are very excited,¡± The art professor asked, peering over at me. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered without hesitation and with the utmost confidence. I stood my ground as a flood of students came rushing into the art studio. I stumbled backward for a moment, not realizing how many students were waiting to get Cassidy-Ann to sign their art pieces. ¡°Stop!¡± I said, putting my hand out to the students who were about to run past me. ¡°I need you all to make a line. I set up ropes to help keep everything under control. One student at a time, please.¡± They all stared at me, frowning. ¡°Get into a neat line,¡± I said again, even more firm. They all did as I said quickly, which seemed to shock the art teacher. A strange feeling surged through me as I watched the students forming a line in front of Cassidy-Ann¡¯s table. It was like the way my fingers were tingling after I used my electricity abilities; except this was my entire body. ¡°It¡¯s our Vna powers,¡± Val exined breathlessly. ¡°You were able to manipte their minds and get them to do what you wanted.¡± I continued to work on keeping the line in check. Being careful not to use my abilities unknowingly again. Cassidy-Ann was busy speaking to each student one on one. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s actually in our school,¡± I heard one girl breathing excitedly. ¡°She¡¯s an idol around here.¡± It wasn¡¯t until my eyes spotted her that I realized she was talking to me. This girl had pixie-styled ck hair and wore tight and ripped clothing that hugged her body perfectly, showing off every one of her curves. She wore knee-high boots and had a ton of jewelry around her wrists and neck. She even had a piercing on her nose. ¡°You should try working for her. It¡¯s pretty amazing,¡± I replied. ¡°Oh my goddess; one could only dream,¡± she said in return. ¡°I¡¯m Emma by the way. My friends call me Em.¡± ¡°I¡¯m L.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you around here. Are you new to this school?¡± Em asked curiously. ¡°No, I¡¯m actually just here for the summer. I work as Cassidy-Ann¡¯s assistant in Hig. I go to the Hig School for Shifters.¡± Her eyes widened at my words. ¡°I hear that¡¯s a nice school! So, you actually work with the famous Cassidy-Ann?! What¡¯s that like?¡± ¡°Pretty much how you¡¯d imagine it,¡± I said to her. ¡°She¡¯s a great mentor to have.¡± ¡°Do you do art as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a painter,¡± I answered. ¡°So am I!!¡± She gasped. ¡°I do a lot of street art as well. Isn¡¯t art amazing?¡± She was incredibly eager, and I like that about her. ¡°When did you get here? Did you see the whole school yet?¡± She asked with wide eyes. I shook my head. ¡°I got here yesterday morning. This is my first time at this school,¡± I answered. ¡°Oh, my goddess, you¡¯ll have to let me show you around sometime. This school is huge and so beautiful. I¡¯m here on a schrship and this is my second year.¡± ¡°Yeah, that would be great. Thank you,¡± I said in return. Soon, it was her turn to meet Cassidy-Ann. ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan!¡± I heard her say as she approached; I couldn¡¯t help butugh. She was a sweet girl, and her bubbly personality certainly did not match her bold and edgy looks. Val¡¯s mood seemed to have lifted as a familiar scent filled out our noses. Enzo walked into the room and my heart skipped a beat instantly. Great. My distraction was here. I felt my face warming under the intensity of his stares. He was soon inches from me. ¡°I promised your father I¡¯d keep an eye on you all the time,¡± he told me in a low tone, causing my body to grow even warmer. ¡°I can¡¯t have you here as a distraction. Cassidy-Ann is already on me about beingte,¡± I told him, peering up at him with pleading eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t even know I¡¯m here,¡± he said, stepping away. Somehow, I doubted that very much. ¡°Holy hell; who is that hottie?¡± Em asked from behind me, peering over my shoulder at Enzo who was now on the other side of the room. I didn¡¯t even realize Em was close by until she spoke. ¡°My professor,¡± I answered. ¡°And bodyguard. He¡¯s an Alpha and my father¡¯s right-hand man. He¡¯s under my father¡¯s orders to protect me.¡± She rose her brows. ¡°Protect you from what?¡± She had no idea I was a Vna. It¡¯s not like I hid it; I had the Vna eyes and the aura. But they were so rare in our world that not everybody knew what to look for in a Vna. ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± I told her, not wanting to get into it. ¡°Well, I need to go to ss. But we should meet upter. You can meet my friends. There¡¯s going to be an outdoor concert at our school tonight. Some of the greatest local bands will be ying. You should come!¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°You want me toe?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°And you can bring that hottie too,¡± she added with a wink. She pulled a small card out of her tight pants and handed it to me. ¡°Here¡¯s my number. Call meter and I¡¯ll tell you where to meet us.¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°My friends and me,¡± sheughed. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡± Once the room started clearing out and it was time for cleaning up, I figured now was a good time to ask Enzo if he wanted to join me for the outdoor concert tonight. He was helping to put all the tables and chairs back in their rightful locations when I approached him. ¡°So, I met a friend,¡± I told him, helping him with some of the chairs. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, feelingme. ¡°She invited me to an outdoor concert tonight. She told me that you can come too if¡ª¡± ¡°You told her about us?¡± He asked, snapping me a look. I felt the blood rushing to my face, and I quickly shook my head. ¡°No. I just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better if you didn¡¯t tell anyone about us. I wouldn¡¯t want it to get back to anyone back home,¡± he said, cutting me off. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°Oh¡­ I just thought that¡ª¡± ¡°I have things I need to do tonight. So, you can just go by yourself. I trust that you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I said, lowering my gaze. It was clear to me that I misread things. I turned away from him before my eyes decided to betray me and sorrow seeped in. Chapter 126 Chapter 126 L¡¯s POV ¡°I¡¯m leaving now,¡± I said to Enzo as I stood at the entrance of his bedroom door. He was seated at the desk, typing something into hisptop, and without looking up at me, he said, ¡°Be safe.¡± My heart was heavy as I left the suite. We haven¡¯t really talked since this morning. It felt like everything I wanted to say to him was on the tip of my tongue, but it wouldn¡¯te out. I wanted to ask him what this rtionship between us was. One minute he was sweet to me, and we were having this incredible sex, and the next thing he was being cold and distant. Not wanting to talk to me or talk about what we were bing. Val was so certain that he truly loved us and wanted to be with us as our mates. But I wasn¡¯t so sure about that now. I know that if word got back to those in Hig and Elysium that it could be incredibly bad. He could lose his job and I could be expelled from the school. It would ruin his reputation for pursuing a student and he wouldn¡¯t make a top-ranked Alpha. But we weren¡¯t at home; we were on the other side of the world where nobody knew us. I thought we could at least pretend to be a couple for the time that we are here. But knowing he wants to keep it even more secret, meaning not leaving the bedroom, makes me think that maybe this was about sex. My heart ached at the very thought of my mate only using me for sex. I was a virgin up until yesterday. I identally gave Enzo my first kiss and then I purposely gave him my virginity. What was wrong with me? Was I that desperate for his attention? Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°You made it!¡± Em said as soon as she saw me approaching. There was arge stage set up in the giant green field outside of the academy with hanging lights surrounding the entire area. They had chairs and food set up as well. It was growing crowded with eager students; some of whom I recognized from the art signing. Em was with a few others; one girl had long blonde hair and bangs that covered her eyes. The other girl had short ck hair; not as short as Em¡¯s, but it rested just above her shoulders. All their styles were very simr as well with their ripped ck pants and their tight blouses. Not to mention their jewelry and face piercings. Em was wearing an even smaller top and ripped ck shorts, which revealed more of her skin. It was at that moment I saw all the tattoos on her body. They were colorful designs and gorgeous. They complimented her beautifully. ¡°I designed them myself,¡± Em mentioned once she noticed me taking in her appearance. ¡°My friend Tony did them. He doesn¡¯t go to this school, but he¡¯s part of my pack.¡± ¡°They are really cool,¡± I said to her. I felt a little out of ce with my own basic style. I wore a ck dress that hung loosely off my body and rested just above my knees. My hair was left down and fellzily around my shoulders. I didn¡¯t have any piercings other than my ears, and I had no tattoos. I wasn¡¯t as edgy, but Em didn¡¯t seem to mind. There were a couple of guys with them as well. They also looked a little edgy, but they were also built like jocks. ¡°Let me introduce you to my friends!¡± She said, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me towards the group. ¡°Everybody, this is my new friend, L¡­¡± She said with a bright smile. ¡°L, this is everybody.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Veronica,¡± the girl with the long blond hair said. ¡°But everyone calls me Vee.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Vee,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯m Rachel,¡± the girl with the ck hair said. ¡°This is my brother, Ryan,¡± she added, pointing to one of the guys that stood with them. He gave me a half wave and I gave him a smile in return. The other guy that was with them said nothing; in fact, he looked more annoyed than anything. I wasn¡¯t sure if I did or said something that might have upset him. But there wasn¡¯t anything I could think of that I did. ¡°Don¡¯t be an asshole, Matty,¡± Em scolded with an eye roll. ¡°That¡¯s our friend, Mathew. But we call him Matty. He can be a dick. But we keep him around anyways.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I said, trying not to feel too awkward. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Matty.¡± He said nothing; he turned away and started walking toward the stage. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Em said, taking me by the arm. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like new people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t take offense,¡± I said to her; I allowed her to guide me toward some empty chairs. The concert was going to start soon, and I could tell because the lights around the stage were getting brighter. ¡°So, where¡¯s that hottie you were with earlier?¡± My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the mention of Enzo. ¡°He was busy tonight,¡± I told her, trying to not sound too upset. ¡°Awe bummer,¡± Em said with a frown. ¡°But it¡¯s fine. There¡¯s plenty of other eye candy here.¡± ¡® I didn¡¯t want any other eye candy; I wanted Enzo. I was seated next to Matty on one side and Em on the other side. The concert started shortly after, and it was incredible. I hadn¡¯t heard of any of this music or the artists singing, but I was having so much fun. Even Matty finally cracked a smile during some of the songs. However, he continued to ignore me for most of the night. Towards the end of the concert when things started to calm down and get a little quieter, I found that to be a good opportunity to say something to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I gave you a bad impression,¡± I said quickly, peering over at him. Em had gone to the bathroom and the others were dancing. Matty nced at me sideways. ¡°I¡¯m not here to butt into your friend group. I¡¯m just¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Vna,¡± he cut me off. I fell silent and my face warmed. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t like me? Because of what I am? ¡°You have powers that are dangerous. So, I¡¯m sorry if I don¡¯t seem interested in getting to know you.¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°I don¡¯t feel very dangerous. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not your intention. But you Vna¡¯s can¡¯t help yourself. So, excuse me if I don¡¯t want to get to know you,¡± he muttered as he stood to his feet. I was shocked by his forwardness, but I didn¡¯t have time to say anything else because Em returned momentster with a couple of drinks in her hand. ¡°Hope you like beer,¡± she said, handing me a cup. I didn¡¯t; but after my talk with Matty, I could use a drink. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Is everything ready for this evening?¡± I asked Beta Ethan through a mindlink. ¡°Yes, it is. I just sent a confirmation to your email. Two tickets for the midnight yacht ride. You need to be there noter than 11:30 pm,¡± Ethan said in return. I looked at the clock; it was 10 pm. The concert L was at should be ending soon and she will be returning to the suite. Then, I¡¯m going to surprise her with this midnight yacht ride. ¡°Remind me again why you are doing all of this. Should you really be pursuing her like this?¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± I admitted. But we aren¡¯t anywhere near home and spending time with my mate makes my wolf happy. So, I should give him this while we are here. Once we return home, everything must go back to the way it was anyways.¡± ¡°You could always quit being a teacher,¡± Ethan suggested. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. At least not yet. I need to grow my Alpha ranking and stats if I want to be respected.¡± ¡°Just be careful,¡± Ethan warned. ¡°I don¡¯t need you getting into trouble.¡± Before I could say anything more, my cell phone was ringing. I disconnected the mindlink and answered the phone; it was an unknown number. ¡°Alpha Enzo speaking.¡± ¡°Hello, Alpha. Sorry to bother you. This is Em, L¡¯s friend. I¡¯m with her at the concert right now and she¡¯s incredibly drunk. I think she needs someone toe get her right away.¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha Enzo!!!! You showed up!!! Look everybody, it¡¯s my professor! He¡¯s also my ma¡ª¡± I covered L¡¯s mouth with my hand and wrapped my other arm around her to keep her still. My face was hot with fury. She was out of her goddamn mind. She tried to say something through my hand, but I tightened my hold on her, causing her words to be muffled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have called you,¡± Em said, with a worried frown. ¡°I didn¡¯t know who else to call and I know you are kind of like her bodyguard.¡± ¡°How much did she have to drink?¡± My voice came out tired and annoyed sounding. ¡°Just a few beers. But she drank them quickly.¡± L struggled against me, trying to get me to let her go. ¡°I appreciate the call,¡± I said to her as I turned away with L still in my grasp. I lifted her off the ground and cradled her in my arms as I kept my hand around her mouth. She still struggled against me, and I could feel her rising fury. She wasn¡¯t happy with me but at that moment, I didn¡¯t give a shit. I trusted her to attend this concert alone with her new friends, wanting to give her some space for the evening and not hover, but she acted carelessly she proved to me that she can¡¯t be trusted. It was right for Bastien to be worried about her on this trip. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he was right. ¡°You are such a jerk!!¡± L growled as soon as we got back to the rental car. I shoved her into the passenger side and mmed the door shut before getting into the driver¡¯s side. Categories Search¡­ ¡°And you are so embarrassing. How could you drag me out like that?!¡± ¡°You were embarrassing yourself,¡± I said in return. ¡°I did you a favor.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°You call that a favor?¡± She scoffed. ¡°A favor would have been toe with me, to begin with.¡± I was about to tell her that I didn¡¯t go with her because I wanted to give her some space and I had a surprise nned forter this evening, but I was too furious to form those words. I clutched the steering wheel tightly making my knuckles grow white as she continued to rant about how awful I am. ¡°Cancel the ns for this evening,¡± I sent a mindlink to Beta Ethan, ignoring L¡¯s crying. ¡°What happened?¡± Ethan asked curiously. ¡°Change of ns,¡± I said in return without giving him too much information. ¡°L is unwell. We¡¯ll do this yacht another time.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ethan said, sighing. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll call and cancel. Let me know when you want to set this up again.¡± Something was telling me there wouldn¡¯t be a midnight yacht ride in the future, but I didn¡¯t say that to him. Instead, I thanked him and then disconnected the mindlink. ¡°They are never going to talk to me again,¡± L continued to cry; now she had tears streaming down her face. ¡°And Matty will hate me even more.¡± ¡°Who the hell is Matty?¡± I found myself asking a little too harshly. ¡°A guy who hates me because I¡¯m a Vna,¡± L pouted. ¡°He says my kind is dangerous. He won¡¯t even give m a chance.¡± Why did she care if this other guy liked her or not? ¡°We need to find out who that asshole is,¡± Max growled. ¡°And make sure he knows to stay clear of our mate.¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± I scolded my wolf. ¡°I¡¯m not going to act like a jealous boyfriend. Get a hold of yourself.¡± ¡°Am I that unlikable?¡± L cried. I didn¡¯t bother answering her; she knew she wasn¡¯t unlikeable. It was just the alcohol talking. It didn¡¯t take long to get back to the suite. I carried her from the car and back to the room. She finally stopped struggling and rested her head against my chest as I walked. I didn¡¯t realize she had fallen asleep until we reached her room, and I ced her in bed. I covered her in her nket and stared down at her for a moment longer. ¡°Stupid girl,¡± I muttered before leaving her room. Well, there goes our evening ns. I decided I needed to go for a walk. I couldn¡¯t stand being in here right now and Max was on high edge wondering who this Matty guy was. whoever he is, was he the reason L decided to get stupid drunk tonight? The very thought made my blood boil. She was still sound asleep when I left the suite to go outside. As soon as I was in the open outdoors, I shifted into my wolf form and allowed Max to stretch his legs. The big dark beast burst through me, a growl escaping his canines as he ran through the resort and towards the forest. Max was desperate to find Matty and tear him apart limb from limb. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to find him,¡± I said to my wolf, trying to halt him once we reached the forest right next to the resort. ¡°If we did that, then L would never forgive us.¡± ¡°He hurt her!¡± Max whined. ¡°He hurt her feelings. She¡¯s just drunk. She will get over it,¡± I told him. We finally stopped running so he could calm down. Thest thing he ever wanted was for L¡¯s feelings to get hurt, but there were some things we couldn¡¯t protect her from. As much as we might want to. ¡°Then, we should go back to her and sleep beside her tonight,¡± Max suggested. As much as I wanted to do that as well, I was beginning to think we should tone down our rtionship with her. What kind of oue was I expecting when it came to L? It¡¯s not like we could bring this rtionship back home with us. As soon as we got back to Hig, and even Elysium, we had to keep our rtionship a secret. I didn¡¯t want to have to ask her to do that. If word got back to my father¡¯s men that I had found my mate and that she was a Vna wolf, it would put L in even more danger. ¡°Can¡¯t we deal with that when we get back home?¡± Max asked, his tone pleading. ¡°We are on the other side of the world right now. Nobody we know is there; nobody here even knows your father. Can¡¯t we just have a little bit of fun?¡± I was about tell him all the reasons why that was a bad idea until I heard a familiar voice from behind me, causing my entire body to freeze. ¡°Enzo?¡± I turned and my body had gone numb when I saw a grey-furred wolf standing before me. Connie Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Please, don¡¯t be mad¡­¡± Connie said, approaching me with sorrow in her eyes. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing right now. How the hell was she here? ¡°Why are you here, Connie?¡± I asked in a growl, trying not to let my anger consume me. ¡°Because, Enzo, you are my best friend and I hate how we left things. I wish things weren¡¯t so messy between us. It¡¯s all because we let our feelings get in the way of our friendship and had sex. I wish I could take that night back¡­¡± Let our feelings get in the way? What the hell was she talking about? That night was still a blur to me. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember what happened that night,¡± I told her, narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°Because you were drunk. I didn¡¯t realize how drunk you were until the next morning. I was a little drunk too, but I still remember what happened. You told me that you always liked me and wanted more for us. I should have known you weren¡¯t serious¡­¡± Had I really said that? No. I wouldn¡¯t have said something like that to Connie. She¡¯s always been like a sister to me. We grew up together. There was nothing more to our rtionship other than friendship. However, even the friendship aspect of our rtionship I was beginning to question. ¡°I have no feelings for you like that, Connie¡ª¡± ¡°I understand that now,¡± she said quickly, stopping me mid-sentence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding. I came here to try to revive our friendship. I don¡¯t want it to get tossed away like that.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Categories Search¡­ There was a part of me that didn¡¯t trust her. But another part of me remembered all the good times we had together. We grew up together and it would be a shame if the friendship evaporated. ¡°Where are you staying?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°At the resort,¡± she answered. ¡°I got my own room and everything.¡± There was silence for a moment longer before she asked, ¡°Is there any way we can pretend nothing happened between us?¡± I thought about it for a moment; I still wanted to figure out why I couldn¡¯t remember anything from that night. The only exnation I could think of was that maybe some of the drugs that Bethany had used somehow made their way into both cups. But then why wouldn¡¯t it affect me until muchter? Connie stared at me with her pleading eyes, and it tugged at my heart. She was still that naive girl that I knew so well. The same girl that helped me care for my mother for all those years. The same one that my mother thinks of as the daughter she never had. ¡°We can pretend that nothing happened,¡± I finally answered. ¡°But I need you to be nice to L. I don¡¯t want any issues between the two of you.¡± ¡°I promise, I will treat her like family. She is your mate after all,¡± Connie chuckled. ¡°I bet you two are having quite the fun times while you are so far away from home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it¡¯s been nice,¡± I said to her. We began walking back to the resort slowly. ¡°But the rtionship can¡¯t leave Monstro. Once we return home, we will have to pretend that nothing happened,¡± I continued. ¡°It¡¯s for her own safety.¡± ¡°And yours,¡± Connie pointed out. ¡°You could lose your job and reputation if anyone found out you were having a rtionship with your student. Despite her being your mate, it¡¯s still frowned upon to pursue anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± I said in return. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°I hope so, Enzo¡­¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV Ouch. My head hurt so bad. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt like this before. I lifted my head to see the faint lighting of the sunrise beaming through the closed window curtains. It was early in the morning, that much was clear. I don¡¯t remember much ofst night other than some of that concert and then drinking beer. Then, everything became blurry. I certainly don¡¯t remember getting back to the suite; but somehow, I made it back safely. I also wondered if Enzo had seen me drunk. I felt humiliated at the very thought. I grabbed my phone and frowned when I saw that Em had texted me several times. ¡°I hope you made it back safely. Text me so I know you are okay.¡± ¡°Kinda worried about you. Did your hottie get you back to your room okay?¡± ¡°Please, text me! Or call me!¡± My heart fell into my stomach. My hottie? Was she talking about Enzo? Was he the one who brought me back to the suitest night? I let my head hit the pillow and it took everything I had not to scream in frustration. After a few minutes, I finally gained the strength to crawl out of bed; I was still wearing my clothing from yesterday, so at least he didn¡¯t get me naked. I nced at the clock before leaving the room; it was still very early, and I didn¡¯t need to meet CassidyAnn for another couple of hours. She had emailed me my schedule for the next couple of months and I needed to go to her temporary office at the academy for office hours. I stepped into the living room of the suite and froze when I saw who was sitting on our couch. ¡°Connie??¡± I gasped. She nced at me with a fond smile. ¡°Oh, hello, L,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me as she leaned back on the couch. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you. I hope you slept well.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked with a racing and incredibly heavy heart. ¡°I came to patch up my friendship with Enzo,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°We spent the entire night talking. It was just like old times.¡± They were up all night talking? While I was sleeping?? My heart felt like it was shattering from inside of me. ¡°Good morning,¡± Enzo said as he walked out of the kitchen. He was carrying a couple of tes of food. ¡°I made breakfast.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me Connie was going to be here,¡± I said, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice but failing miserably. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was going to be here,¡± Enzo said, frowning. ¡°She showed upst night.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be imposing. I know you are going to be busy with work, so I figured Enzo could use some company,¡± Connie said with a shrug. ¡°His job is to keep watch over me, just as my father asked him to,¡± I told her, my voice had hardened way more than I meant it to. ¡°Well, I know, but I figured you¡¯d want some space too,¡± she said with a frown; she then nced at Enzo as if she had said something wrong and questioned him about it. He gave her a look in return that made Val furious. It was like they were having some secret conversation right in front of me. ¡°I promise, you will hardly notice I¡¯m here, L. I¡¯m not here to cause any issues. Only to mend a very important friendship. You understand that don¡¯t you?¡± I wanted to say ¡°No,¡± and get her out of there. I didn¡¯t want her here with her ws all over my mate. But the look on Enzo¡¯s face tugged at my heart and I knew I couldn¡¯t do that to him. Connie was his oldest friend, and I couldn¡¯t keep her away from him as much as I might have wanted to. ¡°Of course, I understand that,¡± I said with a sigh. Val was mad that I caved so easily, but it wasn¡¯t up to me. If I wanted to keep Enzo in my life, I had to y nice with Connie and respect his friendship with her. Connie beamed at my words. ¡°Oh, good!¡± She said happily. ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a great trip. I¡¯m only here for a couple of weeks so I¡¯d like to make the most out of it. Enzo, let¡¯s go to the beachter?¡± ¡°The beach?¡± I asked out loud, imagining the first night I was with Enzo, and we had sex at the beach. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I thought about Connie unting herself around Enzo in her bikini. ¡°Yeah; I haven¡¯t had the chance to check out the beach yet. You¡¯ll be working today anyways. Right, L?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I reluctantly said, meeting Enzo¡¯s eyes. His face remained expressionless, which drove me crazy because I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. He put a te of food for me on the table and then handed Connie the other te. ¡°What do you say, Enzo? Come to the beach with me?¡± ¡°I need to go with L to the academy this morning just to make sure she gets there safely. But then afterwards sure.¡± My entire body felt paralyzed¡­ He said yes to her. Chapter 129 Chapter 129 L¡¯s POV Both Enzo and Connie dropped me off at the academy where I went straight to Cassidy-Ann¡¯s new office in the art section of the school. My entire heart was so heavy as I watched Enzo leave with Connie trailing closely behind him. I couldn¡¯t believe they were actually leaving to go to the beach together. Cassidy-Ann had my desk set up in the corner of her office and I set all my things up on the desk to make it a little more unique. I started the morning by working on Cassidy-Ann¡¯s uing schedule for the weeks toe. Which included, but was not limited to, important meetings and interviews, art signings, art shows, banquets, important dinners, future assemblies, and local parties. She was certainly going to be very busy during her time here. I logged into her website and saw that she had some sales that I needed to invoice and process. ¡°Don¡¯t forget we have ss this afternoon. It¡¯s the introduction course,¡± Cassidy-Ann reminded me. ¡°You¡¯ll need to be there the entire time as my aid. It¡¯s only about an hour long. I know we are supposed to have dinner this evening, but I promised Leroy, I would take him out tonight, so you¡¯ll be on your own this evening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said only half listening. I couldn¡¯t get Enzo out of my mind. It¡¯s been about an hour since he left with Connie, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were doing. I knew they were going to the beach, but there was this tight knot in my stomach. I didn¡¯t like them being left alone. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked, peering over at me from her desk. ¡°You aren¡¯t distracted, are you?¡± ¡°What? No, of course not,¡± I said, ncing at her briefly. ¡°I was just finishing up these invoices. We have Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ss this afternoon and we aren¡¯t having dinner tonight. I¡¯m listening.¡± Categories Search¡­ She looked at me for a moment longer and I couldn¡¯t tell if she believed me or not, but she said nothing more. I turned back to myputer and continued my work. Soon, my work phone started ringing. It was a number I didn¡¯t recognize but that wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡°Cassidy-Ann¡¯s office, how may I help you?¡± I said into the phone. ¡°Hello, my name is Monica. I¡¯m looking for a painting to hang up at my penthouse. I¡¯m willing to pay whatever is necessary to get a Cassidy-Ann original.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, going back to the website. ¡°Are you looking for something in particr? Or would you like a custom painting?¡± ¡°I would like a custom coge. I have a few pictures that I would like included in this coge, but I would also like Cassidy-Ann toe up with her own style as well. I like bold and bright colors.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I said, typing that into the order notes. ¡°And what would you like for dimensions?¡± ¡°How about 18¡± x 24¡±?¡± I typed that into the order notes as well. ¡°For a custom Cassidy-Ann portrait, payment starts off at $1500. We will need a down payment of at least $500 before we get to work. Do you have an email I can send that bill to?¡± Once she gave me her email address, I created the invoice with her custom details and sent it to her. ¡°Once you send that payment, I¡¯ll send a link to your email, and you can send us the pictures you¡¯d like to use. I¡¯ll send you a confirmation once it¡¯s received. I¡¯ll send another confirmation once she starts working on it. Expect it to be finished in a week and you should have it the following week. Make sure you send me your address along with that payment within the next 12 hours or your spot will be taken by someone else.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯ll get that payment right away.¡± ¡°Once the painting ispleted, before we send it to you, we¡¯ll send another bill for the final payment. Once that payment is received your order will be shipped.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± she said happily. ¡°Thank you again.¡± Once I hung up the phone I went to Cassidy-Ann¡¯s schedule and penciled her in for studio time to work on that painting. She already had some studio time scheduled for some other online orders, so I had to rearrange some things to make sure she had the time. ¡°Another custom art piece is being requested,¡± I announced to her. ¡°She¡¯s going to send me the pictures she wants to be used.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you, L,¡± she said to me, sounding pleased. I was d to be back on her good side. Not that I was ever on her bad side; but I knew she was losing hope in my ability to stay focused thesest couple of days, all because of Enzo. I couldn¡¯t let him distract me. This was my future and I needed to stay focused, even if Connie was here. Later in the afternoon, I went with Cassidy-Ann to one of the art rooms to help her set up for the ss. The art room reminded me of the art room back at the school in Hig. There was even a small desk near the main desk that I assumed was going to be my desk. I went toward that desk and set up some stuff. I¡¯m not entirely sure what my job here was going to consist of, but I was excited to find out. I never really thought of myself as a teacher, but I knew how good I was at art, and I wanted to showcase my abilities to a bunch of new students. I also wondered who was lucky enough to be in this ss. I¡¯m sure they had to pay an extra tuition fee because this was a special summer course with Cassidy-Ann. Not before long, excited students began to pile into the ssroom and find their seats. ¡°Oh, my goddess! L!! I didn¡¯t know you were going to be here too! Are you assisting Cassidy-Ann?¡± Em asked as she approached me. ¡°I am,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t call you back this morning. I kind of got distracted and then busy.¡± ¡°No worries. I figured as much. I was mainly worriedst night. I could tell you¡¯re not much of a drinker and you were extremely drunk. I didn¡¯t know who else to call so I called your bodyguard.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± I told her with a kind smile. ¡°That was honestly the best thing you could have done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you made it back to the resort okay,¡± she said, giving me a fond smile. ¡°I¡¯m excited to learn from the greatest artist of our generation.¡± Iughed at her eagerness as she went to take a seat; she sat right next to a familiar figure. Matty. Another memory surfaced in my mind upon seeing his extremely annoyed face. I remembered him telling me that he didn¡¯t like me because I was a Vna, and we are known to be dangerous because of our powers. A tight knot formed in my stomach; I was used to outsiders judging me because of what I am. But I didn¡¯t like that it was someone in this friend group that I wanted to get in with. If I ever ended up going to this school, I was going to need allies and the fact that Matty hated me made me worry that he was going to turn everybody else against me. I managed to avoid him for most of the ss; I ignored the side eyes and the whispering from him, trying to act as if I wasn¡¯t bothered by it. Cassidy-Ann mainly spoke about her experiences as an artist and how she came into this industry. She talked about some drawing hacks she adopted in her first year of college and taught some basic skills. I passed out some worksheets that the students were expected toplete by the end of ss. These worksheets were meant to show Cassidy-Ann their current skill level, so she knows where to go from there. By the end of ss, I went around and collected each of their worksheets. By the time I got to Matty, I saw that his paper was faced down. Without saying anything, I grabbed it from him and went towards the front of the room to ce them on Cassidy-Ann¡¯s desk while she finished her lecture. I couldn¡¯t help but nce at Matty¡¯s paper to see what it was he had drawn, and I froze when I saw a drawing of me and him. He was setting me on fire Chapter 130 Chapter 130 L¡¯s POV ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± I asked as I followed Matty out of the art room. The ss had ended, and he was one of thest students to lead the room. He looked at me with an expressionless face; actually, he looked more bored than anything. This only made me angrier. How immature could he be? ¡°I don¡¯t think I know what you are talking about,¡± he said, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°You know exactly what I am talking about,¡± I said, lowering my tone as more students roamed through the halls. ¡°You drew a picture of me on fire. That was incredibly immature of you. I didn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re existing,¡± he muttered. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡± ¡°Why do you hate me so much?¡± ¡°I already told you,¡± he answered narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Just because I¡¯m a Vna doesn¡¯t make me less than you,¡± I told him in return. ¡°I¡¯m still me and you might enjoy getting to know me if¡ª¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± he said, interrupting me. I pressed my lips firmly together as he turned away from me. He was about to walk away, but I would be damned if let the conversation end like this. So, I grabbed onto his arm, holding onto him firmly. He froze, staring at me with wide eyes as he looked down at my hand. ¡°Let go of¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting this conversation end like this,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°You need to start treating me with respect. I gave you no reason to hate me. You don¡¯t need to like me, but you aren¡¯t going to treat me like this.¡± He pulled his arm out of my grasp, nearly knocking me down in the process. N?velDrama.Org content. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± he muttered, but he didn¡¯t turn away again. He straightened his shirt and rubbed his arm from where I grabbed him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I hurt you¡­ sometimes I don¡¯t know my own strength.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt me,¡± he shot back defensively. ¡°Just took me by surprise. How¡¯d you get so strong?¡± ¡°I trained my entire life with my father and gammas,¡± I answered. ¡°Who¡¯s your father?¡± ¡°Bastien¡­¡± I answered. ¡°Wait, your father is Alpha Bastien?!¡± He gasped. ¡°The head of the Alpha Committee??¡± ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± I said with a head nod. It wasn¡¯t surprising that even those in Monstro knew of my father. ¡°Holy shit¡­ he¡¯s a legend around here,¡± Matty went on to say. ¡°I had no idea you were his daughter.¡± ¡°Have you met him?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°I wish,¡± he said with a lightugh, rubbing his hand behind his neck almost sheepishly. The attitude had melted off his face entirely and now he was practically fanboying over my father. ¡°But we learned about him and his Luna and I did a whole report on him once.¡± ¡°So, you would know that his Luna, my mother, is also a Vna wolf. The same kind you im to hate,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on his. He fell silent as my words processed in his mind. ¡°Maybe not all Vnas are bad,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Luna Selene seemed pretty cool and in control of her abilities. Unlike some other Vnas, I might know.¡± Things were starting to make sense; he knew other Vnas that weren¡¯t so good. Or in control of themselves. He thought we were all like that. Wait. What other Vnas did he know? The only Vnas I knew of were my mother and myself. Of course, I knew others were out there, but I never actually met them. Our kind was so rare that I never really expected to run into them on the streets. ¡°There are other Vnas around here?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Where I grew up there were a couple; they were assholes,¡± he muttered. ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t all like that,¡± I said, folding my arms across my chest. He was about to say something else until Em appeared. ¡°Oh hey, Matty; hey, L,¡± she said, approaching. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± I went to answer, but Matty spoke first. ¡°I was just inviting L to the party tonight,¡± he said with a smirk. I rose my brows at him. ¡°You were¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess! You have toe! It¡¯s our annual beach party. Lots of food, music, and drinking,¡± she said eagerly. ¡°There¡¯s also going to be a bonfire. It¡¯s going to be so much fun. Please tell me you can come.¡± A party? I looked between the two of them. I wasn¡¯t sure attending a party was going to be a good idea. Especially after making a fool out of myself at the concert. But I didn¡¯t want to let my new friends down. Plus, this would give me an excuse to take both Enzo and Connie out and keep an eye on them. The less they are left alone, the better. ¡°Okay,¡± I finally said after a pause. ¡°I have nothing going on tonight, so I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Em said cheerfully, ¡°Wear a bathing suit!¡± She turned to walk away, leaving Matty and me standing alone once again. I gave him a questionable look and he only smirked in return. ¡°I might have misjudged you. This will give me a chance to get to know you,¡± he exined with a shrug. I sighed but I didn¡¯t argue with him. It was nice that he wanted to get to know the real me. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you tonight,¡± I said in return just as he turned to leave as well. I went back into the ssroom to help Cassidy-Ann clean up when I noticed she was staring at the worksheets with a frown. ¡°Someone has it out for you,¡± she said, a little humor in her voice as she held up Matty¡¯s drawing. ¡°Yeah, I just cleared it up with him,¡± I exined. ¡°It was a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. They are paying a lot of money for this course, so I want them to get everything out of it.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I agreed. We finished cleaning the ssroom and then she nced at the time. ¡°Oh, I have to go. I¡¯m meeting Leroy soon. Will you be okay for the rest of the night?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll probably just head back to the resort and rx for the evening,¡± I told her, nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what Enzo is up to and maybe grab dinner.¡± She gave me a fond smile. ¡°I can tell he likes you. Just be careful. It¡¯s not just about the distraction while working¡­ I¡¯m worried about your future if you were to get caught having a rtionship with your professor. It doesn¡¯t look good on your records.¡± My face warmed instantly, and I met her eyes; she was staring at me with such concern. She had given Enzo her room key recently and I wondered if she was only saying this because she wanted Enzo for herself. ¡°I¡¯m not having a rtionship with him,¡± I told her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. He¡¯s my professor and an Alpha. He¡¯s only here per orders of my father.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer; it was obvious she didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°Besides¡­¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯m going to a party tonight with Matty. Apparently, he has a thing for me, so I agreed to hang out with him.¡± Most of that was aplete lie, but she Cassidy-Ann didn¡¯t need to know that. It was only to get her off my back. She rose her brows. ¡°Technically it¡¯s wrong to pursue him as well considering you are a teacher¡¯s aide and he¡¯s our student,¡± she said, eyeing me carefully. ¡°But thankfully, it¡¯s only a temporary position and you are only the aid, so I¡¯m not going to say anything. But I wouldn¡¯t get too attached to him. Boys like that are usually no good.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant, but I decided not to ask. I quickly packed my things and thanked her for her understanding before I left. I called a cab to take me back to the resort. I was d to be back, and my stomach was growling. I hoped that Enzo made food, or maybe he wouldn¡¯t mind grabbing food on our way to the party tonight. I hadn¡¯t even asked him about the party yet; he hasn¡¯t texted me at all today. Not that I was expecting that he would. But it still felt unsettling that he went the entire day withoutmunicating with me or checking in on me. The whole purpose of his being here was to make sure I remained safe. But now he was off all day with Connie, and he didn¡¯t even bother to check in on me. I was determined to give him a piece of my mind once I got to our suite. Opening the door of our suite, I saw that the living room was empty. But I felt him nearby, as did Val. I went towards his bedroom door but froze when I heard some talking behind the door. My entire heart fell into my stomach once I recognized the voice. Before I could do or say anything the door swung open and there stood Connie. She was wearing nothing but Enzo¡¯s shirt. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Thanks foring with me to the beach, Enzo,¡± Connie said,ying out on her stomach on therge blue beach towel. ¡°I hate going to beaches alone.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really have anything better to do while L is at work,¡± I exined. I didn¡¯t want to continue being a distraction for her, so I figured space was what she needed. ¡°I hope my being here doesn¡¯t bother her. Thatst thing I want to do is cause problems¡­¡± ¡°She will be fine,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on the horizon. I stayed on the beach chair thinking about the other day when I was at the beach with L. Connie sat up and grabbed a bottle of sunscreen out of her bag. ¡°My back feels like it¡¯s burning. Do you mind?¡± She asked, holding the sunscreen out to me. Her back was starting to turn red; I feltfortable touching someone else, but I also didn¡¯t want Connie to blister. So, I grabbed the sunscreen from her, and without a word, I quickly rubbed it on her back. I didn¡¯t linger there for long though; soon enough, I handed her the sunscreen back and sat back down on the beach chair. ¡°A true gentleman,¡± she chuckled. ¡°How¡¯s your mom doing, by the way? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve spoken to her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s back with her rogue family,¡± I answered, shaking my head in dismay. ¡°She still refuses toe to my pack where I can protect her.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s mainly worried about the others. She doesn¡¯t want to leave them behind. They gave up their abilities, so they are defenseless against all attacks.¡± ¡°She¡¯s defenseless too,¡± I reminded her, shaking my head as I thought about how my poor mother was attacked brutally by my father¡¯s men. The very thought was sickening. Categories Search¡­ Connie perched herself up on her arms to look at me. ¡°I get that you are worried about her. But sometimes, people don¡¯t want to be helped.¡± I didn¡¯t want to discuss my mother anymore; I stood up from the chair and peered out into the water. ¡°I¡¯m going for a swim,¡± I said. ¡°Out there?!¡± She gasped, raising her brows. ¡°But ocean water is so gross.¡± ¡°If you felt that way, then why did you want toe to the beach?¡± I asked. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit annoyed. She frowned. ¡°What else is there to do around here?¡± ¡°Plenty,¡± I answered. ¡°But seeming we are here; I¡¯m going for a swim.¡± I turned away from her and went toward the ocean. The memory of my time with L in this very ocean surfaced in my mind. What I wouldn¡¯t give to do that with her again. It was too bad she had to work right now. Swimming always seemed to bring out the pup in Max; he couldn¡¯t resist the water. It took everything in me not to shift into him. I could hear himughing excitedly as we swam around. I shook my head at my wolf, but a smile twitched at the corner of my mouth. Once I got back to my chair, Connie sat up. ¡°I¡¯m hungry; can we grab some food?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I answered. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of restaurants around here we can go to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go in my bathing suit. I was thinking we could go back to the resort and grab something to eat,¡± she said with a shrug. I agreed and we packed up our things to the resort. As we walked down the sand pathway, that lead us through a short, wooded area, I heard something falling from behind me. I turned away quickly to see Connie struggling against the vine. She had fallen to the ground and her bathing suit had beenpletely ripped off. ¡°Shit!!¡± She yelled and I could hear the panic in her voice as she attempted to cover herself. ¡°My bathing suit ispletely ripped!¡± She cried. Connie¡¯s upper half was now exposed, and her bathing suit was destroyed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring a change of clothes to the beach?¡± I asked if I couldn¡¯t hide the annoyance in my tone as I went toward her. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would need it,¡± she said with tears in her eyes. I took my shirt off and handed it to her, averting my eyes as she put it on. ¡°I¡¯m covered,¡± she said with a pout. I looked back at her and saw that she was standing with her bathing suit in her hands, and she was completely covered in my shirt. The shirt was long enough to reach her knees. For a moment, she looked like that helpless little girl I knew when we were children. Turning away, I said, ¡°Only a little further. We can go up to my balcony and into my room. From there you can go back to your own suite and change.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she agreed. The balcony stairs came into view and as soon as we entered my room, I heard the front door shut. I nced at the clock, not realizing it had gotten to bete in the afternoon. It must have been L returning from her day at work. What was she going to think when she saw Connie walking out of my room dressed in only my shirt? Before I could stop Connie from leaving, she opened the door, only to be faced with a stunned face L. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t hear you,¡± Connie said as she walked out of my room. ¡°Did you just get back?¡± L was at a loss for words; she looked at Connie for a moment longer; scanning her barely clothed body before shifting her eyes to me. Connie read the room immediately and she cleared her throat as the silence only grew thicker. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be finding my own food,¡± she said, trying to break the silence. She nced back at me questionably before turning towards the door and leaving. L stared at me for a moment longer before turning away. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°It wasn¡¯t what it looked like,¡± I tried to tell her, but she was rushing toward her door. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she said quickly once she reached her door. ¡°It¡¯s not like we were in a serious rtionship or anything. We can¡¯t be. You¡¯re my professor¡­¡± My brows furrowed together as I stared at the back of her head. ¡°L¡ª¡± ¡°It was only sex, right?¡± She said, ncing at me from over her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s all we were¡­ was just sex buddies. Right?¡± ¡°Sex buddies?¡± I asked, unsure of what she meant by that and not really wanting to find out. I could see the pain in her eyes despite her desperately wanting to hide it. ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed, opening her bedroom door. ¡°That¡¯s all it was. It was just sex. We don¡¯t need to make a big deal out of things.¡± But it was a big deal; I just wasn¡¯t sure how to put that into words. ¡°Can you just stop for a minute and let me exin?¡± I asked, just as she turned her whole body to face. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to exin. You spent the day with Connie¡­ she¡¯s your best friend and you obviously have feelings for her, Enzo. So, you should be with her¡­¡± she said, lowering her gaze to the ground. ¡°It makes me feel less bad anyways¡­ because I¡¯m going out tonight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going out?¡± I asked, raising my brows. This was the first time she had mentioned this. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going on a date.¡± Then she mmed the bedroom door in my face. Chapter 132 Chapter 132 L¡¯s POV That had to have been the most painful thing I have ever done. What was I thinking? Telling Enzo that I was going on a date. This was not a date. I was going out with some friends to a beach party. I wanted to invite Enzo, but I saw that he was a little preupied with Connie. When she walked out of his bedroom with nothing but his shirt on, my entire world felt like it was falling apart. My heart ached too painfully and for a moment, I couldn¡¯t breathe. But I couldn¡¯t let this bother or distract me. I came to Monstro to do a job and I was going to do that job. But that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t go out and have a little fun as well. I was expecting Enzo to be waiting outside my door when I left my room, but he wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t sure why that upset me so much. Maybe because I wanted him to see me in this cute outfit I was wearing. I purposely wore this short ck dress to get under Enzo¡¯s skin. Of course, I had my bathing suit underneath it. But I¡¯d never been to a beach party before and I wasn¡¯t sure what it contained. On second thought, maybe it would have been better if he didn¡¯t see it. Deciding not to wait around for him to show up, I left for the party. ¡­ When they told me there was going to be a beach party, I wasn¡¯t sure what I expected. But I certainly wasn¡¯t imagining something so huge. They had arge stage in the middle of the beach where they yed live music, and everyone was dancing and having a great time. There was also a tiki bar serving tropical drinks that looked delicious. Categories Search¡­ I could definitely use a couple of those right now; though I wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, and thest time I drank I got way too drunk and embarrassed myself. Maybe if I got a frozen drink and only took a couple of sips periodically. ¡°L!¡± I heard my name being called from nearby and I turned to see Em walking toward me. ¡°I¡¯m so d you made it! We were just working on getting the bonfire started.¡± ¡°Bonfire?¡± I asked, raising my gaze. I never even see a bonfire before, but I was very interested. ¡°You¡¯ve never had a bonfire?!¡± She asked, reading my expression. ¡°You are going to love it! Grab a drink and meet me over there! Everybody¡¯s waiting.¡± I nced over at the bar and saw the small line that had formed; I supposed I better stand in line before it got too big. She waved at me as she went to join her friends who were working hard to put together this fire. As excited as I was for this party, I still couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad that Enzo wasn¡¯t here. I¡¯m sure he probably went after Connie. ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡± Val breathed, and I could tell she was distraught about the whole ordeal. ¡°Our mate wouldn¡¯t betray us. We have to trust him.¡± How do I trust someone when I see them with my own two eyes? She was practically naked and she was wearing his shirt. My heart ached at the very memory. ¡°What are you drinking?¡± I snapped back to the present moment only to see Matty standing next to me. I wondered how long he had been there. My face warmed instantly, and I brushed my fingers through my hair, feeling all sorts of awkward. Matty was the one who invited me to this party; he hates me because I¡¯m a Vna wolf, but he seems to be willing to give me a chance. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± I admitted, ncing up at the menu that sat behind the bar on the wall. ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Heughed; this was the first time I had seen himugh and I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this. It seemed like he wasughing at me. ¡°You aren¡¯t much of a drinker, huh?¡± He asked, shaking his head as he continued tough. ¡°Could have fooled me when you got wasted during that concert.¡± My face grew even warmer, and I knew it was probably as red as a cherry. ¡°Me getting wasted should be a good indication that I don¡¯t drink often,¡± I said in return, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°Fair enough,¡± heughed. ¡°So, how about a pina-cda? Girls usually like those type of drinks.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but I somehow felt a little offended by his statement. ¡°And what if I don¡¯t like whatever that is?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll like it,¡± he said, stepping up to the bar. ¡°Two frozen pina-cdas,¡± he asked the bartender. ¡°You¡¯re getting one too?¡± I asked. ¡°But you aren¡¯t a girl.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say ONLY girls liked them,¡± he chuckled. He took out some cash and ced it on the bar. ¡°I have money; you don¡¯t have to pay,¡± I said, reaching into my handbag. He waved my offering away. ¡°I invited you here; it¡¯s my treat.¡± I frowned, putting my money away. ¡°Why are you being so nice to me all of sudden?¡± He nced down at me, narrowing his eyes and all the humor that was once on his face had dispersed. Now, he had this serious expression, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. ¡°Because I feel bad for treating you poorly,¡± he admitted. ¡°I might have had you figured out wrong and for that I apologize.¡± The bartender slid over two pina-cdas; I had to admit, it looked delicious¡­ and refreshing. ¡°With that being said, I¡¯m hoping we can start over,¡± he continued as we stepped away from the bar. ¡°A new start, maybe?¡± I stared at him for a moment longer; he was serious. I smiled up at him and rose my drink in the air. ¡°To a new start,¡± I said in return. He gave me a smile and clinked his ss against mine. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L was gone by the time I left the bathroom. I wanted to get fully dressed and I knew she was going to need some space. But I didn¡¯t think she was going to leave that quickly. I was going to need to find herter, but first, I decided to go to Connie¡¯s room to make sure she was okay after that awkward exchange with L. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be seeing you again tonight,¡± Connie said, stepping aside for me to enter. She was alreadypletely dressed and damp from the shower she had just had. Her hair was left down, leaving steaks of water on her blouse and she had a brush in her hand. ¡°I just wanted to make sure you were okay,¡± I answered. ¡°L left for the night and I¡¯m going to go find her.¡± ¡°Do you want me toe with you? Maybe I can exin a little better what happened,¡± she suggested. Actually, that might be a good idea if L can hear the full story from Connie. She would believe Connie right away if Connie said that nothing happened. ¡°That would be great,¡± I said just as Connie rushed toward the bathroom. ¡°Just give me a minute to finish getting dressed,¡± she shouted over her shoulder, shutting the bathroom door. I waited for her while she finished getting ready. Her suite was a lot smaller than the suite I shared with L, but that¡¯s probably because this suite was only a one-bedroom. N?velDrama.Org content. I went toward her small kitchen and once I reached the counter, I knocked something to the ground by mistake. I frowned down at the contents of her purse that scattered to the ground. I sighed as I bent down to pick them up, but just as I grabbed thest item and shoved it in her purse, I froze when I saw that it was a pill bottle. I had no idea that Connie was on any kind of medication. I nced at the bottle more closely to see what it was. Seeing the letters, GHP, my wolf gasped. ¡°Holy fuck¡­¡± he said in a hoarse whisper. ¡°Enzo¡­ those are roofies!¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Connie asked as she came out of the bathroom. I turned to face her, still holding the pill bottle in my grip, she had yet to notice. ¡°What are these?¡± I asked, holding up the bottle for her viewing. Her eyes adjusted to the bottle in her hands, and it was like the color had drained from her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but only air came out. ¡°I asked you a question,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°Connie, what are these?¡± ¡°I can exin¡­¡± she said, her voiceing out as nothing more than a whisper. The tremble in her tone told me more information than her silence, but I wanted to hear her say it. ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ before you get mad¡­ I just wanted to say that I really loved you and I wanted you to see that you could possibly love me too¡­ I thought maybe if I confused you then we could¡ª¡± ¡°Confuse me? What are you talking about?¡± I asked, interrupting her rambling. ¡°Just tell me what these are for.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer, her entire body now trembling and her eyes visibly filling with tears. ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked her, a little louder this time. ¡°I might have drugged you tea the other night¡­¡± she finally said, tears falling from her eyes. ¡°Might have? Or you did?¡± She was quiet for a moment longer and just as I was about to open my mouth to firmly tell her to answer my question, she said, ¡°I did¡­¡± I ced the pill bottle on the counter; looking at Connie, I felt nothing but disgust. Categories Search¡­ ¡°You drugged me.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. It wasn¡¯t a question. A steady stream of tears continued to fall from her eyes and soak over her very pale freatures as she bit onto her bottom lip to keep herself from sobbing. But to no prevail. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± she managed to sputter. I was at a loss for words and it was taking everything I had to keep Max under control. Despite Connie being our oldest and best friend, Max wanted to tear her apart. I felt used and disgusted all over. I also felt weak that I would allow something like this to happen under my own nose. ¡°You¡­¡± I went to say, but truth be told, I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say. Had she drugged me and had her way with me? This entire time I thought maybe I had drunk a little too much or maybe even consumed some of the drugs that Bethany tried to give me. But it was neither of those things; it¡¯s been Connie this whole time. ¡°Nothing happened,¡± she finally said quickly. ¡°I promise¡­ we didn¡¯t have sex that night.¡± ¡°I woke up naked,¡± I said, taking a step away from her. ¡°You were naked too.¡± She began to sob into her hands; I thought she was going to fall to the floor, but she remained on her feet. ¡°I set it up to look like we had slept together,¡± she finally admitted. ¡°I wanted you to think that there could be something between us. I wanted to nt the idea in your head¡­¡± ¡°You did WHAT?¡± I couldn¡¯t help the fury that was boiling out of me; at that moment, all I was seeing was red. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± She continued to cry. ¡°I never meant for it to get this far. I thought I could convince you that your wolf wanted me¡­ I thought¡­.¡± her voice trailed off as she hupped. This wasn¡¯t happening right now; this type of betrayal was unforgivable. This was someone I trusted so deeply and for her to betray me like this. I couldn¡¯t continue with these thoughts; if I didn¡¯t get out of there and quickly, I was going to rip her head right off her shoulders. ¡°Please, don¡¯t be mad at me,¡± she cried. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Enzo. I was going to tell you, but¡ª¡° ¡°I need you to leave.¡± I turned away from her, unable to stomach looking at her. I was going to do something I was definitely going to regret if she didn¡¯t leave right now. ¡°What?¡± She asked, pain clear as day in her tone. ¡°I don¡¯t want you hear anymore. Pack up your stuff, and leave. Return to your pack.¡± ¡°But, Enzo¡ª¡± I turned around quickly, Max¡¯s canines evident to her and his eyes ring at her through mine. It was a look she had never seen before and a look I hoped she¡¯d never see. But it was so fierce it caused her to gasp loudly and stagger backwards. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you again,¡± I said in a low and threatening tone. She stared at me for a moment longer, speechless. I didn¡¯t wait around for her to say or do anything else. I turned back around and left without another word. As soon as we were outside, Max burst through me, growling loudly and fiercely as we ran through the streets of Monstro. There was a lot of steam he needed to blow off and I knew he wanted to turn back and tear Connie apart from her limbs. But I wasn¡¯t going to allow him to do that. We just ran through the forest for a long while until he started to get winded enough to settle down. Once we had stopped running, we shifted back into our human form and went towards the beach. L should be there by now and I needed to speak to her. She needed to know everything that had happened and that nothing was going to happen between Connie and me. I wasn¡¯t much of a partier, especially with a bunch of college students. Everybody seemed to have too much energy and they had been drinking too much. There was a roaring bonfire in the middle of the beach and I could feel the heat for miles. There was a long line that lead to the tiki bar and everybody wore bathing suits, dancing to the live music and swimming in the now dark ocean. I scanned the beach; I could sense L, but I didn¡¯t see her. It would be a lot easier to find her exact location if I had marked her. But now I just have to give it my best guess and hope that Max can find her based on her scent alone. Although, he always seemed to be able to find her easily. ¡°Alpha Enzo?¡± Emma said as I approached her small group that stood, drinks in hand, at the bonfire. L wasn¡¯t amongst them. ¡°L didn¡¯t tell me you wereing,¡± she said, peering up at me with a frown. ¡°Is she around here somewhere?¡± Em looked around curiously for a moment. ¡°She was a little bit ago. She was having a lot of pina-cdas to drink. Matty was buying them for her. I think they are around here somewhere.¡± She went off somewhere along with a guy after she¡¯s been drinking?! Could this night get any worse?! Riddled with annoyance I walked away from Em without saying anything more. I went to a more secluded area because that¡¯s where I feared this guy would take a drunk L. Her scent grew more potent as I got to a quiet area, and I knew at that moment that I was on the right track. Then, I heard their voices. ¡°Come on¡­ let¡¯s get out of here. We can go back to my ce and really get to know each other¡­¡± That was a guy¡¯s voice. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± L¡¯s voice trailed off as she worked hard to keep herself awake. She waspletely wasted. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 L¡¯s POV ¡°Do you want another drink?¡± Matty asked, leaning over as we sat in the beach chairs in front of the roaring bonfire. The heat of the bonfire was starting to get to me a little bit and my head was already spinning a little after the pina cda I just drank. ¡°Maybe just one more,¡± I said, standing to my feet. ¡°But I can go grab it. I need to take a walk away from the fire anyways.¡± He stood up with me; everyone else seemed preupied in their own conversations and I was surprised that Matty stuck by my side for most of the evening. I was expecting him to run off with his friends and ignore me for most of the night. I was beginning to think that this really was a date. ¡°I¡¯lle with you. I need to get away too,¡± he said, walking with me toward the bar. As soon as we were far enough away, my body started to cool down. Thank goddess because I was about ready to take a dive into the ocean. ¡°I¡¯ll grab the drinks if you want to get a little further away from the fire. Find a more secluded area where we can talk,¡± Matty suggested. I wondered what he wanted to talk to me about, but I didn¡¯t question him. The alcohol was really starting to get to my head, and I wanted to sit down somewhere. So, I just nodded and went towards a different section of the beach. The more I walked, the quieter and darker it started to get. It was also getting much cooler as well. I didn¡¯t think there would be many cold areas in a tropical ce like Monstro, but I was surprised that the nights were oddly chilly when there was a light breeze. Not that I wasining though; it felt really good on my warm skin. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org content. I took a deep breath, allowing the cold air to hit my lungs and make my head hurt a little less. But it only made me a little dizzier. Soon, I couldn¡¯t handle being on my feet anymore; I feared I was going to fall over at any moment, so I decided to sit in the sand and wait for Matty to join me. I had traveled farther than I thought I would have. The party was going on in the distance; nobody noticed me sitting alone further away. Matty found me quickly and soon joined me in the sand. He took a seat beside me and handed me one of the frozen drinks. ¡°Here,¡± he said with a kind smile. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t drink this,¡± I said, shaking my head at the cup. ¡°I¡¯m already a little drunk. I might need some water.¡± Matty frowned and nced at the cup. ¡°But I already paid for it,¡± heined. ¡°Just a couple of sips?¡± I felt bad that he paid for this drink already; they were like $10 a drink. So, I sighed and forced a smile as I took the cup from him. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him. He took a long and steady sip of his drink; I admired him and everyone else around here for their ability to drink so much. ¡°So, what do you think of your first beach party?¡± He asked, just as I took a small sip of the drink. ¡°It¡¯s really fun,¡± I said in return. ¡°Thank you for inviting me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you could make it. I¡¯m honestly surprised your bodyguard let you out of your sight.¡± Iughed at him calling Enzo my bodyguard. I guess technically that¡¯s what he was here for. But it was still funny to me because Enzo has his own life outside of making sure I don¡¯t get into trouble. He proved that when he spent time with Connie. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised; it wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d slept together. But as far as I knew, nothing ever came from that other time. I saw Connie in his faculty house a few dayster, but Enzo hardly ever talks about Connie, and I don¡¯t really see them together anymore. At least not until she showed up at Monstro. I was starting to believe the first night they slept together, it was only a one-night stand. But now I¡¯m not so sure. I took another sip of this drink; it was delicious despite knowing I probably shouldn¡¯t be driving anymore. Thest thing I needed was for Enzo to be called to take me home again. I can¡¯t live with that humiliation yet again. ¡°I¡¯m d we could talk and start over,¡± Matty said with a kind smile; he was staring at me so intently that I found it difficult to meet his eyes. Mainly because there were two of him. ¡°I never notice how beautiful your eyes are,¡± he said to me, making my face warm. Was he flirting with me? ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well¡­¡± Val said in a low tone within my mind. ¡°We should probably go soon.¡± She was right; I wanted to go home and sleep off this drunkenness. I didn¡¯t think I waspletely wasted but the more I sipped this drink, the more out of it I was beginning to feel. I wanted to set the drink aside, but just as I did, Matty grabbed it from my hands. ¡°Here, take one more long drink and I¡¯ll let you be done.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± I asked, trying to focus my gaze on his, but finding it hard when my vision was bing blurred; even my voice sounded distant and unfamiliar. He nodded. ¡°Promise,¡± he agreed. I put the straw to my lips and took a long and steady sip, allowing the cold to hit my throat. I pulled away before I get a brain freeze. I pulled away quickly before I got a brain breeze. However, as soon as I pulled away, a huge dizzy spell came over me and I nearly fell to the side, catching myself in the sand. My vision became even more distorted, and I had trouble focusing. It was like I had no control over my own body and I wasn¡¯t liking this feeling. Before I could grasp what was happening, Matty was putting his arms around me and helping me sit back up. He said something, but his voice sounded so distant and distorted that I couldn¡¯t figure out what he was saying. I tried to ask him to repeat himself, but my own voice didn¡¯t want to work. However, I could see the concern in his eyes as he spoke. My breathing was getting harsher as I grabbed onto him for support; I knew I shouldn¡¯t have drunk that second pina cda. Looking at the cup he had taken from me, it looked like it was almost empty. Had I drunk almost the entire thing? ¡°L?¡± He asked, his voice bing clearer to me. He wrapped his arms firmly around me from squirming away because I couldn¡¯t seem to sit still. ¡°¡°Come on¡­ let¡¯s get out of here. We can go back to my ce and really get to know each other¡­¡± What did that mean? No. I didn¡¯t want to go anywhere with him. I wanted him to let me go so I attempted to pull out of his grasp. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± I finally found my voice to speak, though it didn¡¯te out right. He started to pull me even harder, forcing me to my feet with him, and my entire body had gone limp against his. My arms and legs weren¡¯t listening to my demands, and I felt incredibly helpless. I wanted to yell out for help, but I couldn¡¯t find my voice again. Just as he started to lift me off the ground, another presence appeared before us, making Matty nearly drop me to the ground. ¡°She¡¯s not going with you,¡± the voice said and I recognized the voice right away. Enzo! I wanted to yell for him, but my voice wasn¡¯t working. Matty said something else to him that got lost in the wind and for a moment, it seemed they were having a back-and-forth. I was lying in the sand at that point, unsure of what was truly going on. My eyes were squeezed shut tightly and everything became incredibly distorted. I could no longer hear anything and I¡¯m pretty sure I was starting to fall asleep. Soon, I felt the comforting arms of Enzo wrapped around my body just as he lifted me off the ground. I was now in his care. I was safe. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What did you give her?¡± I asked between my teeth, staring at this pathetic guy that was trying to take L away. He had dropped L from his arms as soon as I neared them; I could see the fear in his eyes. He was pathetic. What L was doing with Buffoon, I hadn¡¯t the slightest idea. But the thought of her going anywhere with him, even away from their initial group and to this more secluded area, sent an unsettled feeling in my stomach. She waspletely out of it; this certainly was not the work of alcohol. ¡°I¡­ I was just¡ª¡± I put fear in him, that much was clear. He stared up at me withrge and frightened eyes and I stared back him, ring and furious. L remained on the ground, struggling to keep herself together. She knew something was right and this asshole was the cause of it. He continued to stammer as I bent down and lifted L off the ground; it took everything I had not to punch this jerk out. But I wasn¡¯t going to do that with L in my arms. I needed to get her out of here and this guy wasn¡¯t going to stop me. Who was he anyways? I turned away, still holding onto L and I started walking back toward the party. ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± Em yelled as I neared. ¡°What the hell happened?!¡± ¡°Ask him,¡± was all I said as I continued walking, not even looking to see if that jerk was nearby. Her eyes trailed behind me until they saw him, and she gasped. ¡°Matty, what the fuck?!¡± She hissed to him. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Categories Search¡­ I didn¡¯t stick around to see anything more. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I woke up the next mornin with a terrible headache. I felt like I did the other night when I got way too drunk, except for some reason this felt way worse. Thest thing I remembered I was having a drink with Matty on the beach and then suddenly I felt like I had no control over my own body. Then Enzo¡­ Oh, goddess! Enzo! He was there and he took me back to the suite. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I couldn¡¯t remember getting back here. But I remembered he was here. Just as I sat up in bed to get out, the door swung open and Enzo came strolling in. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He asked; in his hands he was carrying a tter of hot food and coffee. My stomach growled just looking at it. ¡°My head hurts,¡± I admitted. He sat the tray in front of me and sat beside me on the bed with a timid frown. ¡°What happenedst night?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°You almost got taken away,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°You have to be careful about who you trust. You can¡¯t trust wander off with random people.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t a random person. He¡¯s the one who invited me out.¡± Enzo narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°That guy was your date?¡± He scoffed. ¡°Seriously??¡± ¡°He¡¯s Em¡¯s friend and he asked me about this party,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anything of it, until¡­¡± my voice trailed off as I thought about the events that took ce. Shaking my head at the very thought, I looked back up at him. ¡°You have no right to be upset with me. You were with Connie.¡± ¡°Nothing happened with Connie,¡± he said firmly and through his teeth. ¡°Her bathing suit ripped and I gave her my shirt so she can get back to her suite to change.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, staring around at his very serious expression. ¡°I told you!¡± Val cooed. ¡°There was a reasonable exnation all along!!¡± ¡°But you slept with her at some point so there¡¯s obviously something there,¡± I said in return, rising my brows. ¡°She drugged me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ she what?¡± I asked; I obviously didn¡¯t hear him correctly. ¡°She drugged me,¡± he repeated. ¡°I found out earlier today that she used roofies to get me into bed. But she didn¡¯t touch me. The most she did was get me undressed. Then she stripped naked apparently and got into bed to sleep.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I said, my voice sounding very distant. ¡°Why would she do all of that if not to sleep with you?¡± ¡°To make it seem like I drunk me couldn¡¯t resist her. She wanted me to think that I was so wasted that I chose to sleep with her. She told me I confessed my feelings for her during this time and obviously that was a lie,¡± he exined, sighing at the memory. ¡°She wanted to confuse me?¡± ¡°She drugged you??¡± I breathed, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°When did you find out about this?¡± ¡°Last night before I went to find you,¡± he answered. ¡°I knocked over her bag and the pill bottle fell out. She confessed everything.¡± ¡°What ended up happening?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask, invested. ¡°I told her I wanted her to leave,¡± he answered. ¡°Her flight is this afternoon.¡± ¡°She¡¯s leaving?¡± I gasped. He nodded his head once. ¡°Are there any more questions, because you are going to bete for work if so.¡± I gasped as I looked at the clock; he was right. I needed to leave. Enzo left the room so I could quickly get dressed; once I was dressed, I ran out of the room and paused when I saw the pill bottle on the counter. It reeked of Connie and my heart plummeted into my stomach. Enzo was telling the truth. ¡­ Enzo had taken me to work, and I was grateful for that. He used the rental car he had gotten recently. Neither of us spoke during the carried; I don¡¯t think we knew what to say to one another. But soon, we were at the academy, and I ran from the car and into Cassidy-Ann¡¯s office. Thankfully, I had made it just in time. During my time at work, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Enzo. I couldn¡¯t believe he had been drugged. I should have listened to my wolf from the beginning when she said he would never do that to us. I felt guilty for not giving him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention,¡± Cassidy-Ann said from her desk. ¡°Leroy wants to meet you after work. Are you avable?¡± My brows raised. ¡°Yes, of course,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°Good¡­ bring your samples.¡± ¡­. ¡°I have to say, L, these paintings are incredible. You did this on your own?¡± Leroy asked, staring at the samples I had presented him. It waster in the afternoon, after work, and I went straight to his office with my portfolio. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I said as confidently as I could. ¡°I¡¯m d you like them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t just like them,¡± he said with a fond smile as he closed the portfolio. ¡°Cassidy-Ann mentioned you had a great talent and I was reluctant to believe her. But I¡¯m d I gave you a chance because I¡¯m certainly not disappointed.¡± Excitement roamed through me at his words. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I said to him in response. ¡°I think you¡¯d make a perfect fit for this academy. Your grades are excellent as well,¡± he said, leaning back in his seat. ¡°So, what exactly does this mean?¡± I urged, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°I want to offer you a full schrship to attend this academy.¡± Chapter 136 Chapter 136 L¡¯s POV A full schrship! I wasn¡¯t expecting this and I¡¯m hardly sure what to say at this moment. I just stared at him dumbfounded with my mouth hanging open. My heart thudded violently against my chest, and it took everything I had not to hug him on the spot. Leroy continued to exin the grades I need to maintain this schrship. It wouldn¡¯t start until next year so I could finish thisst semester at my current school before switching everything over to this school. He exined that I would be staying in a dorm room with another roommate. The entire time the conversation went on, my excitement boiled through me. However, Val was getting increasingly worried. ¡°How long is this schrship?¡± I finally asked the question that¡¯s been itching on her mind. ¡°It¡¯s a two-year program,¡± Leroy exined. My heart fell into my stomach; two years? That was far too long for Val to be away from our mate. It¡¯s not like Enzo woulde with us to live in Monstro for two years. He was an Alpha and needed to be there to take care of his pack. Leroy finished printing the applications that I needed to fill out before I officially enrolled for next year and slid them across his desk in my direction. He grabbed a pen and reached it out for me to take. I stared at it for a long while; unmoving, frozen, perplexed. Leroy noticed my hesitation and frowned, lowering the pen. ¡°Everything okay?¡± He asked after a pause. Categories Search¡­ ¡°It¡¯s just a big step,¡± I said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I should probably talk to my family about this. Monstro is a long way from home.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± he said, cing the pen on top of the application. ¡°Then, how about you take this with you and fill it out on your own time. I¡¯ll need it on my desk by Monday around noon though. These spots fill very quickly, and I won¡¯t be able to hold your ce for long.¡± Monday? That wasn¡¯t nearly enough time to make this huge decision. I needed to talk to my parents, and I needed to talk to Enzo right away; but how could I bring something like this up to Enzo? ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, grabbing the application. ¡°I¡¯ll bring this to you as soon as I can.¡± I rushed out of his office before he could say another word. Enzo was back at the suite when I returned, and he was dressed in a nice suit and tie; I looked at him for a moment with furrowed brows. He didn¡¯t tell me he had ns this afternoon. ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± I asked. ¡°The Alphas of the Silverw pack, Starcove pack, and Reddington pack are wanting to have ate lunch. I¡¯ve met them a few times during myst trip here and they were wanting to catch up,¡± Enzo exined with a shrug. ¡°I thought you¡¯d still be working right now.¡± I nced at the clock; it was 2 pm. ¡°I have to be at an art show in an hour,¡± I confessed. ¡°But I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually running a littlete. But we can talkter,¡± he said, walking towards the door. ¡°Good luck at the art show. If you need anything, just mindlink me.¡± He was gone within seconds; Val felt defeated, and I felt torn. I grabbed my phone and instantly called my mother because she always knew exactly what to do and say to make me feel better. ¡°Hey, L Bean,¡± my mother said as soon as she answered the phone. ¡°How¡¯s your trip?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going well. I¡¯ve been really busy,¡± I told her. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to tell her the fact that I went to a partyst night and got drugged as a result. ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± She said in return. ¡°Is Enzo having a good time as well?¡± ¡°He¡¯s kind of just been doing his own thing,¡± I admitted. ¡°He usually takes me to work if he¡¯s able and we go to dinner and stuff. But I¡¯ve been so preupied with work that we hardly see each other.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s unfortunate,¡± my mother said, and I knew she was frowning. ¡°Is there something on your mind? You know I can always tell when something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Kind of,¡± I admitted. I sat on the couch and pressed my knees to my chest as I clutched the phone to my ear. ¡°I had a meeting with the founder of this school and showed him my samples.¡± ¡°Did it not go well?¡± ¡°He offered me a full schrship for next year,¡± I told her. ¡°Oh, my goddess!! L that¡¯s incredible news!!¡± She cooed excitedly. But then she paused. ¡°But then why do you seem upset?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to move to Monstro, Mom¡­¡± I told her, lowering my tone. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little far?¡± ¡°Well, I mean yes¡­ but¡ª¡± she paused again and this time she was quiet for a longer while. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she finally breathed. ¡°Your wolf is a huge part of who you are. Sometimes you have to listen to both your heart and your wolf to figure out what you truly want.¡± It was like she already knew what I was thinking; hearing her say it put my heart at ease, but only slightly. ¡°This has always been a dream of mine¡­¡± I told her. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t aplish this dream closer to home. But this school could make me so much better.¡± ¡°In my eyes, L, you are already terrific. There¡¯s no decision that you can make that I won¡¯t support. I¡¯ll always be behind you. As will your father.¡± It warmed my heart to hear her say that. I nced at the clock and stood up. ¡°I have to go, Mom. But thank you for talking to me; I love you.¡± ¡°Anytime, sweetheart. I love you too.¡± I hung up the phone and quickly dressed in an evening casual dress and threw my hair into a low ponytail before leaving the resort to go to the art show. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Gotta say, Enzo. We were surprised when you agreed toe out with us,¡± Alpha Alex said, staring across the table at me. ¡°We know how much you dislike social events.¡± ¡°We are d you came,¡± Alpha Louis said with a kind smile from beside me. ¡°How are things in the Calypso pack? We hear you¡¯re a professor now,¡± Alpha Mike said, raising his brows. ¡°The rumors are true on that,¡± I confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve been teaching shifting andbat at the school for shifters. It¡¯s mainly to get my stats as Alpha up but when Alpha Bastien asked me for this favor, I didn¡¯t want to deny.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that school; it¡¯s in Hig right?¡± Alpha Mike asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s a good school.¡± ¡°Definitely not as good as the academy here, but it ranks highly in the world. I admittedly enjoy teaching there.¡± ¡°Never thought someone like you would be a teacher,¡± Alpha Alexughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like students.¡± ¡°I supposed I¡¯m full of surprises,¡± I shrugged, and theyughed at my response. ¡°In other news, Louis has been saying he spotted you with a pretty little dime recently. Do tell,¡± Alex said, leaning across the table almost eagerly. I narrowed my eyes to Louis; I had no idea he had seen me with someone. Was he talking about L? Or maybe Connie? ¡°Oh yes, she was gorgeous!¡± Louis went on to say as he described the woman I was with; I knew, at that moment, he was talking about L. ¡°A violet and a blue eye?¡± Mike asked, his eyes widening. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen someone like that once in my life¡­¡± Mile continued to breathe, getting all our attention. ¡°She was a Vna. Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°You¡¯re dating a Vna wolf?¡± Alex asked with also wide eyes; all three Alphas were now staring at him, shocked about this new discovery. ¡°What¡¯s that like?!¡± Mike asked excitedly. ¡°You guys should have seen her!¡± John said in return, pping me on the back. I felt Max growing restless and agitated as they continued to talk about L like she was nothing more than a b of meat. A low growl emerged from the depth of my throat, and I had to swallow hard before it escaped through my wolf¡¯s canines. ¡°It¡¯s impolite to speak of a woman in such a manner,¡± I said, clenching my jaw. They nced at me, all frowning now before John cleared his throat. ¡°How¡¯s the new hospitaling in Starcove?¡± John asked Mike who finally pulled his eyes away from me to fixate on John. ¡°It should be up and running within a couple of weeks. The bank finally closed the deal and we are currently in the process of finding staff.¡± ¡°I might have a couple of she-wolves that are medically trained. I¡¯ll send them your way for an interview,¡± Mike offered. ¡°I have a few men and women who are trained in that specialty,¡± Alex also offered. ¡°I appreciate you both. Send them to my office at 1 pm on Monday and I¡¯ll speak with them myself. I have a few highly trained doctors and some nurses myself. I also have a few surgeons. But I¡¯m looking for a few more. It¡¯s nice to get some from outside the pack so we can broaden our resources.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Mike nodded. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Ever need extra resources I can always ship them from overseas,¡± I chimed in, feeling my wolf rxing. Now that the subject was off L, we didn¡¯t need to be tense. ¡°I have the most intellectual researchers in the county and could greatly benefit all three of you.¡± They raised their brows. ¡°I had no idea that the Calypso pack had researchers like that,¡± Mike said, speaking for all of them. ¡°They¡¯re actually elders that once worked for my father but after my father¡¯s death they stuck around,¡± I exined. They all looked amongst one another; questionable and concerned looks on their faces. Of course, they had heard about my father. They would have to live under a rock to not know about ise. Even those from across the country were very familiar with his tales. It wasn¡¯t often that I brought him up in conversation and I¡¯m sure none of them really knew what to say in response. ¡°And you trust them?¡± John finally asked the question that was on all their minds. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of the pack who had gone rogue when I took over leadership because they still follow my father long after his death. They usually live in hiding but there are quite a few of them and they frequent appearance. Annoyingly so¡­¡± I muttered thatst part. ¡°But they continue to hunt and torment Vna wolves. Most of them want to take their powers and use them for themselves. It makes our region one of the most dangerous ces for Vna wolves. Not that they are particrly safe anywhere¡­ but those who follow my father are specifically trained inbat and are highly skilled, just as I am.¡± They all listened with wide eyes as they ate their food and drank their drinks. ¡°So¡­ that beauty, how is she living in that region. Being a Vna and all?¡± John asked. I was annoyed at his titling for L, and I stifled a snarl. ¡°L¡­¡± I emphasized her name. ¡°Is the daughter of one of the most powerful Alphas; Bastien of the Nova pack.¡± ¡°The leader of the Alphamittee, Alpha Bastien?¡± Mike asked. ¡°How did you snag his daughter?¡± I red at Alpha Mike, and I knew he could see the eyes of my wolf shining through the eyes of my human. I curled up my top lip and let a small growl escape, indicating that my wolf was on the verge of attack at any moment. I could see the color draining from his face and he swallowed hard, sitting back in his chair to get that much further away from me. ¡°I¡¯m with her as a favor to her father. I¡¯m here to protect her. I¡¯m her professor. Nothing more,¡± I said through my teeth. The forcefulness in my tone shut them all up and they went back to eating their food. Johnter changed to subject to some financial issues his pack was having and how they overcame it. I stayed mainly quiet the rest of the time we ate our food and by the time it was time to leave, they were all trying to say goodbye. I wanted nothing more to do with them; I had been agitated long enough and now it was time to return to the suite and try to rx for the evening. I nced at the clock and saw that it was only 5 pm. L¡¯s art show ran until about 6 pm which meant she would be back soon. I made a mental note to pick her up from the gallery. Even though I just ate, she would probably be hungry and want some dinner or something. ¡°Good evening, Alpha Enzo. I hope you are enjoying your stay,¡± the kind front desk clerk said from her desk, batting her longshes. ¡°I am, thank you, Jewels,¡± I said in return, reading the nametag on her blouse. She chuckled and her face reddened. ¡°I see you are alone this evening. Want somepany?¡± She was flirting with me. ¡°I¡¯m just going back to my room to get some rest,¡± I told her, turning away. ¡°Oh¡­ okay. Another time then?¡± She called from behind me. I didn¡¯t bother answering her. By the time I got back to the room, I changed out of my suit and tie and into something more casual. L would be getting out of work soon; she hadn¡¯t mind-linked me which makes me wonder if maybe she texted or called my phone. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and red at the screen to see her small name appearing before me. It was a text. ¡°Running a little behind. Can you get me at 6:30?¡± That was sent a couple of hours ago. I sent back, ¡°Dinner?¡± I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a little busy at work and won¡¯t respond right away. I went over to the couch and sat; it felt like I sat on something. I looked around the couch and, for a minute, I didn¡¯t see anything. But it definitely felt like I sat on something unfamiliar; something that wasn¡¯t the cushion that sat behind me. I reached behind the cushion and pulled out a binder, frowning. How did this get here? ¡°It has our mate¡¯s scent all over it,¡± Max breathed as he sniffed the air. He was right; it smelled like honeysuckle. I wondered if this binder was important and why she was hiding it behind the couch cushion. Opening the binder, I scanned the pages. ¡°Schrship?¡± I said out loud to my wolf as we both took in what we were reading. ¡°It¡¯s a full Schrship to the International Art Academy¡­ for two years.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 138 Chapter 138 L¡¯s POV My phone buzzed on my desk, and I nced to see Enzo¡¯s name scrolling across the top. I texted him earlier to tell him I was running a little behind this evening toe grab me at 6:30 instead of 6. I hadn¡¯t heard from him, but I assumed that was because he was busy At his Alpha lunch. ¡°Dinner?¡± Was all the text message said. What did that mean? Was he asking me to dinner? Or asking if I wanted dinner? Was there a difference? My stomach growled at the very thought of food; I hadn¡¯t thought about food all day and I was starving. The Art show was still going on outside Cassidy Ann¡¯s office door, but the number of guests was lessening. Thank goodness, because I wasn¡¯t sure how much of this, I could take tonight. I was starving. ¡°I could go for some burgers,¡± I texted back. I put my phone back on my desk and went to join the others in the art gallery. Leroy was busy talking with a bunch of men in business suits and Cassidy-Ann was discussing some of her paintings with potential clients. ¡°Oh, L! There you are. This lovely woman wants to purchase ¡®Whispers on a Beach,¡¯¡± Cassidy-Ann said, gesturing for the woman to follow me. I grabbed Cassidy-Ann¡¯s tablet and brought up her website and found her abstract painting of ¡®Whispers on a Beach.¡¯ It was honestly one of my favorite paintings too; I loved how she took something so simple and made it a whole story out of it with just one painting. ¡°It¡¯ll look really beautiful in the living room,¡± the woman went on to say just as I brought up the payment screen. Categories Search¡­ ¡°That¡¯ll be $250,¡± I said waiting for her to hand me her credit card. ¡°Once the payment processes, I¡¯ll have you input your information and mailing address.¡± ¡°How soon do you think I can have the painting?¡± ¡°I just have to process it and then we can either do express mail, which will take 3 to 5 business days, or I can deliver it myself probably on Tuesday.¡± ¡°Can you deliver it to me?¡± She asked, hopefulness in her tone. ¡°I don¡¯t always trust the mail. Especially with something like this.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, handing her the tablet so she can input her information. Once everything wasplete, she handed the tablet back to me and I handed her credit card back. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call once the package is processed and when I¡¯m heading over on Tuesday,¡± I assured her, giving her a kind smile. ¡°Thank you so much, L,¡± she said in return. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Cassidy-Ann approached me soon enough with a relieved smile. ¡°That was thest of it for the evening,¡± she breathed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stick around any longer and besides, your bodyguard is here.¡± She nced over at the door and Enzo was standing there staring at me. He had a strange void in his eyes that knotted my stomach tightly. For some reason, I knew there was something wrong. I turned to Cassidy-Ann and gave her a smile in return. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget we are having dinner tomorrow night. Per usual, Enzo is invited.¡± I nodded and thanked her before heading toward Enzo. ¡°I¡¯m just going to grab my bag and phone from Cassidy-Ann¡¯s office and then we can grab food,¡± I said to him; he didn¡¯t say anything in response. He stared at me for a moment longer before turning away and leaving the studio. I furrowed my brows together; we didn¡¯t have a bad talk this morning, so I was confused as to why he was acting strangely toward me. I ran into Cassidy-Ann¡¯s office and grabbed my stuff before joining at the main door of the school. Together, we walked through the parking lot until we came across the rental car. Once we were inside, I finally decided to ask him what was going on. ¡°Were you ever going to tell me about this schrship?¡± He asked, peering over at me with a questionable look. ¡°Of course, I was,¡± I said quickly; ¡°How did you know about that?¡± ¡°Maybe choose a better hiding ce next time,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°When did you find out.¡± ¡°This afternoon,¡± I exined. ¡°I was going to tell you as soon as I got home earlier but you needed to leave for your important lunch.¡± Realization crossed his eyes and then he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have left like that. It¡¯s great that you got a schrship. Are you going to take it?¡± I was surprised by his question; I could see the curiosity on his face, but there seemed to be something else that I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it. Do you think I should?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s up to you,¡± he said, turning away and putting his car in drive. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be able to go with you.¡± I knew that and it pained me to think about it. But I didn¡¯t think it would pain him to think about it as well. Was he finally admitting to me that he had feelings for me just as I had feelings for him? We stayed quiet for a long while before I decided to ask, ¡°After I graduate, is there a chance you¡¯d mark me?¡± He was quiet for a long while, probably processing the question and trying to figure out how to answer me. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡± he admitted. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff that needs to be done. I¡¯m trying to make it as one of the top Alphas and having a rtionship always seemed like a distraction to me¡­¡± I looked down at my hands, feeling a little defeated. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I understand,¡± I said after a short pause. ¡°But maybe.¡± My heart quickened its pace as I looked up at him. We didn¡¯t talk about this for the rest of the night. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV Something didn¡¯t feel right about this schrship L was given. Staring at the pages earlier, it seemed almost too good to be true. Like they were desperate to have her. I wanted to do a little digging around to see what this school was really about and why they truly wanted her so badly. I knew her artwork was good, but this was the best art school in the world, and they offered her this schrship after one measly meeting. Then again, it could it have been her Vna abilities that helped her get this position. I brushed the thought out of my mind, at least for the night, and enjoyed having some burgers with her. But the next morning, when she went to work, I went to the school as well so I could do a little research about what this school was about. It¡¯s not like I could ask Leroy myself and expect him to answer my questions honestly. Looking around at the students, I noticed how ordinary they all looked. Which got me curious about the wolf breed around campus. It also got me wondering about the school¡¯s history. The best ce for that information was the library. I went straight to aputer in the library and went into the database. I would be able to find a record of every student who has ever attended this school. There were even pictures besides their names, which helped greatly. By the time I got to the end, I leaned back in my chair and the realization set its horizon on me. This school has never had one single Vna wolf Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Enzo¡¯s POV It was making sense now; why L was given a schrship so quickly after showing off her artwork? Why did they want her so eagerly to attend this school? I shook my head at the very thought as it all processed in my mind. ¡°They want her because she¡¯s a Vna wolf,¡± Max murmured from within me feeling equally annoyed. I knew he was right; they would never look at her before if she wasn¡¯t a Vna. The fury rising through me was too great to ignore. I knew something had to be done about this before L truly got hurt. I didn¡¯t waste any more time upon finding out this information. I closed all the tabs on theputer and left the library. L still had a few hours left of work, so I had time to pay Leroy a visit. His office was at the top floor of the school and his receptionist sat right outside his office door. She nced up at me and seemed surprised when she noticed my Alpha aura radiating. ¡°Hello, Alpha,¡± she said quickly, peering up at me. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see Professor Leroy,¡± I said, ncing over at his office door. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. He¡¯s very busy right and¡ª¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking,¡± I said through a clenched jaw. I saw her mouth drop open as she leaned back in her seat, trying to gain distance before she nodded. ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± she said. ¡°You may go in.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything in return as I turned away and stormed into his office, mming the door behind me, and startling him. He quickly stood to his feet with wide eyes. I was much taller than this man; which greatly amused me. ¡°Alpha Enzo,¡± Leroy said, keeping a strongerposure. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°You can tell me the truth about why you gave L that schrship so quickly,¡± I said to him raising my right brow. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± Leroy said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her work; she¡¯s quite talented.¡± ¡°Have you known her long?¡± I asked quickly. ¡°Do you know her strengths and weaknesses? Her GPA? Her final grades of this semester? I¡¯d like to see all the information you have on her.¡± Leroy visibly swallowed a lump in his throat as he nced at hisputer. ¡°I have some information here, yes,¡± he finally said after a long pause. He typed a bit on herputer before he found what he was looking for. ¡°It seems she has a 4.0 average GPA and is an art schr. Her father is Alpha Bastien, and her mother is Selene of the Nova pack. She excels inbat and recently just got her wolf¡ª¡± ¡°Her GPA is a 3.6. Math isn¡¯t her strongest subject,¡± I said, interrupting his words. ¡°The rest of that is basic information easily found on the web. I¡¯m talking about her academic information. You know¡­ the information you should be looking at when excepting admissions.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Leroy said with a lightugh as he nced back at hisputer. ¡°I¡¯m sure we have some information about how she¡¯s doing in ss. But it doesn¡¯t really matter, Alpha. This is an art school and I¡¯ve seen her art. She¡¯s very good at what she does.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree. She does exceptional work. However, this is an Ivy League academy and there¡¯s more to admissions than just the ability to pant. I¡¯m not saying she can¡¯t get into a school like this but knowing that she was offered a schrship after a one-afternoon meeting and hardly any information from her was given, I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t me me for being a little bit suspicious about that.¡± ¡°I understand but¡ª¡± ¡°So, tell me, Leroy. What exactlypelled you to offer said schrship to L I¡¯m going to ask you once for the truth.¡± Leroy was quiet for a moment longer before he cleared his throat and pressed his hands firmly together. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed during your time here, but this academycks diversity. Having a Vna at this school¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t let him finish that sentence; soon, I grabbed him by the cor of his shirt and threw him against the wall, snarling at him through my clenched jaw. ¡°You made her think she got in because of her academic and artistic talents. You lied to her!¡± ¡°Does it really matter at this point?¡± He asked, struggling against me, trying to get me to release my hold on his cor. ¡°She¡¯s still epted into a great college.¡± ¡°She deserves to get in through her hard work and dedication. Because she earned it. Not because of what she is. That isn¡¯t fair to her and you need to tell her the truth.¡± ¡°And if she still agrees?¡± He asked, causing me to pause for a moment. The thought of L spending two years on the other side of the wolf from me brought a world of unsettlement to my wolf¡¯s stomach. Max didn¡¯t like the idea and I didn¡¯t me him; despite not knowing where my future with L was going, I still wanted a minute to think about what I truly wanted. ¡°Then it¡¯s her decision and I¡¯ll respect it,¡± I said, releasing his shirt. ¡°But I want her to have a fair chance.¡± Leroy stared at me for a moment longer while fixing his shirt before he reached his hand out ot me to shake. ¡°You have a deal,¡± he finally said. This whole thing was going to break L¡¯s heart and I was going to have to watch it happen. ¡°Alpha Enzo?¡± I heard a voiceing from the doorway of Leroy¡¯s office, startling us both. I hadn¡¯t even smelled her nearby. Probably because I was so preupied with threatening Leroy. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I nce at the folder in her hands and saw that it was the same folder she kept the application and schrship to this academy. ¡°I was just having so me words with Professor Leroy,¡± I exined, trying to calm my wolf down. ¡°I think there are some things he needs to say to you.¡± She still stares at me; confused. Then, she looks at Leroy. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I mislead you¡­¡± Leroy said slowly. ¡°I only wanted you at this school because you are a minority.¡± ¡°What?¡± L said, narrowing her eyes to him. ¡°A diversity?¡± Leroy was reluctant to answer and before I said anything, L spoke again. ¡°By a minority, do you happen to mean a Vna?¡± I was surprised to hear her response. ¡°Yes,¡± Leroy answered. ¡°It¡¯s not anything against you. I find your artwork incredible. It¡¯s just that the amount of Vnas we have in this school¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted me¡­¡± L said, stepping away from him. Goddess. My heart fucking hurt for her. ¡°Because I¡¯m a Vna?¡± She continued to ask. Before Leroy could speak, she ced the binder on his desk and lowered her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°But I made my decision. I¡¯m not going to be attending this choo. Thank you so much for this opportunity. But I¡¯m going to decline. Leroy stood dumbfounded as L turned away from him. Just as she walked away and stopped near me, peered up at me with misty eyes just before she left. ¡°Thanks a lot, Enzo,¡± she muttered. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 L¡¯s POV Ouch. It hurt to know that this schrship was never real. The fact that I spent so much time going over all the pros and cons of moving to Monstro to pursue this schrship ached me. Truth be told, I was going to deny the schrship anyways. If Leroy had opened the folder, he would have seen that it was unfilled anyway. But the fact that he was giving me this huge opportunity only to find out that it was a lie. I was so embarrassed. I sat in the rental car as Enzo started driving away from the building and we stayed quiet for a long while. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to say to him. ¡°I know that wasn¡¯t easy,¡± Enzo finally said after a long pause. ¡° ¡°It is what it is¡­¡± I said slowly, staring down at my hands. ¡°I guess I feel a little lost.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he said in return. We made it back to the suite in record timing and we went straight inside. ¡°I have to run to a few ces. But I¡¯ll be backter,¡± Enzo said from the doorway. I frowned at him. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± I said in return as he left the resort. I grabbed my phone and went right into my room; I took that as an opportunity to talk to Briana whom I haven¡¯t spoken to in a while. ¡°Hello?¡± She said into the phone as I fell onto the bed. ¡°It¡¯s so good to hear your voice Bri,¡± I said in return, a smile on my lips. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you!¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°L!¡± She cooed. ¡°I figured you¡¯d be busy in Monstro to have a normal conversation with your best friend. How are you?¡± She asked with a chuckle. ¡°A lot has happened, and I missed you so much,¡± I said to her, sighing in defeat. ¡°I guess I just needed someone to talk to.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to begin,¡± I gave her a small chuckle. ¡°Maybe how I went to a party the other night and I got drugged.¡± She gasped loudly. ¡°Wait, what?? Are you serious?¡± She asked and I knew she was covering her mouth from how her voice was sounding. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered with a sigh. ¡°I went to a party on the beach with a few people and the next thing I know I¡¯m being pulled away to a more secluded area. When I got even dizzier and lost control of my body, he wanted to take me back to his ce to get to know one another better.¡± ¡°What ended up happening?¡± she asked, obviously shocked over my news. ¡°Alpha Enzo helped,¡± I told her, brushing my fingers through my hair. ¡°He took me back to our suite and tucked me into bed. He was really good.¡± ¡°Holy crap, L,¡± Bri said, and I knew she was probably shaking her head at me. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that happened. I¡¯m really d Enzo was there. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I confessed. ¡°But anyways, I had a meeting earlier with the founder of this school and he offered me a full schrship.¡± ¡°Holy shit! That¡¯s amazing,¡± she gasped. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°He only wanted me at this school because I¡¯m a Vna wolf. I¡¯m the minority and this school needed a minority. It wasn¡¯t ever my talent that got me into this school.¡± We both fell silent as a slight chill went down my spine. ¡°Don¡¯t let something like that discourage you, L. You deserve to attend that school more than anyone I know!¡¯ ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m not so sure I would have attended that school anyways. I went there to decline the offer,¡± I confessed. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just move across the world,¡± I exined. ¡°My wolf would never forgive me if I left our mate. She was sad when she realized the schrship was for two years. I couldn¡¯t do that to her; honestly, I don¡¯t know if I want to either.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Brianna said. ¡°But where¡¯s Enzo¡¯s head at? Does he even want you as a mate? I feel like he¡¯s stringing you along by not marking you or rejecting you.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ something happened,¡± I said, lowering my tone. I worried Enzo would return and he would be lurking outside of my room door. ¡°What?¡± Bri asked, curiously. ¡°The night we got to Monstro¡­ we kind of had sex,¡± I said thatst part quickly and she gasped loudly. ¡°You what?! You gave him your virginity??¡± She said that a little too loud and I was quick to shush her. ¡°Thest thing I need is for Uncle Don to hear you,¡± I say in return. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, lowering her tone. ¡°But seriously; you had sex?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I confessed. ¡°A lot of it too. We had sex at the beach and then we went back to the suite and had sex here¡­¡± ¡°Holy shit,¡± Bri breathed. ¡°So, you two are like are in a rtionship now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing. I¡¯m not entirely sure. He¡¯s been acting weird. Like distant a little. Then Connie shows up and he drops me to hang out with her. But she¡¯s leaving Monstro, and I thought I could have him to myself again. However, he¡¯s back to just acting like my bodyguard. Like what we had wasn¡¯t anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe because whatever you two had, it can¡¯te back here. At least not yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. But we are still here for a while¡­¡± I said in return. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m starting to think it was only about the sex. It didn¡¯t matter¡­¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What a lucky she-wolf she is,¡± the woman behind the counter said with a smile as she rung up the flowers. ¡°This bouquet is absolutely gorgeous. She¡¯s going to love it.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as I took my receipt and beautifully wrapped bouquet of assorted colors. After the emotional turmoil that L went through today upon finding out her schrship was a lie, getting drugged by one of her new friends, Connie showing up out of the blue, she deserved a little something. So, as soon as we got back to the suite, I left to go to the nearest florist and picked out an assortment of flowers for her. As I returned to the suite, I didn¡¯t see her in the living room or the kitchen, so I figured she must have been in her room. I went toward her door and was about to knock, but I heard her voice. She must have been on the phone. I didn¡¯t make it happen to listen in on conversations like this, but I was curious to know who she was talking to. Plus, with my wolf¡¯s hearing, it was hard not to hear her voice clearly as if she was next to me. ¡°It was only about sex,¡± she said in a low and defeated tone. ¡°It didn¡¯t matter¡­¡± I stepped away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore. She was obviously talking to someone, assumingly her best friend, Brianna, about me. She was saying that what we had was only sex? I will admit, the sex was incredible, and I knew this rtionship couldn¡¯t return home with us. I wasn¡¯t even sure if this was a rtionship we would have until muchter in life when we are both in a ce to settle down. She¡¯s my mate and I don¡¯t have any intention of rejecting her; Max certainly wouldn¡¯t let me do that. But to say that what we had was only sex? I couldn¡¯t help the wave of fury that rose through me as I turned away from her door. Walking towards the front door, I paused as I nced down at the trashcan. With one final motion, I threw the flowers in the trash and left.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 L¡¯s POV I jumped at the door mming shut. I hadn¡¯t even realized Enzo was back yet; I wondered where he went off to. He told me he had something to do, but he was only gone for a little over 30 minutes. ¡°L?¡± Brianna said into the phone. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said in return, shaking my head at the thought. Maybe he just forgot something. ¡°But anyways, I think it was only about sex with him.¡± I felt the dismay of my wolf; she wasn¡¯t happy about my judgment. ¡°I think you might be overthinking it just a little bit, L,¡± Brianna said to me, a little chuckle in her voice. ¡°He¡¯s your mate; there¡¯s a connection between the two of you regardless of if you see it or not. It can¡¯t be just about sex. At least not to your wolves.¡± The way she said that made it seem like she knew so much about the topic. She stopped speaking for a moment as she thought of what else to say. I knew she wanted to say more, so, I waited. ¡°Finding your mate, there¡¯s a connection between your wolves like no other. There¡¯s genuine love and affection and it has nothing to do with sex. You are drawn to each other like no other. Even if Enzo doesn¡¯t want you as a mate, the reason he isn¡¯t rejecting you is that he knows something like that would utterly destroy your wolf. He doesn¡¯t want to hurt you¡­ because in his own weird way, he loves you.¡± ¡°Brianna¡ª¡± ¡°I found my mate!!!¡± She blurted. I gasped loudly. ¡°Brianna!¡± I nearly jumped off the bed. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°It just kind of happened,¡± she chuckles. ¡°He¡¯s one of my uncle¡¯s Gamma warriors. He was over at the house for a Gamma meeting, and we saw each other.¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± I asked, perched up on my bed excitedly. Categories Search¡­ ¡°A few days ago,¡± she chuckled.¡± His name is Alexander. He¡¯s so handsome, L. He¡¯s also so very sweet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you, Bri,¡± I said in return, and I seriously meant that. ¡°I¡¯ve been dying to tell you about this for days. I wish you were here so I could have done it in person.¡± With everything that¡¯s happened in Monstro, with Leroy, and the opportunity I thought I was going to have when I came here, I was beginning to think this trip was nothing but a waste of time. I didn¡¯t want to tell Brianna that though, but I did wish I could be at home too. ¡°He¡¯s taking me out tonight. I have to figure out what I¡¯m going to wear,¡± she breathed. ¡°I¡¯ll send you some pictures once I get a couple of pictures together.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see them,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter!¡± I added just before hanging up. I threw my phone on my bed andid my head down, staring up at my ceiling with a small smile on my face. I couldn¡¯t believe Brianna found her mate. She sounded so happy, and I was so incredibly happy for her. I got out of bed and went into the living room, expecting to see Enzo on the couch or something, but he wasn¡¯t there. I frowned and looked around the suite. I could tell he was here not long ago, his scent was still lingering and fresh. Val was still wound up and excited to see our mate. I went toward his room across the living room and knocked on the door; there was no answer. How strange. ¡°Maybe he went for a walk,¡± Val suggested, also confused. I went out onto the balcony and basked in the warm air. It was evening and the stars were sparkling brightly, and the moon was nearly full. Just the appearance of the moon gave my wolf strength. I drew in the moonlight, making it shine even brighter. It gave me so much energy and recharged my powers. Not that I used them enough to need to be recharged. Truth be told, since I lost control of my powers those times in school, I¡¯ve been afraid to use them. Though, my mother taught me a few tricks and told me tips for keeping them in control, which helped a lot. But I couldn¡¯t bear hurting someone else by mistake like I hurt Ba. I stared down at my hands with a frown; I didn¡¯t want to believe that Vnas was dangerous, but if someone like me could lose control like that, who knows what others were capable of? Maybe that¡¯s why Enzo was so skeptical of me. ¡­ Third Person POV Back in Elysium, every afternoon, Bastien would work on training his one and only son, Flynn, on how to be an Alpha for when Bastien retires in a few years. ¡°I don¡¯t need training, Dad,¡± Flynn mutters, bored of the endless work he¡¯s had to do during his summer. ¡°I want to go to the beach.¡± ¡°An Alpha¡¯s work is never done. One small mistake could jeopardize our entire pack. That¡¯s why it¡¯s very important that you pay attention.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair that Corrine gets to go to the beach,¡± Flynn pouted, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°She¡¯s volunteering as a lifeguard to better serve the gammas, per request of Donovan,¡± Bastien exined, shaking his head at his son. ¡°I¡¯ve asked you to volunteer for many different ces around Elysium over the summer, but you refuse. So, now you are stuck here with me studying the oldfashioned way. ¡°When do I get to fight in my first real battle?¡± Flynn asked. ¡°Like a real Alpha?¡± ¡°There¡¯s more to being an Alpha than fighting in a battle,¡± Bastien said with a frown. ¡°You can¡¯t fight in a battle in front of your pack if you can¡¯t win. You need strength, speed, and intelligence in order to win the battle. Your pack needs to be able to trust you and feel protected. If you lose a battle theirck of faith in you will cease to exist and you will fail as an Alpha.¡± ¡°Corrine is working to be a gamma and she doesn¡¯t have to study in books,¡± Flynn muttered. Not that Corrine was any good at being a gamma in training. Actually, she was kind of terrible at it. She was weak and he didn¡¯t like hurting things. She likes books a lot and just got new sses. She was such a nerd in Flynn¡¯s eyes. He stared down at the business book and battle book that his father had provided him. One to teach him everything about business and the other to teach him battle strategy. ¡°That¡¯s because she will be working as a team with the other gammas and if she fails, she has her team to back her up. Pack members aren¡¯t looking at her to single-handedly keep them protected. They will, however, be looking at you. So, with that being said, you need to study extra hard to not let them down. You need to study the best strategies when ites tobat; you also need to study business and marketing. As an Alpha, you will be in charge of making sure the businesses in your pack have enough resources and money to stay open. Which means making deals and trades with other Alphas and staying on good terms with investors and shareholders. There¡¯s a lot for you to learn Flynn and if you¡¯re not willing to volunteer at some of these businesses to see how they operate from the inside so you can better manage them once you are Alpha, then you will have to learn the old fashion way. From books.¡± Flynn continued to pout, but he didn¡¯t argue anymore. ¡°Alpha, there¡¯s something you need to see,¡± Beta Aiden mindlinked. ¡°On my way,¡± Bastien said in return. He then turned to Flynn who was staring miserably at his textbook. ¡°Keep studying; I¡¯ll be back.¡± He turned and left the pack library and went straight toward his office. Aiden was sitting at his own desk in the office department of the packhouse, staring at hisputer with a deepened frown. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Bastien asked, going around the desk to look at theputer. ¡°The Hig police department just forwarded a video of recovered camera footage of the art gallery the night it was vandalized,¡± Aiden exined. ¡°It¡¯s the street view.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Bastien has been spending a lot of time investigating that vandalism; one of L¡¯s art pieces in the gallery was destroyed. Not to mention million-dor paintings from Cassidy-Ann were ruined as well. Whoever vandalized the gallery was about to face some serious charges and possibly even jail time depending on if Cassidy-Ann wanted to press it that hard. The footage started off like a normal night; Hig was known for its nightlife, so the streets were busy. Bastien watched Cassidy-Ann lock the doors of the gallery before leaving for the night. Aiden fastforwarded untilter in the evening. A figure stood at the doorway, picking the lock of the front doors. He wore a backpack, assumingly filled with spray paint and other tools. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Bastien began to ask, getting a closer look, recognizing the back of his head and his backpack. Just then, the figure turned his face to make sure no one was watching him; the streetlights hit his features perfectly, lighting them up for only a second before he disappeared inside the building. Aiden nced at Bastien. ¡°L¡¯s ex¡­ yes,¡± Aiden answered. It was Scott. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Third Person POV ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sarah¡­ I don¡¯t feel right about destroying all that artwork in the gallery,¡± Scott said one evening while he was with Sarah. ¡°Don¡¯t you love me, Scotty?¡± She asked, pouting up at him. ¡°I thought you would do anything for me.¡± ¡°You know I would, Sarah. But I could get in huge trouble if I¡¯m found out.¡± ¡°I would never let anything bad happen to you. I¡¯ll deal with all the cameras and my father will make sure you stay out of jail if worsees to worse,¡± she shrugged. ¡°All you have to do is break into the gallery and spray paint some of the paintings. Try to find L¡¯s painting of the professor and write slut on it or something. Make sure to take pictures.¡± ¡°I just have a bad feeling about this,¡± Scott said, frowning. ¡°Why can¡¯t you get someone else to do it.¡± ¡°It has to be somebody that I trust, and I trust you more than anybody,¡± she told him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. ¡°You¡¯ll do this for me¡­ won¡¯t you?¡± He stared at her with dismay for a long while until he finally sighed and nodded. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he finally answered. ¡°I¡¯ll do this for you.¡± ¡­ The memory stayed with Scott long after the deed was done. He¡¯s been consumed by the guilt of it because he knows a lot of the art that he destroyed was priceless. He not only destroyed L¡¯s best piece in the gallery, but he also destroyed the art of Cassidy-Ann, the most famous artist in the entire world. If the public found out about this, he would be the number one enemy in the werewolf world. Which wouldn¡¯t be a good look for a future Alpha. If his father found out about this, he would never be forgiven. Categories Search¡­ It¡¯s been almost a month since the vandalism and he knew that Bastien had been investigating it, however, Sarah promised that she would destroy all the camera evidence through her father¡¯s database. But still, that nasty feeling in the pit of Scott¡¯s stomach remained with him throughout the month. He found himself growing paranoid to the point where he could hardly even hang out with Sarah without freaking out and thinking that everyone was watching him. It wasn¡¯t untilte in the evening that he finally decided to see Sarah after spending time apart for the past month. She was over his packhouse, tucked away in his bed, kissing his neck, when he heard a loud banging on his bedroom door, making him jump in surprise. His father was nearly busting down his door and he knew his father was furious. Sarah quickly put her shirt on when the door swung open. ¡°Scott! What the hell have you done?!¡± His father growled; fury clear in his eyes. The yellow of his wolf¡¯s eyes was glowing through the eyes of his human. Scott had no idea, at that moment, what his father was talking about until behind him he saw a couple of police officers and then Bastien. Scott opened his mouth to say something, but Bastien spoke first. ¡°Scott, you are under arrest for vandalizing the Hig art gallery,¡± Bastien exined just as the cops released their handcuffs and approached him to read him his rights. ¡°What?!¡± Scott asked, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest. The cops ced the cuffs on him, and he felt his wolf weakening and disappearing; magical cuffs that blocked the powers of a wolf. Scott was in a panic as he looked up at the angered and yet very disappointed look of his father. He then looked at Sarah who was staring at him withrge and shocked eyes. She was saying nothing, and this was her idea! She promised that nobody would find out about this! She told him she had everything handled but clearly, she either lied or didn¡¯t cover all their bases. ¡°Sarah! Say something!¡± He ordered, fury rising through him. Bastien nced at Sarah curiously and Sarah looked at him briefly before turning back to Scott. ¡°How could you, Scott?!¡± She cried. ¡°I thought you were better than that!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Scott growled. ¡°Sarah!!!¡± ¡°Get him out of here,¡± Bastien ordered the police who began dragging Scott out of the packhouse. He gave Sarah onest look before being shoved into the police car; she only watched as he was being taken away. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Scott was arrested. It was the next morning after I spoke to Brianna and my father called Enzo to tell him that it was Scott who had vandalized the art gallery. ¡°Did he do this alone?¡± Was the first thing I asked after a long pause. I couldn¡¯t believe that Scott would do something so cruel as that. Enzo nodded. ¡°Yes. In the camera footage, he was alone.¡± ¡°Sarah had to have put him up to that,¡± I said in return, shaking my head at the very thought. ¡°There¡¯s no way he came up with this by himself.¡± Scott had way too much to lose; he would never jeopardize his future over something stupid like this. Not unless Sarah forced him to do it. ¡°Sarah denied it,¡± Enzo shrugged. ¡°She ims she acted alone. Though, Scott says otherwise.¡± ¡°I knew it,¡± I muttered. ¡°It was her idea. It had to have been. I need to call my father; he can look further into this.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter; she wasn¡¯t at the scene of the crime of the crime so there wouldn¡¯t be evidence against her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± I said, deepening my frown. ¡°She can¡¯t get away with something like that.¡± ¡°If she really is guilty, Karma wille back for her. But for right now all we know is that Scott was the one who did the deed and he¡¯s the one getting punished.¡± I suppose he was right; there wasn¡¯t much I could do without proof. I made a mental note to speak to Scott once I returned to Elysium. Enzo and I hadn¡¯t really spoken since yesterday afternoon, and I wanted to ask him where we stood. Actually, I wanted to tell him that I wanted more than what we were. ¡°Can we talk about something?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask you where we stood¡­¡± I began slowly. ¡°As in¡ª¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you stopped there,¡± Enzo said quickly, meeting my eyes. ¡°We both knew this was about the sex so there¡¯s really nothing to discuss.¡± He sounded almost cold and distant. At the sound of his words, my heart crashed into my stomach. Even Val recoiled at the cruelty. Is that seriously how he felt? I might have had my suspicions, but I was hoping I was wrong. Like I was just overthinking things. Enzo broke his eyes as he stood to his feet; I was stunned to silence. ¡°We can¡¯t bring this back to Elysium and we both know this,¡± he continued; it was like driving a knife into my chest. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that you are a Vna, L¡­¡± he said, lowering his tone. This time he met my eyes when he said thisst part. ¡°I can¡¯t be with a Vna.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°What the hell is wrong with you!?¡± Max growled as soon as we left the living room. ¡°How could you say that to her! Go back there and fix it, you asshole!!!!¡± He was furious; he had never been this furious with me before. The look on L¡¯s face I would never be able to get out of my head. I don¡¯t know what came over me and why I chose to drive a knife into her like that. But remembering her talking to her friend on the phone about how this was only sex. I thought that¡¯s what she wanted anyways. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not what she wanted, jerk. She¡¯s never going to forgive us. You should have seen how hurt her wolf was. Our mate is hurt and it¡¯s your fault entirely. You need to fix this, Enzo.¡± I knew he was right; I couldn¡¯t just leave it like this. I opened my room door to see if I could speak with L, but she wasn¡¯t there. Maybe this was for the best. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I couldn¡¯t let this get to me. Iy in bed with my knees pressed against my chest and tears ran down my face. This was almost as painful as being rejected. Why did he insist on torturing me so much? ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a misunderstanding?¡± Val whispered; her tone was strained, and I could hear the pain she was feeling. It hurt me even more. I hated that my wolf was feeling like this. She truly tried to see the good in our mate, but she was being proved wrong constantly and it was taking a toll on her. Categories Search¡­ ¡°He was very clear about how he felt, Val,¡± I said as more tears rolled down my face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what more to do¡­¡± She was silent and I couldn¡¯t me her for not wanting to say anything more. My phone buzzed and I saw that it was a notification of another sale via Cassidy-Ann¡¯s website that I needed to invoice right away. This brought my mind back to reality because I was here to do a job. Even if the opportunity with the Monstro Academy fell through and my mate was being aplete jerk, I was still here for Cassidy-Ann and I couldn¡¯t let her down. I couldn¡¯t get my feelings in my way. As painful and difficult as it was going to be, I had to brush the thought of Enzo and everything else out of my mind and focus on my job. It was still fairly early in the morning, but Cassidy-Ann would be expecting me at the office soon, so I needed to get dressed for the day. I wasted no more time or thought and grabbed my clothes for the day and went straight to my bathroom to shower. I wondered if Enzo was nning oning with me to work today. I didn¡¯t bother asking him; he wasn¡¯t in the living room when I left my room, and I wasn¡¯t going to wait around for him. I decided to just call for a cab to take me to work this morning. ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Cassidy-Ann said an hour after I arrived. ¡°I¡¯m having the banquet at the art gallery tonight. I¡¯ll need you there, obviously.¡± I hadpletely forgotten about the banquet and when I didn¡¯t say anything, I heard Cassidy-Ann sighing. ¡°At least tell me you have something to wear for tonight,¡± she said, and I knew she was shaking her head without even looking at her. There was that very formal dress that Brianna and Ba picked out that I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to wear on this trip. ¡°Yes,¡± I told her. ¡°I have a dress to wear.¡± ¡°And what about Alpha Enzo? Will he be joining us this evening?¡± I remember Cassidy-Ann making a pass at Enzo and just now the way she asked about him gave me an unsettled feeling. Especially after my talk with Enzo this morning. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I told her honestly. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked.¡± ¡°I could always give him a call,¡± she said, a fond smile on her lips. ¡°He might be busy with Alpha stuff,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I think he said he has a meeting or something.¡± ¡°Who has a meeting?¡± I froze when I heard Enzo¡¯s voice at the door; Val perked up, as did Cassidy-Ann. Enzo looked curiously between the two of us with his right brow raised. ¡°Oh, hello, Alpha Enzo,¡± Cassidy-Ann said, batting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m having a banquet tonight and I was just asking L if you were avable to attend. But she just told me you were busy. How unfortunate.¡± Enzo then looked at me with a frown. ¡°No, I¡¯m not busy,¡± he said, looking back at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. Should I bring anything?¡± ¡°Just your handsome self.¡± I found myself stifling an eye roll and Enzo didn¡¯t even bother responding to that. ¡°I was going to drive you to work but you were already gone,¡± Enzo said to me, walking toward my desk. ¡°I got a cab,¡± I told him. ¡°I was hoping we¡¯d be able to talk.¡± ¡°I think you said it all earlier this morning,¡± I said, peering up at him. I was hoping he wouldn¡¯t be able to see the hurt on my face. ¡°I wanted to exin a little further¡­¡± ¡°And what would be the point of that?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Honestly, Enzo. It¡¯s fine. I get it. We don¡¯t need to talk about it anymore. I think it¡¯s better if we just did what we came here to do and left it at that.¡± He looked like he wanted to say more, but I turned away from him to continue my work. ¡°Is everything okay with you two?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked from across the office. ¡°We are fine,¡± I said quickly. ¡°Alpha was just here to check on me, but he¡¯s leaving now.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Cassidy-Ann pouted. ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll see you tonight, Alpha Enzo.¡± I could feel his eyes on me for a little longer, but I refused to meet his gaze. Soon, he was gone. ¡­ Later Wearing the dress that Brianna and Ba picked out I felt like a princess. I curled my hair slightly and let it down so it would drape over my shoulders and delicately down my back. I put on a little makeup, which I rarely wore, and then slipped on the shoes that Brianna and Ba had already picked out for this dress. I made sure to take a lot of pictures as well because they made me promise I would if I were to wear this dress for any reason. I really didn¡¯t think I would have the opportunity to wear it, but Cassidy-Ann pointed out that the banquet was going to be elegant and there would be a lot of hot shot artists and rich folks at this event. Which meant I had to dress to impress. By the time I left my room, Enzo was waiting for me in the living room. He wore a formal tux with a red tie, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice how incredibly handsome he looked. My heart nearly skipped a beat in my chest before remembered that I was still hurt and upset with him. But at that moment, my wolf had forgotten the pain she once felt. Enzo¡¯s eyes scanned me, and I couldn¡¯t tell from his face what he was thinking. ¡°Shall we go?¡± He asked, holding out his hand for me to take. What kind of game was he trying to y with me? Once we arrived at the banquet, I was impressed with how many people were showing up for this event. Cassidy-Ann really knew how to throw a party. There was music from a band ying on the big stage that was built specifically for this event. All her finest work was on disy and lit up with neon lights. I could smell the food, and everyone was dressed in gorgeous gowns and tuxes. At first, I couldn¡¯t even find Cassidy-Ann, but eventually, she found me and gave me a tablet to take orders from the guests. Then she decided to pull Enzo away and introduce him to a couple of investors. It would probably be better if we didn¡¯t hang out tonight anyways. I went to do my job and speak to some of the guests, but I felt a hand upying my shoulder, making me turn around quickly and stare up at the man that stood before me. ¡°Can we talk?¡± MattyN?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 144 Chapter 144 L¡¯s POV ¡°I have nothing to say to you,¡± I said between my teeth. ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± ¡°Everybody has been talking about this event for weeks,¡± Matty answered with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯d be stupid if I didn¡¯te.¡± ¡°Then go and enjoy the banquet. I¡¯m working,¡± I told him as I turned away. I was about to walk in the opposite direction, but he grabbed onto my arm firmly, keeping me still. I pulled my arm out of his grasp, nearly knocking him over in the process. I haven¡¯t needed to fight anyone in a long time, but I wasn¡¯t opposed to fighting him if needed. There was nothing Matty could say that would justify what he had done. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± I growled, and I could feel Val about to pounce at any moment. ¡°Look, I just wanted to apologize for the other night¡­¡± ¡°You mean when you drugged me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why did you do it?¡± I asked, peering up at him. It was a question that¡¯s been on my mind since that night. I knew Matty didn¡¯t like me from the beginning, but I thought he was finally opening up to me and willing to give me a chance. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to get you any other way,¡± he shrugged casually. ¡°What did he just say?!¡± Val growled, fury boiling through her. I was in disbelief as well. ¡°You¡¯re disgusting,¡± I said through my teeth and just as I was about to turn away, he grabbed my arm again. Categories Search¡­ I whipped around to face him, unable to hide the glowing eyes of my wolf. His eyes grewrge as he stared into mine. I knew my powers were probably circting around me and he could see them, if not N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. feel them. ¡°Let me go,¡± I growled, my tone darkening. He did so immediately, only this time, Enzo stepped in front of me, blocking his view of me. ¡°Do we have a problem?¡± Enzo asked his tone just as dark and fierce. I hadn¡¯t realized that others were now looking in our direction. This was bing a scene and if Cassidy-Ann saw this, she wouldn¡¯t be happy. ¡°Who raised you to treat women like that?¡± Enzo asked, keeping his eyes on Matty. ¡°I just wanted to talk to her,¡± Matty exined, lowering his tone. I could tell he feared Enzo. ¡°You are the son of a Beta; I can feel your Beta energy. You should learn to respect your Alphas,¡± Enzo said to him. Enzo was significantly taller than Matty and he looked down on him like he was nothing more than a bug. ¡°Yes, Alpha,¡± Matty said, lowering his gaze. ¡°Apologize to L right now.¡± Matty looked at me and I saw no ounce of remorse in his eyes, only resentment. It sent a chill down my spine. ¡°Sorry, L,¡± he managed to sputter. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize your boyfriend woulde to your rescue like this.¡± My face grew hot as I looked up at Enzo. It seemed like Matty¡¯s words didn¡¯t faze him whatsoever. Enzo grabbed onto Matty¡¯s arm, clutching it tightly in his grip. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll escort you off the property.¡± ¡°I paid money to be here!¡± Matty growled as he struggled against Enzo¡¯s hold on him. ¡°Should have thought about that before you decided to be an asshole,¡± Enzo said in return. He pulled Matty towards the exit and this time most everybody was watching, silently and shocked. Once they were out of sight, they all turned to me with their questioning eyes. ¡°L, what the hell happened?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked as she approached me. She lookedpletely mortified and I felt awful that something like this happened during her huge event. This banquet meant so much to her and I ruined it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Cassidy-Ann,¡± I said to her, lowering my gaze. ¡°I never intended that to happen. That guy was just being a huge jerk and Enzo was getting rid of him.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer and then peered in Enzo¡¯s direction who had just returned from escorting Matty out. He was walking in our direction and the closer he got, the quicker my heart continued to beat. ¡°He¡¯s so noble,¡± she said lovingly before turning back to me. ¡°Please, try not to cause any more scenes. Now I need to do damage control.¡± ¡°I promise there will be no more scenes like that,¡± I assured her. She nced at Enzo and put her hand on his arm. ¡°Save me a danceter?¡± She asked, before turning away and walking towards a group of businesslooking men. Enzo paid her no attention, but he was staring intently at me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I managed to say. ¡°For doing that¡­¡± ¡°If we weren¡¯t in public, I would have beaten him to the ground,¡± he said, rolling his eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but smirk at him. ¡°So would I.¡± We both gave one another amused looks before I heard Cassidy-Ann calling my name to tend to some possible customers. ¡°I have to get to work,¡± I said to him. ¡°But enjoy the banquet.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV If I could go five minutes without Cassidy-Ann hitting on me, that would be great. Especially in front of L. I knew it was making her ufortable and I didn¡¯t want her to feel that way after I had driven a knife through her heart just this morning. The memory of this morning was still probably heavily on her mind, just as it was mine. I watched as L dazzled the room with her charm and made some sales. I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do; I never liked events like this, but I also knew it came with the job. She had a group of peopleughing and I wondered what she was saying to them. I was taken away by how beautiful she looked. She looked good without dressing up, but her dress complimented her figure andplexion perfectly. I was nearly speechless when she came out of her room this evening dressed like a princess. Cassidy-Ann kept giving me eyes and I did everything possible to avoid her. Every time she looked like she was about to approach me, I would find someone random to speak to. Usually, another Alpha and we would talk about business. That went on until Cassidy-Ann decided not to approach me and went in the opposite direction. As the evening went on, L started to look tired. ¡°Do you take checks as a payment?¡± One of the Lunas had asked when I walked toward them. ¡°Yes, mam,¡± L said with a kind and yet tired smile on her lips. She¡¯s been working effortlessly all evening and it was growingte. I don¡¯t even think I saw her stopping for a minute to eat. This couldn¡¯t be healthy for her, and Cassidy-Ann was ridiculous for keeping her working without taking a break. The Luna wrote out a check and handed it to L who ced it in a folder she was holding. Soon, the Luna joined some of the other she-wolves at the banquet, leaving L alone to finish processing the sale on the tablet she held. ¡°Come on,¡± I said to her, holding out my hand for her to take. She stared at it questionably. ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m working.¡± ¡°You need to take a break.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I have more sales to make, and I need to process this check before I forget.¡± ¡°You also need to eat and refresh,¡± I told her; I wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± Before she could finish that sentence, I was grabbing onto her arm and pulling her toward Cassidy-Ann who was entertaining a group of people. She frowned when she saw us approaching. I grabbed the tablet and folder from L¡¯s hands and handed it over to Cassidy-Ann. ¡°She needs to take a break. She hasn¡¯t eaten and she looks exhausted. I¡¯m here per request of her father to protect her and that¡¯s exactly what I intend to do,¡± I said without taking a breath. She looked at L for a moment and then fixed her eyes on me and nodded. ¡°Yeah, enjoy your break, L.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± L said, sounding relieved. I kept my hand on her wrist gently and pulled her toward the food on the other side of the room. ¡°Eat something,¡± I ordered her. L was hesitant for a moment, but once she got a good look at the delicious food, she finally began to make herself a te. She ate her food quickly and then put her te down. ¡°I should get back to work,¡± she said quickly, about to walk towards Cassidy-Ann but then she paused when the band started to y a different tune. ¡°Oh my goddess¡­ ¡®she breathed. ¡°I love this song.¡± I ceased this as an opportunity to help L let loose and rx a little. So, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor. ¡°Enzo! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I said, turning to face her. She looked up at me withrge eyes as I started to dance. She was startled at first, but then she broke out into a grin and grabbed onto my hands twirling around delicately. I lifted her off the ground and we spun around the dance floor just as the music beat dropped. Everybody turned in our direction and watched us in awe; I saw some pping and dancing around with us. I wasn¡¯t much of a dancer, but for some reason, I was enjoying this. L was an incredible dancer; I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised though. She was good at everything. I couldn¡¯t help the smile on my face, and Iughed; sheughed too. At that moment I couldn¡¯t help but think to myself, ¡°Having a mate might not be too bad.¡± Chapter 145 Chapter 145 L¡¯s POV Was heughing? I had never seen Enzoughing before and for some reason, it was warming my heart immensely. He had a really nice smile and an even betterugh. Enzo was also a very good dancer, and I never took him for someone who could dance. He never did this kind of thing at home. At least I didn¡¯t think so. But he moved effortlessly like he¡¯s done this a million times before. I was surprised when he took my hand and suggested we danced. Everybody had their attention on us, and they were cheering us on and dancing along. ¡°What a beautiful couple!¡± I heard a couple of girls saying. ¡°She¡¯s so lucky; he¡¯s so handsome!¡± ¡°She¡¯s gorgeous. He¡¯s the lucky one!¡± ¡°They dance beautifully together.¡± I beamed up at Enzo, his face illuminating under the crystal lighting of the art gallery. His smile lit up the entire room and my heart raced in my chest. At that moment, our horrible talk this morningpletely faded from my mind. I couldn¡¯t even remember why I was upset with him in the first ce. He wrapped me in his arms and spun me around again. Then, he put his hands on my waist and lifted me above his head; I did a flip over him andnded on the ground behind him. Heughed again as he turned around to face me. The song began to slow down, and I knew this indicated the end of the tune. We were both breathing heavily, only inches from one another. He kept his eyes locked on mine for only a moment before they shifted to my lips. Categories Search¡­ Was he going to kiss me? In front of everybody? I could hear some coercing him to do just that, but he paused as he neared me with his face. He ran his hand down the side of my face, sending a shiver throughout my body. He tucked a long strand of hair behind my ear, and I felt my entire body warm. The apuse brought my mind back to reality and I was able to snap myself out of the moment, taking a step away from him. Everybody was cheering loudly for us, and I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Heughed too, but it faded shortly after, and his demeanor went back to normal. ¡°I really should get back to work,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°Thank you for the dance.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything, but he nodded and watched as I went back toward Cassidy-Ann. ¡­ Over the course of the next 24 hours, Enzo and I didn¡¯t really talk much. Mainly because I¡¯ve been working so much. I was excited for the weekend when I could finally take a couple of days off and enjoy Monstro. I was craving some beach time. It was Thursday, which meant we had ss today. I was dreading seeing Matty. Since the banquet yesterday, I knew it was going to be weird seeing him. But I had to maintain a professional attitude. Enzo expressed this morning that he didn¡¯t feelfortable with me being in the same area as Matty, so he came with me to the ss and sat in the back corner. Matty wouldn¡¯t dare try anything with Enzo sitting so close by. Not that I really needed Enzo to protect me against him. I could have handled myself just fine. I was very good atbat and could fight him with ease; I think Enzo had forgotten that over the course of the weeks, we¡¯d been away from home. Cassidy-Ann went into the lessons for the day. This time she had given a canvas to work on and started with some basic artwork and worked on making more elegant pieces based on the basic shapes. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Their assignments for the evening were to create 5 more art pieces using their assigned basic shapes. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we have dinner this evening,¡± Cassidy-Ann reminded me just as I was packing up my own stuff. ¡°6:00 pm, I¡¯ll send you the details.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you there,¡± I said to her, joining Enzo who waited for me at the door. ¡­ ¡°How many did we do for sales this week?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked as she sipped her red wine. She sat across the table from me, and Enzo sat beside me. ¡°52,¡± I answered. ¡°$350,000 worth of sales. There¡¯s a couple more I need to invoiceter.¡± ¡°I knew this trip would be a sess. Let¡¯s try to get even more next week. Oh, and I have a bonus for you. I¡¯ll leave it on your desk in the morning. Great job so far, L. Keep it up, and there will be more than that came from.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I said in return. Enzo was quiet for most of the dinner; in fact, he¡¯s been quiet since the banquetst night. I wasn¡¯t as mad at him as I was the morning of the banquet; I was still a little hurt though. But I was also thinking that maybe he just said that in the heat of the moment. I knew this rtionship can¡¯t make it home with us and maybe he was just preparing for that. Although I didn¡¯t want things to return to the way they were once we returned home, I knew they probably had to. ¡°I also want to feature some of your work in next week¡¯s exhibit. What do you think?¡± Cassidy-Ann asked, interrupting my thoughts. ¡°That would be incredible!¡± I gasped. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°Go through some of your favorite pieces and I¡¯ll make final decisions tomorrow,¡± she exined. Soon, the waiter brought our food. Enzo ordered catfish and it smelled and looked delicious. I ordered Salmon and Cassidy-Ann ordered a lobster sd. ¡°Don¡¯t forget I have the assembly tomorrow afternoon,¡± Cassidy-Ann reminded me. I was proud to say I did not forget this one. ¡°I already have your notecards prepared,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on them all week for your assembly. They¡¯ll be on your desk in the morning.¡± ¡°Awesome,¡± she said with a fond smile. ¡°Enzo, will you be attending the assembly?¡± She asked, batting her eyes at him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be there,¡± Enzo said, keeping his tone even. I remembered thest time Enzo and I went to dinner with Cassidy-Ann. He got handsy under the table; my face grew hot just thinking about it. He behaved this time; probably because he no longer wanted me in that kind of way. Or at least he was pretending he didn¡¯t so it would be easier for when we return home. That¡¯s what I kept telling myself. Cassidy-Ann also invited him to her hotel suite, but he declined the offer. I wondered why she was still making advances at her even though she knew he was uninterested. It made me wonder if something really was going on between them. Enzo¡¯s phone dinged and he frowned down at the screen. It was a text message that he read quickly before putting his phone back into his pocket. Did I have a right to ask him who it was? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t. But it was toote; I was staring at Enzo and that was a question alone. ¡°It was Connie,¡± he answered my unspoken question, causing my heart to sink into my stomach. ¡°She just wanted to tell me she¡¯s leaving Monstro in the morning. I guess my mother is picking her up from the airport.¡± ¡°I thought she already left,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. ¡°She changed hotels. But she couldn¡¯t get a flight until tomorrow.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°Are you okay? I know she¡¯s your best friend and was probably difficult to kick her out.¡± ¡°It was very difficult, yes,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯ve known her my entire life. She¡¯s always been like a sister to me. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t believe she would do something like this. But when we return, I¡¯ll talk to her. Maybe I can figure out what was going on in her brain. Until then, it¡¯s better if we took space.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± I said, looking down at my food. ¡°I hope you can salvage your friendship.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if I truly meant that or not; I didn¡¯t like Connie, but I also didn¡¯t want Enzo to lose a friend. Despite her trying to manipte him. But it¡¯s not like she had her way with her; she just wanted him to think they had sex. It was still wrong, but maybe her heart was in the right ce. It¡¯s obvious how much she loves Enzo. I don¡¯t me her. Enzo didn¡¯t say much more about the topic. Cassidy-Ann changed the subject soon after and we talked more business for the rest of the evening. ¡­. There had to be hundreds of students in the assembly room. Seats filled quickly; everybody was eager to hear from Cassidy-Ann, their art idol. I was excited too even though I wrote her note cards. I already knew what she was going to talk about, but I couldn¡¯t wait to hear the wordse from her mouth. I stood nearby the stage with Enzo and a couple of other guards who overlooked Cassidy-Ann. She stood at the podium and began talking to the students as if they were her friends. She spoke so effortlessly and with so much knowledge. She answered questions as they came in and I was impressed by how easy it was for her. I never thought of myself as someone who could get stage fright, but I never talked to an audience this big before. I definitely don¡¯t think I could do this that effortlessly. ¡°Now, I want my assistant to say a few words about her experiences. Let¡¯s give a warm wee to L!¡± Chapter 146 Chapter 146 L¡¯s POV I felt my soul leaving my body. Everybody pped as Cassidy-Ann turned to face me. I was off stage, so nobody saw me right away; Enzo, who stood beside me, nced at me sideways with a frown. ¡°I think that¡¯s your cue,¡± he muttered. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t move¡­¡± I said under my breath, my entire body began to tremble uncontrobly. Now everybody was looking around, wondering where I was. My entire body feltpletely frozen. ¡°L?¡± Cassidy-Ann said with a timid frown, eyeing me from the stage. ¡°Come to the stage, please. Everybody is waiting.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move¡­¡± I said for only Enzo¡¯s ears. He frowned at me. ¡°You¡¯re L¡­ daughter of Alpha Bastien and Luna Selene. You can literally do anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never spoken to an audience this big before¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything,¡± Enzo shrugged, only this time he gave me a small nudge towards the stage. I nearly tripped over myself and stumbled toward the stage. Now I gained almost everybody¡¯s attention and they all spotted me walking towards Cassidy-Ann. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s the girl from the banquet!¡± ¡°She was with that handsome Alpha!¡± ¡°She can really dance!¡± I felt my face reddening as I stood next to Cassidy-Ann on the stage. She handed me the mic; with some hesitation, I eventually took it and tried to calm my trembling body down. But I couldn¡¯t stop shaking. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Just tell everybody how you became interested in art.¡± ¡°I¡­uh¡­¡± I began just as the mic made a loud sound, making everybody wince. ¡°Position the microphone away from your mouth,¡± Cassidy-Ann said under her breath. I adjusted my mic and cleared my throat, trying again. ¡°When I was around 5 years old, my grandfather showed me some artwork that my grandmother, who passed away before I was born, had drawn. I thought they were incredible, and he gave them to me. He would tell me stories about how she always wanted to travel and paint her adventures. To have everyone see the world through her paintings. I always found it incredibly sad that she was never able to pursue that dream. I wanted to take up art in her honor so that I could pursue that dream and make her proud¡­.¡± I paused when I saw that everyone was listening to my story with fascination on their faces. That alone made me feel nice; I even met Enzo¡¯s eyes who watched me with admiration on his face. That was something I didn¡¯t recognize from him. ¡°I know I never met my grandmother, but I always felt this connection with her when I paint and draw. I can see my mom light up whenever I have something new to show her and I wanted to keep that feeling going. I don¡¯t do this because of just me but for everyone around me. Without art, life would be quite boring and colorless.¡± I paused again just as hands were raised to ask questions. Cassidy-Ann, who continued to stand next to me, pointed to a girl at the front door. She stood and bowed her head in our direction, allowing her curly locks of red hair to fall over her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s it like working for Cassidy-Ann?¡± The girl asked, peering up at me with big and curious eyes. I heard some murmurs going around the room and I knew everyone was wondering the same thing. I nced at Cassidy-Ann only briefly before turning my attention back to them and answering the question. ¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± I answered with a grin. ¡°Cassidy-Ann is an amazing boss and I¡¯m not just saying that because she pays well.¡± I managed to get quite a few chuckles. ¡°But seriously, Cassidy-Ann saw my potential and knew that I could be a great artist with just a little bit of coaching. She¡¯s taken me under her wing in more ways than I could count. I¡¯m beyond grateful for this opportunity and I¡¯m grateful to be able to stand in front of all of you in the International Academy in Monstro. This is honestly a dreame true for me. I¡¯m not sure what more I could ever need.¡± I looked at Enzo again who, this time, nced at his feet. ¡°Are you selling any of your work?¡± Another student asked from the audience. I went to open my mouth to answer but Cassidy-Ann spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m actually featuring some of L¡¯s artwork in next week¡¯s exhibit. Of course, it will be for sale. So, if any of you are interested in purchasing a L exclusive, pleasee to the art show and we can set something up.¡± Everybody pped and my face grew hot. I had no idea I was selling some of my artwork. I thought they would just be on disy. ¡°Are you the same L that lives in Elysium? Of the Nova Pack?¡± Someone else asked. I heard some gasping at his question and others silencedpletely as they waited for me to answer. I nodded my head once. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± I said, unsure of why that mattered. ¡°Oh, my goddess! You¡¯re Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter!¡± I nodded my head again as the murmurs continued to grow louder. Cassidy-Ann frowned; I could tell she was unsettled by how amped up everybody was growing upon finding out my identity. Enzo was also about to jump on stage to get me out of there and I think Cassidy-Ann could sense that. ¡°I think that¡¯s all the questions we have for right now,¡± she said, stepping in front of me. ¡°But we have more questions! What¡¯s it like being Bastien¡¯s daughter?¡± ¡°Did he really kill Alpha ise?!¡± ¡°Are you a Vna wolf like your mother? That would exin why your eyes look like that!!¡± My heart was racing against my chest and now Enzo was rushing onto the stage to get me out of there. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if we wrapped this up,¡± Enzo muttered to Cassidy-Ann who agreed right away. Cassidy turned to the audience and started with her closing statement just as Enzo grabbed my arm and led me out of the assembly room. I was relieved when we entered an empty hallway. But I worried that it wouldn¡¯tst for long. It wouldn¡¯t take long before everybody left the assembly room and came to find me. I needed to get out of here. Enzo escorted me outside and I saw his car in the distance; only a little further and we would be out of there. However, he paused when his phone started to ring. ¡°Give me a second,¡± he said, staring at the screen. ¡°It¡¯s my mom.¡± He walked further away so he could take his call without me overhearing. ¡°L?¡± I heard my name being called from a distance. My entire body froze as I heard my name. I didn¡¯t need to turn around to know who it was. I recognized his voice, and I was dreading speaking to him after ourst conversation. ¡°Professor Leroy,¡± I said with a stered smile, turning around to face him. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I wanted to apologize for how disrespectful I was. I shouldn¡¯t have offered you that schrship only because you are Vna Wolf, and it makes our school look good. That wasn¡¯t fair to you and Alpha Enzo had every right to intervene.¡± ¡°I appreciate the apology sir¡­ thank you,¡± I said, slightly hesitant. ¡°After you both left my office the other day, I did a little digging. I got your transcripts from your current school, and I went through literally everything. I even spoke to some of your teachers as a reference and it seems they really enjoy having you as a student. They all say you have a good head on your shoulders, you¡¯re intelligent, talented, strong, and most everyone likes you. Your grades are also incredible, and you do a lot of volunteer work. That¡¯s quite impressive.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure where this was going, but I smiled anyway. I just wanted to get out of there before everyone left the assembly room. I nced over at Enzo who was still on the phone. ¡°I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is that I shouldn¡¯t have offered you this schrship because of what you are, I should have offered it to you because you truly deserve it, and you¡¯ve certainly earned it.¡± I raised my brows at him. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I said to him. ¡°That means a lot.¡± ¡°So, with that being said, if you would still consider us, I can draw up another enrollment form and you can fill it out. I¡¯d like to officially offer you a schrship for my academy, L. You more than deserve it and it would be an honor to have you as a student here.¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147 L¡¯s POV I was inplete shock that Leroy was offering me a real schrship to this school. He had a look on his face that made me believe every word he was saying. It was the sincerity that tugged at my heart, and I knew at that moment that I needed to make a real decision. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say¡­¡± I breathed, staring at him with wide eyes. ¡°Just tell me that you¡¯ll think about it. I think this could seriously benefit your future and I would love for this academy to be a part of that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very generous offer,¡± I said with a light chuckle. I still wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to say. I looked over at Enzo who remained on the phone; except his face shifted into something different. He didn¡¯t look happy and now I was seriously wondering who he was talking to and why it was so important right now. ¡°L?¡± Leroy asked me after a moment of pause. ¡°Should I make another enrollment form?¡± My wolf was still in pain after our conversation with Enzo the other morning, but she still wanted to try to mend things with him. The thought of leaving him brought a world of pain to her and I couldn¡¯t bear that happening. She hated the thought of being away from him. I looked back over at him to watch him continue his phone conversation and my heart ached painfully in my chest. He wasn¡¯t paying much attention to me, but I could feel his energy and I knew at that moment something was seriously wrong. I needed to go to him and I think going to this school and being away from him for 2 years was something that Val couldn¡¯t even fathom. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Leroy,¡± I said to him, giving him a polite smile. ¡°I really appreciate this opportunity. I honestly do. But I think it¡¯s best if I passed on it. I have way too much to do back in Elysium and I can¡¯t leave it just yet. I hope you can understand.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Categories Search¡­ He was quiet for a moment longer before he nodded. ¡°Yes, I understand, L,¡± he said, bowing his head slightly in my direction. ¡°But if you change your mind, pleasee speak to me.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I said with a faint smile. He turned away and left, just as I turned away and went towards Alpha Enzo. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV The only thing I could think of was getting L out of there, that is until I received a phone call that I didn¡¯t think I would ever receive. Especially while I was in a different part of the world. My mother hated phone calls; mainly because they could be tracked, and my father¡¯s men could find her. But as soon as I saw her name appear on my phone screen, I knew something serious must have happened. I excused myself from L for only a moment so I could answer that call. ¡°Hello?¡± I said into the phone. ¡°Oh, thank goodness, Enzo. I was worried I wouldn¡¯t be able to get a hold of you.¡± ¡°Mom? What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked right away, stepping further away so L wouldn¡¯t hear me. Although it looked like Leroy was preupying her time. What the hell was he talking to her about? Didn¡¯t he do enough damage? Just as I felt Max¡¯s rising anxiety, my mother started talking quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you. But I¡¯m getting a nasty feeling about something,¡± she started to say. She had my full attention at that moment. ¡°I was at the airport earlier because Connie asked if I coulde pick her up¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± I said quickly, interrupting her thoughts. It bothered me immensely that Connie was asking my mother for rides. My mother lived her life as a rogue by choice with other rogues. She was a Vna that stayed in hiding and the best way for her to remain hidden was in rogue territory. Connie knew this information. So, for Connie to ask my mother to go to a busy airport in front of that many people, it infuriated me. ¡°Well, I got to the airport and her ne came and left,¡± my mother continued. I waited patiently for her to get to the point. ¡°But Connie never appeared. I clutched the phone tightly in my hands at my mother¡¯s voice. ¡°What do you mean she never appeared?¡± I asked, my tone darkening as worry began to set in. ¡°She never came home, Enzo. I think something might be seriously wrong. Have you heard from her?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said, stopping short as I thought about how Connie was nning on taking this morning¡¯s flight. ¡°She never arrived?¡± ¡°No, she hasn¡¯t,¡± my mom said, worry evident. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to call her, but her phone keeps going straight to voice mail.¡± I nced over at L; she was still talking to Leroy intently about something and she looked confused. She looked over at me, feeling my eyes on her probably. We held our eyes on one another for a long while before I turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± I assured my mom. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you updated.¡± ¡°Okay, Enzo,¡± she said, her voice breaking slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you soon.¡± I hung up the phone just as I noticed Leroy walking away from L. ¡°Are you okay?¡± L asked as I approached her. I was about to ask her the same question. ¡°Connie is missing.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She gasped, her eyesrge and rmed. ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s missing?!¡± ¡°She was supposed tond at the airport an hour ago and my mother was meant to pick her up. But she never arrived. My mother called to ask if I heard from her.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± L breathed. ¡°We have to find her. What if something terrible happened.¡± I heard themotion of the assembly, and I knew that it was just about to wrap up; L noticed this as well and I saw the worry on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this back at the suite,¡± I told her. She nodded in agreement and together we both left the school and went straight back to the resort. During our ride back to the resort, I already mindlinked Beta Ethan to have him look everywhere Connie could possibly be. ¡°What if something serious happened to her?¡± L asked with wide and misty eyes. She shed a few tears on our drive back to the resort. ¡°We will deal with it when we cross that bridge,¡± I assured her. I didn¡¯t want to show or tell her that I was worried as well. Connie was my best friend; she was basically my sister. The thought of anything bad happening to her caused my heart to ache. ¡°By the way, what did Leroy want with you?¡± I asked, looking over at her just as she sat on the couch of our suite; she pressed her legs to her chest and peered up at me. ¡°Now is hardly the time to think about that,¡± she said, shaking her head as more tears ran down her face. ¡°We should be out there looking for Connie.¡± She quickly stood to her feet. ¡°My beta is looking into it as we speak. My priority is making sure you are okay and safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Enzo. I just want to make sure Connie is okay¡­¡± she said with desperation in her tone. I was about to say something more but Ethan mindlinked me. ¡°Beta, I think I found her. She¡¯s in the Monstro Hospital. She was in a terrible ident.¡± Chapter 148 Chapter 148 L¡¯s POV I didn¡¯t like Connie, but I never wanted something terrible to happen to her. Not like this. There was a void in Enzo¡¯s eyes, and I knew something was seriously wrong; he had just gotten terrible news and my heart ached for him. I stared at him for a moment, wondering what could be wrong. Connie was missing; I wanted to go and find her, but he told me that his Beta was dealing with it. I hated that. Why wouldn¡¯t he let me go out and look for her myself? I was infuriated that he was trying to protect me from all things danger. ¡°Enzo¡­? I asked once it was clear he wasn¡¯t going to say anything. He finally looked at me, meeting my eyes. ¡°Connie is in the hospital.¡± ¡°What?¡± I gasped. ¡°Why? What happened.¡± ¡°She got into an ident.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess. We have to go to her,¡± I said, rushing toward the door. Enzo followed closely behind me, not even daring to argue. It didn¡¯t take us long to get to the hospital. We took the rental car except I was the one who drove. Enzo was in no shape to drive at this moment. Once we were at the hospital, Enzo finally snapped back into reality and rushed toward the first doctor he saw. He gave Connie¡¯s full name, and the doctor looked her up in the system before finding her room number. We thanked him and then went toward the rooms until we found her room number. Categories Search¡­ Conniey in bed, she wore a hospital gown, and I could see that she was wrapped in bandages underneath the gown. Her hair was left down and very mingled; she looked much paler than I hadst seen her and much thinner. Not to mention she had some bruising around her jawbone and cuts on her cheeks and temples. Connie wore no makeup which made her appear to be apletely different person. Most importantly, she was awake with a ton of IV bags in her body. ¡°Connie¡­¡± Enzo breathed as he rushed toward her bedside. She looked surprised to see either of us. Her eyes flickered between him and then me. ¡°Enzo?¡± She breathed. ¡°How did you know that I was here?¡± ¡°I had Beta Ethan look into It,¡± he exined. ¡°Connie, what happened to you?¡± ¡°I was in the cab, and we got into a huge ident I was told¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what happened. My memory is very foggy. One minute I was in the back seat of the cab and heading to the airport and the next thing I knew I was flipping upside down and then everything went ck. When I woke up, I was here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry this happened to you. This is my fault for making you leave. If I hadn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Enzo, it isn¡¯t your fault,¡± she said quickly, reaching her hand out to touch Enzo. ¡°It¡¯s mine. Almost dying made me realize that I don¡¯t want to lose you as a friend and I¡¯m so sorry that I hurt you. I should have never done what I did, and I will never forgive myself. I hope that maybe one day you can forgive me¡­¡± He was hesitant for a moment; I knew there was still a lot for them to talk about, but I also knew that he was majorly relieved that she was okay. He nced at me briefly and then back at her. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on getting you better,¡± he said softly. She released a few tears before nodding her head. ¡°That sounds like a good n,¡± she said in return. ¡°I¡¯m already feeling better, honestly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear,¡± he said to her. Soon, the nurse came into the room to give her some antibiotics and other medications. ¡°You¡¯ll need plenty of rest. I think you should stay here for another day or so and then you should be ready to go home,¡± the nurse said proudly. She left after a few minutes. ¡°You¡¯ll stay with us until you are ready to return home,¡± I suggested quickly before I could even stop myself. Both Connie and Enzo looked at me surprised. ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Besides. You¡¯ll be in no condition to fly for a few days, and you¡¯re checked out of your hotel by now.¡± ¡°Are you sure? After what I did¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± I said, waving my hand in dismissal. ¡°I honestly insist. I¡¯m just d that you are safe and sound. Please, stay with us for a few days.¡± She thinks about it for only a moment before a smile spreads across her lips and she nods. ¡°I would like that. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± We hugged out in her hospital room for a little while longer before heard Connie¡¯s stomach growling. Come to think of it, I was quite hungry as well. ¡°Is there anything to eat?¡± I asked Enzo who was working on some business objectives via his phone in the chair across the phone. He looked at the clock across the hallway. ¡°We can check out the cafeteria,¡± he suggested. ¡°Or did you want to go out to eat?¡± I think going out to eat would be a little weird, but I don¡¯t say that to him. Before I could answer, Connie spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m starving. Maybe we can go to the cafeteria?¡± She suggests. ¡°I can walk just fine. A little sore, but I can make it to the cafeteria.¡± ¡°I can bring food back to you,¡± Enzo offered as he stood at his feet. She shook her head quickly. ¡°I need to stretch my legs. I think it would be good if I went with you.¡± Enzo looked uncertain, but he didn¡¯t argue. He nodded and we helped her out of bed before the three of us left the room to head to the cafeteria. ¡°They have pretty good food,¡± Connie shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not elegant stuff, but it¡¯ll do for tonight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it tastes fine,¡± I said with a shrug of my own. ¡°Once you are out of the hospital, you can get something better for food.¡± ¡°That sounds amazing,¡± she breathed. We continued walking until we reached the stairway. Then, we had to help Connie take the stairs. She suggested the stairs because they¡¯ll aid in her physical therapy. Once we were downstairs, I could already smell the food from the cafeteria. Either it smelled majorly delicious, or I was just really hungry. We didn¡¯t get far to the cafeteria when Connie frozepletely. She looked like she had seen a ghost and her entire body trembled for a moment until she cowered away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Enzo finally asked, trying to figure out what was go her so distraught. She could hardly speak; her eyes were locked on someone across the hallway. I followed her gaze to see a cute-looking guy standing in the distance, also looking at her with a look I didn¡¯t quite understand. But I did know that he was incredibly handsome. He wore scrubs indicating that he was either a doctor or a nurse at the hospital. He was breathing heavily as he stared at Connie; neither of them saying anything for a long while. I finally pulled my eyes away from him long enough to look at Connie. ¡°What is it?¡± I finally asked, eyeing her carefully. ¡°That man¡­¡± she finally said after a long pause. ¡°He¡¯s my mate.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 149 Chapter 149 L¡¯s POV ¡°Your mate?!¡± I asked, staring at her startled. She was still ducking behind Enzo and from the looks of this male nurse across the hall, he was looking troubled by her avoidance of him. I might not have known him, but I felt for him. I knew what it was like to have a mate whopletely ignored me and did not want anything to do with me. Connie was making it very painfully obvious. ¡°Please, just get rid of him,¡± she begged. However, by the time Enzo looked over at him to say something, he was already gone. My heart squeezed painfully for him. I knew he was probably hurting terribly. ¡°He¡¯s gone,¡± Enzo assured her. ¡°Connie, what is going on?¡± Her brows furrowed together, and she lowered her gaze. ¡°I found my mate¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know. Let¡¯s get food. I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡­ Third Person POV The moment Enzo told Connie she needed to leave the resort and return to her pack, she knew just how serious he was. She had never seen him look that furious before and it was all her fault. She was incredibly stupid and hurt him in the worse way possible. She betrayed his trust, and he was never going to forgive her. But she still needed a ride home from the airport, so she called the only other person she knew who coulde to get her with no questions asked. Diana. Enzo¡¯s mother. She was practically Connie¡¯s mother too, except not blood. Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Before Connie left the resort, she attempted to book a flight home for that same day, but the only flight avable was in a few days. It was better than nothing; it would have to do for right now. She booked the flight and changed her hotel to the one up the street for the next few days. In the meantime, she would have toy low. She spent the next couple of days at the hotel pool and ordering room service. The day she was supposed to leave, the day of the flight, she picked up her things and called a cab to take her to the airport. It arrived in record time; however, something terrible happened on her way to the airport. Her wolf lostplete control. They were on the highway going about 80 miles per hour with mild traffic when off in the distance she spotted the Monstro hospital overlooking the highway on one side and the Monstro mountains on the other. It was one of the biggest hospitals she had ever seen and for some reason, she felt drawn to it. Not as drawn to her wolf though. ¡°Stop the cab!!¡± Her wolf howled through her. Connie had no idea what had gotten into her wolf, and she certainly didn¡¯t like it. Stop the cab right now!!¡± Her wolf continued to wail. She desperately wanted to get to the hospital, but she couldn¡¯t exin why. ¡°I can¡¯t stop the cab right now,¡± the driver said, peering through the mirror to meet Connie¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. I can get off at the next exit a few miles away.¡± ¡°By then it¡¯ll be toote,¡± her wolf continued to cry. ¡°I need to get to that hospital now!!¡± ¡°Are you injured?¡± The driver asked. He waspletely unaware that he was talking to Connie¡¯s wolf. ¡°I have to go. Please, stop the cab,¡± she tried to plead with him; tears forming in her eyes. She was itching to get out of this cab and go straight to the hospital. This was something that Connie had never experienced before, and she didn¡¯t specifically like it. The cab driver still refused to listen to Connie, and this was infuriating. Out of desperation, Connie lunged over the seat until she was practically in the passenger seat, and then she grabbed the steering wheel. The sounds of his screams pierced her ears, and she could feel his fear. ¡°What are you doing?!: He yelled frantically. Truth be told, she had no idea what she was doing. She wasn¡¯t in control; this was the first time her wolf had ever taken over like this and she certainly didn¡¯t like it. All she knew was that her wolf wanted to stop, and she was going to stop at nothing to make sure he stopped. Connie pulled the steering wheel so quickly that the entire car jerked around, causing Connie to fall forward and hit her head. She grew dizzy right away. The cab driver attempted to adjust the car and try to get back on the road while Connie was marily in a daze. However, he didn¡¯t see the giant truck that was heading right toward them. Just as he got back on the road and tried to drive, both Connie and the cab driver saw the truck only inches from them and they both screamed at the top of their lungs. Everything for Connie wentpletely ck and she remembers nothing more from that evening. She doesn¡¯t even know if the driver of the cab was even alive or not. But one minute she¡¯s in the cab, and the next she¡¯s lying in the hospital bed with extensive injuries. ¡°You are lucky to be alive,¡± the doctor said with a fond smile. ¡°Your wolf is working overtime to heal you though. You should get some rest. I¡¯ll have someonee in and check on you in a few minutes.¡± Connie could barely speak and her body ached terribly. She lifted her head and peered groggily around the in hospital room. She didn¡¯t even know where her phone was so she couldn¡¯t call anybody. Nobody was going to know that she was even there. Maybe she deserved this after what she had done to her best friend. She should have never done what she did and now karma was back to get her. Tears filled her eyes and her body trembled as the medicine began to kick in and soothe away some of her pain. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± She finally managed to ask her wolf once they were alone. ¡°You could have gotten us killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we have to be here for some reason. It¡¯s a strong feeling that something is here for us. I¡¯m not sure what. But I¡¯ll tell you when I find it.¡± ¡°What could be so important that you nearly killed us over it? Not to mention made us miss our flight and stranded us in this goddess-forsaken hospital?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­¡± she answered. ¡°But I promise; something is here.¡± Connie was annoyed with her wolf. There was a knocking sound on her door and Connie tensed. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± An unfamiliar voice said. ¡°Sure,¡± Connie answered. Just then, the door swung open, and standing at the entrance was the most heart-stopping, most handsome guy she had everid her eyes on. Which was saying a lot considering she¡¯s loved Enzo for most of her life. Her breathing got caught in her throat and she couldn¡¯t look away from him; he was practically glowing, and he was staring at her just as intently. He was wearing a pair of scrubs; he must be a doctor or something. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± her wolf breathed. ¡°That¡¯s why we needed to be here¡­ because he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± Connie found herself asking, confused by her wolf¡¯s reaction to this man. ¡°That¡¯s our mate¡­¡± she breathed. Connie¡¯s heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of her wolf¡¯s words. As if on cue, the man strolled into the room and toward Connie. ¡°Mate¡­¡± he whispered. She couldn¡¯t look away from him; she was in awe. This was it; the moment she¡¯d always been waiting for. The moment she couldn¡¯t wait for. ¡°What is your name?¡± He asked in a low tone for only her to hear. ¡°Connie¡­¡± she said in return; her entire body going numb. ¡°I¡¯m Tyler¡­ I¡¯m the nurse assigned to you¡­¡± Connie opened her mouth to say something but then instantly shut it once she registered what he had just said. What did he just say? He¡¯s what?! My mate is a male nurse? Chapter 150 Chapter 150 L¡¯s POV We walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria quietly. Connie kept her head lowered and stayed hidden behind Enzo, afraid that she might run into her mate once again. My heart went out ot him because I knew what it was like to feel rejected. The look on his face I would never be able to get out of my head and Connie didn¡¯t seem the least bit remorseful toward him. I felt awful. I wondered if Enzo felt awful too or if this was just normal for them both. I don¡¯t think I wanted to know. Once we got into the cafeteria, I went to sit down with Connie at one of the tables while Enzo grabbed us some food. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡± I found myself asking once we were alone. She raised her brows at me. ¡°About what?¡± She asked. I furrowed my brows together; did she seriously forget what we were talking about moments ago? ¡°Your mate,¡± I rified, stifling an eye roll. She shook her head without hesitation. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°How can you say that?!¡± I nearly shouted; I was feeling heartbroken for this man. ¡°He¡¯s a male nurse,¡± she said shaking her head in disgust. ¡°Not to mention omega. I can¡¯t be with an omega wolf. I have Alpha blood.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s your mate¡­¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll reject him when I¡¯m better,¡± she said. ¡°I just need my wolf to get over her initial shock over the situation.¡± ¡°It would destroy your wolf if you rejected him. Not to mention destroy his wolf,¡± I argued. ¡® ¡°Why are you pressing this?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest, and pressing her lips firmly together. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re afraid I¡¯m going to take Enzo away from you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I know what it¡¯s like to be rejected by your mate,¡± I said in return, eyeing her carefully. ¡°It¡¯s not a good feeling.¡± She looked like she wanted to say something but refrained from doing so. For a moment, it even looked like there was remorse on her face. ¡°My pack wouldugh at me if I came back with an Omega as a mate,¡± she said, shaking. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± I wanted to argue more with her because it wasn¡¯t right what she was doing to him, but Enzo returned momentster with a few tes of food. ¡°Finally! Food,¡± she cooed as she started to eat. ¡°My wolf is healing me quickly and it works up an appetite.¡± ¡°Eat up,¡± he said to her. ¡°You¡¯ll need your strength. He then looked at me and motioned for the te in front of me. ¡°You need to eat too. You¡¯ve barely eaten today. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed.¡± I nodded and ate some food, but I noticed Connie had paused eating and her entire body was tense for a moment. I furrowed my brows together, wondering what was wrong. Her eyes looked voided over and she was looking in the distance. I followed her gaze and saw her mate standing at the doorway. He looked like he was avoiding her eyes again, but then identally scanned the room until his eyes fell upon hers. He looked like he had seen a ghost and she looked like she was about to jump up and sprint in the opposite direction. He looked around for a moment before turning away and leaving the room. now, Connie was finally able to rx for a few minutes. She breathed out in relief. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± I asked, standing to my feet quickly. ¡°L¡­¡± Enzo began to warn. ¡°No, she can¡¯t treat her mate like that. It¡¯s wrong. His feelings and wolf matter and you are treating him like they don¡¯t just because he¡¯s an Omega wolf. It isn¡¯t fair to him and it¡¯s certainly not fair to your wolf. How could you act so carelessly?¡± ¡°L, that¡¯s enough,¡± Enzo said, his tone lowering in hopes to get mine to work as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t stand by and watch you hurt him. It¡¯s not fair¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting her eyes to start filling with tears. For a moment, I thought maybe she was just doing that as a show to Enzo, but as tears left her eyes and ran down her narrow features, I was beginning to think I was wrong. Maybe she did care after all. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, sighing and lowering my tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to upset you¡­¡± ¡°No, you were right, I¡¯m being selfish. It¡¯s not fair to him and it¡¯s not fair to my wolf. She¡¯s so upset with me, and I can feel her pain potently. I really hate it¡­¡± ¡°Then why cause her to suffer?¡± Enzo asked, raising his brows. ¡°Because he¡¯s a male nurse and an Omega. I couldn¡¯t be with someone like that.¡± ¡°What they do for a living doesn¡¯t matter and their ranking on the wolf charts also doesn¡¯t matter. If your pack can¡¯t understand that, then there¡¯s nothing you need to say to them.¡± ¡°I think I just need to sleep on it,¡± she murmured. ¡°Can you take me back to my room? I¡¯m going to get some rest.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± Enzo said, standing up. When I didn¡¯t move with him, he frowned down at me. ¡°Are youing?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you in a little bit. I need to clean up,¡± I told him. I didn¡¯t like the messes on the table and wanted to clean before I left. Enzo seemed to understand that and nodded as he turned and left with Connie. I began to clean the table, but a momentter Connie¡¯s mate came back into the cafeteria and went Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. toward the line of food. ¡°Hey,¡± I said as I approached him. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice how weird that was a little bit ago. You looked like you saw a ghost and maybe even avoided someone specific.¡± The man nced at me sideways for a moment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t avoiding her,¡± he said shaking his head. ¡°But I can tell she wants nothing to do with me and I¡¯m not going to argue about it with her.¡± ¡°But what do you want?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If she¡¯s not into it then I¡¯m not going to force it,¡± he muttered. ¡°I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m a nurse.¡± ¡°Do you not like her?¡± I found myself asking. He stared at me with disbelief clear on his face. ¡°Are you kidding? She¡¯s my mate. Of course, I like her. The problem isn¡¯t me not liking her¡­ it¡¯s her not liking me.¡± ¡°But what if I told you she does like you,¡± I said quickly just as he grabbed his food. He stood at the end of the line, staring at me in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re delusional. There¡¯s no way she likes me after trying to avoid me all day.¡± ¡°But she does! She¡¯s just scared, and she isn¡¯t sure how to go about it. Trust me, she really likes you.¡± I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn¡¯t know if this would work or not. He still looked like he didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°I¡¯m L, by the way,¡± I said brightly, holding my hand for him to shake. ¡°Tyler¡­¡± he said hesitantly as he shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Tyler,¡± I said in return. ¡°I hope you are ready because I¡¯m about to set you up on an incredibly amazing date.¡± Chapter 151 Chapter 151 L¡¯s POV ¡°You want to do what?¡± Enzo asked, narrowing his eyes at me as I stood before him. We brought Connie back into her room and she was resting for the evening. Enzo and I stood in the hallway, and he was staring down at me like I was a rodent. ¡°I want to n the perfect date for Connie and Tyler,¡± I repeated the same sentence I said only moments ago. ¡°Connie doesn¡¯t want to date him,¡± Enzo reminded me. ¡°We can¡¯t force her.¡± ¡°He¡¯s her mate, Enzo,¡± I said in return. ¡°Of course, she wants to go out with him.¡± He looked at me for a long while and I felt my face growing incredibly hot as I realized what I had just said. I basically admitted that I wanted to go out with Enzo because Enzo was my mate. But that certainly wasn¡¯t what I meant, despite my wolf wiggling with amusement. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve known Connie my entire life. She will hate whatever we have nned for her,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s better if we just let it go. If this mate bond is genuine, they will be pulled together naturally.¡± ¡°Unless they reject one another,¡± I pointed out. Neither of them was Alpha, which meant they could reject each other at any moment. My heart ached at the very thought. Mates were chosen to be together by the moon goddess. As much as I hated to admit it, she doesn¡¯t make mistakes. Her reasoning for pairing me with Enzo was something I would never understand though. I wish I could just ask her. ¡°That¡¯s not our business,¡± Enzo said as he turned away. ¡°I¡¯m going to say good night to her and then we can head back.¡± ¡°How long is she going to be here for?¡± I asked. ¡°Her wolf is healing her fast. She¡¯ll probably be here for another day or so,¡± he answered. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Will she be staying with us?¡± That¡¯s been a question that¡¯s been on my mind for a little while. ¡°I don¡¯t see why she can¡¯t return home as soon as she¡¯s released from the hospital,¡± he answered. That made me feel a little bit better that she wasn¡¯t going to be hanging around, but it made me sad for Tyler. He seemed to really like her and wanted to give things a chance. But she wouldn¡¯t give him the time of day and that made me really sad for him. Maybe it was because I knew exactly how he felt. His mate was rejecting him in the same way that Enzo was rejecting me. It was painful and almost unbearable. But there¡¯s also that little thread of hope that¡¯s being dangled in front of my wolf, keeping her from going into deep depressive hibernation. ¡­. I stayed awake almost all night. Even though Enzo didn¡¯t want any part of creating the perfect date for Connie and Tyler, I still really wanted to set something up. I would never forgive myself if I didn¡¯t at least try to get them together. This could be Connie¡¯s happily ever after and she could regret this for the rest of her life. I, at least, knew that Tyler would regret this for the rest of his life. The next morning, I went back to the hospital with Enzo, and I sought out Tyler while Enzo was talking to Connie. Tyler was cleaning some rooms and making beds when I found him, and he looked surprised to see me. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you again,¡± he admitted with a sheepish grin. ¡°I told you I wanted to set you up on a date,¡± I told him, raising my brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were serious. She doesn¡¯t want to go out with me.¡± ¡°She might change her mind,¡± I said with a shrug. I pulled out my phone and went into the Notepad app. ¡°What¡¯s your perfect first date look like?¡± He raised his brows and looked like he was about to protest, but then he stopped himself and really thought about it. ¡°Watching the sunset at the park with a nice pic,¡± he said fondly. ¡°I¡¯d get her some flowers too and definitely wine.¡± I frowned and looked at him for a short while. ¡°The wine and flowers are nice, but the rest seems kind of boring. A date with Connie will require a little bit more than that,¡± I told him. From what I knew about Connie, she would like something more dazzling. But I didn¡¯t want to make her sound materialistic. ¡°How about I juste up with the perfect date and I will let you know exactly what I n? I promise it¡¯ll knock her off her feet.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he said with a timid frown. ¡°I trust your judgment.¡± We exchanged phone numbers so I could keep him updated before heading back to Connie¡¯s room. ¡°Good news,¡± Enzo said as I entered the room. ¡°Connie is getting out today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± I beamed. ¡°I¡¯m so d.¡± This also meant I had to hurry on nning this date before she went home. ¡°Bad news¡­¡± Connie added. ¡° I can¡¯t get a flight home till next week. The airline is all booked up.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said, ncing at Eno. ¡°Which means she will have to stay with us for a bit.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about that, but I didn¡¯t argue. Connie looked almost remorseful, and I didn¡¯t want to have a fight with Enzo. Especially since I was going against him and nning a date for Connie and her mate. Plus, this would give me time to n the perfect date for the two of them. Later in the afternoon, we brought Connie back to the suite and she went to take a shower. Enzo went to make food for the four of us and I curled up on the couch, nning out this date. I was nning on making a reservation at the fanciest restaurant in Monstro. My n was to have everything set up by Monday evening. So, I had tonight and tomorrow to n everything perfectly. I made a note to call the florist tomorrow to have the best bouquet prepared because simple flowers would never do for Connie. I knew on Monday there would be a beach festival too because I heard some students talking about it the other day. Connie would love to attend something like that, so I made a note of that as well. I was so engrossed in my notetaking and nning that I didn¡¯t realize Enzo was standing behind me. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He scared me by asking. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. I turned around quickly to face him. ¡°Oh, I was just¡ª¡± ¡°nning a date for someone who doesn¡¯t want one?¡± He asked, raising his brows. He must have read the notepad before saying anything. ¡°I thought we discussed that we shouldn¡¯t get involved.¡± ¡°I made a promise¡­ ¡° I said with a deepened frown. ¡°I can¡¯t go against my promise to Tyler.¡± ¡°But you can go against your promise to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I just want Connie to find her happily ever after.¡± ¡°Oh, is that what you want?¡± He asked, raising only one brow. My face flushed at his words and the using sound of his tone. He was looking at me with disbelief and I couldn¡¯t believe what he was insinuating. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I asked, pressing my lips firmly together. l ¡°I mean are you doing this for Connie, or for yourself?¡± ¡°How could you use me of something like that?¡± I heard myself asking, my voice going soft. ¡°It just seems odd that you care so much about her dating life,¡± Enzo said with a shrug. I stood to my feet and red at him, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°Your hospitality is making me think you don¡¯t want her to date,¡± I said in return. ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± He stared at me for a moment longer before asking, ¡°You think I¡¯m trying to keep Connie single?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know.. are you?¡± I shot back. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why won¡¯t you help me?¡± I asked, eyeing him carefully. ¡°Because none of this is our business,¡± he said, a little too loudly. ¡°Maybe we should make it our business,¡± I shrugged. ¡°If your care about her as your friend, you would want her to be happy.¡± ¡°And if this guy doesn¡¯t make her happy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s her mate, Enzo. He¡¯s determined to make her happy.¡± He was quiet for a little longer before sighing. I could tell I had won this argument. ¡°Fine,¡± he finally said, turning away and going toward the kitchen. ¡°You want to set her up, then we will set her up.¡± Chapter 152 Chapter 152 L¡¯s POV Enzo and I have spent a lot of time together this past day and a half. We only have so much time to get this perfect date together. Right now, it was Sunday and we had everything booked and nned ordingly. The only thing we didn¡¯t have was Connie¡¯s approval. Enzo was so sure she was going to be so mad at the fact that we nned this huge date for her and her mate even though she said she didn¡¯t want it. It was fine though because as soon as she saw what we did for her, I believe she was going to be pleased. nning this whole thing together seemed to be a little moreplicated than I thought. I didn¡¯t think we would agree on anything because we fought so much over what we thought Connie would like. ¡°Connie would hate that,¡± Enzo sneered, shaking his head at my judgment. I frowned, pressing my lips firmly together as I stared up at him. ¡°What¡¯s to hate about an outdoor movie?¡± I asked, narrowing my eye. ¡°Bugs.¡± ¡°We can get them bug spray,¡± I said in return. Enzo continued to shake his head at me. ¡°Not a chance. An outdoor movie is at least two hours long and Connie would lose her mind being around bugs for that long. Not to mention she would get bored. She hates movies.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot about her,¡± I muttered, not trying to sound jealous but I knew that¡¯s how I came across. ¡°I¡¯ve known her my entire life,¡± he said back, staring around my face. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to argue with you about this. But I truly believe Connie would hate this; what she would like is a nice carriage ride with a little ssical music. Maybe it could go all around the city?¡± My frown only deepened. Categories Search¡­ N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°And the bugs won¡¯t get her on a carriage?¡± ¡°Carriage ride won¡¯t be long enough for bugs to get her. It will also be early enough where the bloodsucking ones aren¡¯t out,¡± he exined. ¡°Seem you know a lot about this,¡± I said in return, keeping my eyes on his. ¡°I¡¯ve looked into it before.¡± We went silent for a long while; both staring at one another with looks that could practically kill. I was a little upset that he knew so much about what Connie would like for her first date. Maybe a little insecure. But I would be damned if I allowed him to see that. ¡°Well, if it ends early enough, how about a show? It¡¯s only about an hour and a half long. But she might like it. It¡¯s very expensive,¡± I said, trying to get his reaction. He only nodded. ¡°Yes, she might. Write that down.¡± I was surprised by that. He seemed a lot calmer and was serious when he agreed with me. ¡°Are there any parties going on tomorrow night?¡± Enzo asked, meeting my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s usually a beach party every night. At least there seems to be,¡± I said in return. ¡°She would like to attend one of those too.¡± I rose my brows at him. ¡°Are you sure? I feel like those are beneath her,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s done many local things here and she would probably like that before she left,¡± Enzo shrugged. ¡°Okay, so we should probably make some calls and get some reservations started,¡± I said as I pulled out my cell phone. ¡°I¡¯ll call the restaurant first. ¡°I¡¯ll request the best table with a booth for tomorrow evening just before the carriage ride. Carriage ride will run until the show at 9 pm and it will end around 11:30 pm.¡± ¡°The carriage should end at the show. So, it will take them there,¡± Enzo added, I made sure to write that down. ¡°Then we can have a car bring them to the beach party which will consist of drinking, dancing, a bonfire, and fireworks,¡± I said, a glimmer of a smile on my lips. Enzo nodded in agreement. ¡°This will be the best date,¡± I breathed, smiling at the notes I have just taken. ¡°Connie will be so excited.¡± ¡°I hate to admit it, but she might be,¡± Enzo said with a head nod. ¡°These are all the things she likes. So, there¡¯s a good chance she will enjoy this after all.¡± I made some calls and got reservations together. Enzo also made some calls when I wasn¡¯t persuasive enough to get things together within a day. But soon, we were able to get everything together we needed for this perfect date. It was the day of the date and now all we needed were the two wolves it was. I just hoped that Connie would be okay with all these changes and nning. I had Tyler¡¯s phone number from when we gave it to me before and when I called him, he was genuinely surprised by my announcement. ¡°You did what?¡± He gasped; I could practically hear his heartbeat from the other side of the phone. ¡°What do you mean ¡®n a date¡¯? For whom??¡± ¡°For you and Connie,¡± I said in return, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°We discussed this already. You knew I was doing this.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d forget about it,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to date me. We can¡¯t force her; she¡¯s just going to reject me.¡± ¡°She will change her mind once she sees what we have nned,¡± I assured him. ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea,¡± he said. ¡°I thought maybe it could be a good idea, but it¡¯s definitely bad.¡± I was starting to lose him; I needed to do something to bring him back to agree with this. Enzo was watching me from across the room, a curious gaze in his eyes. He knew this conversation wasn¡¯t going well and I also knew he was going to tell me, ¡°I told you so.¡± That wasn¡¯t something I wanted to hear from him. We spent hours nning this date; we made a million calls and had to use various connections to get certain reservations. We also spent a lot of money on this non-refundable money. There was no way this date wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°She already agreed to it,¡± I said quickly. Tyler went quiet, just as Enzo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°She what?¡± Tyler asked for a pause. ¡°Did you say she already agreed to it?¡± ¡°Yes, we brought it up to her before calling you,¡± I lied again, and I felt guilty for lying but I wasn¡¯t sure what else to do at that moment. ¡°She waspletely fine with this idea.¡± Enzo looked like he was about to grab the phone out of my hands, so I turned away from him. ¡°It starts tonight. I¡¯ll send you a text with the details, but we made a reservation at the fanciest restaurant in Monstro. It¡¯s right on the waterfront so you¡¯ll have a nice view while you eat. She¡¯s going to love it.¡± He was quiet for a moment longer as if he was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. I decided not to say anything else just in case I gave away the lie. ¡°Okay,¡± he finally said after a long silence, making me breathe out in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll be there tonight.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯ll have Enzo swing by your ceter to help you dress.¡± ¡°What?¡± I heard Enzo say from behind me just as I hung up the phone and swung around to face him. ¡°Are you out of your mind? You just lied to him.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to agree to the date,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°She has to. Everything is already set in motion. I merely predicted the future.¡± ¡°It must be nice living in that fantasy world you created,¡± Enzo muttered. I frowned; taking a little offense to that but I was sick of arguing, so I decided to say nothing more about it. Before they could say anything more, Connie came out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel. ¡°That shower felt nice,¡± she breathed. ¡°I¡¯m starving. Can we grab some food?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°But not with us.¡± She rose her brows. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We made reservations for you tonight at the fanciest restaurant in Monstro. So, you¡¯ll have a nice meal tonight without us.¡± She frowned, staring between the two of us. ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± I looked at Enzo who remained silent; I sighed and looked back at Connie. ¡°We made a date for you and Tyler,¡± I finally told her. I saw the color draining from her face and then her eyes went voided. It was a look I had never seen from her before, and I¡¯d seen her during her mad moments and happy moments. She was quiet for a long while as I felt her increasing emotions; I just couldn¡¯t tell what kind of emotions they were. Her face was hard to read. Not knowing what was going to happen caused me to take a step back. Then she finally spoke between her teeth, ¡°You did WHAT?!¡± She was livid. Chapter 153 Chapter 153 L¡¯s POV Her eyes were golden and glowing as I had never seen them before. It was her wolf. For the first time since knowing Connie, I was actually frightened of her. So much so, I took a step back. The fury that circted around her was evident and I knew she was about to explode at any moment. She was angry and she wasn¡¯t going to back down until we faced her wrath. The paleness of her face went away and now it was just pure red. Her eyes glowed even brighter, and her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles grew white. I thought her nails were going to dig into the palms of her hands as she red between Enzo and me. ¡°You did what?¡± She seethed through her teeth. She was fighting back the impulse of her wolf. Her wolf should be happy that we made a date for her and her mate. But I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I had made a terrible mistake. ¡°I just wanted you to have a chance with your mate,¡± I told her, keeping my tone low for her ears only. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have any regrets.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do it for me, you rotten bitch. You did it for yourself because you wanted me to leave Enzo alone. This was for selfish reasons, and you can¡¯t convince me otherwise,¡± she spat. ¡°I know you are angry right now, but if you can just calm down and listen¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down!¡± She growled; the canines of her wolf only grew as more fury rose within her. ¡°I specifically told you I didn¡¯t want to date that male nurse. I¡¯m going to reject him. I don¡¯t want him.¡± ¡°Connie¡ª¡± I tried to reason, but she growled loudly at me, nearly shifting into her wolf. I staggered backward, fearful of what he might do. Thankfully, Enzo was beside me and I felt his protective aura around me. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡­¡± Connie said, lowering her tone. Her voice cracked slightly, and I saw the pain in her eyes as she looked up at Enzo. ¡°You went against my wishes and deliberately did something you knew I wouldn¡¯t like. You¡¯re supposed to be my best friend, Enzo¡­¡± She lowered her gaze just as tears filled her eyes. ¡°I did this because I care, Connie,¡± Enzo said, stepping towards her. ¡°After what you did to me, I shouldn¡¯t even give you the time of day. But having a mate is something special and you found your mate Connie. You shouldn¡¯t give that up because your pride won¡¯t let you date a male nurse.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not an Alpha¡­¡± Connie said through her teeth. ¡°I need an Alpha.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± I found myself saying, peering at Connie withpassion in my eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t need an Alpha, Connie. You can be perfectly happy with an¡ª¡± ¡°An Omega?¡± Connie spat. ¡°He¡¯s an Omega. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to bring him around my friends or my¡­¡± her voice trailed off and I felt Enzo going still beside me. I looked at him, confused, for a moment. ¡°Your what?¡± I urged, but they both remained silent, staring at one another. I felt ufortable for a moment before Enzo finally spoke. ¡°When did they contact you?¡± ¡°Last year,¡± Connie answered, keeping her eye on Connie. ¡°Who?¡± I asked, staring between the two of them. ¡°What are you both talking about?¡± ¡°My parents¡­¡± Connie muttered, turning away from us, and going towards the couch. I stood my ground, dumbfounded by what she had just said. I don¡¯t know much about Connie or her family, but I assumed she was in some kind of contact with them. I mean, they were her parents after all. ¡°You don¡¯t talk to them regrly?¡± I decided to ask as Connie took a seat. ¡°Not all of us grew up in a loving household,¡± she muttered, shaking her head at me. ¡°My parents are greedy, and they¡¯ve always only wanted one thing, power.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry; I had no idea.¡± ¡°Connie ran away from home many times, and when she did, my mother would take her in with open arms,¡± Enzo exined. My heart started to ache for Connie. I always had such a wonderful rtionship with my parents; I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone not having the same experience. But I know everybody is different. This conversation made me want to return home and give my parents the biggest hug. ¡°They disowned me a couple of years ago,¡± she continued saying, lowering her gaze. ¡°But they reached out to mest year saying they will allow me home to our pack if I marry an Alpha.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you came here?¡± Enzo asked, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°To appease your parents. You wanted to marry me so you can return to your pack? After all, they have done for you?¡± I knew Enzo was angry. He felt used and betrayed by his best friend. ¡°They might have hurt me, but they are still my family Enzo. They are my pack. I don¡¯t want to be a rogue wolf,¡± she said, tears filling her eyes. ¡°I want to return home with their respect. If I went back and told them my fated mate was nothing but a male nurse¡­and Omega. They would never allow me past the borders. They might even kill me and deem me useless.¡± ¡°They would kill you?¡± I gasped, staring at them both withrge eyes. ¡°What pack is this?¡± ¡°The Riverbed pack,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°Alpha Cole is a cruel man and best friends with Sarah¡¯s father. Connie¡¯s father, Jeremy, is his Beta. Connie spent most of her life being abused by that pack so why she would bend over backward to appease them, I will never understand.¡± ¡°They are my pack,¡± Connie said softly, staring down at her hands. ¡°If I go against them, they will mark me as a rogue. Or kill me¡­¡± ¡°Connie, you shouldn¡¯t have to do things like this to stay in your pack,¡± I said, sitting down beside her on the couch. ¡°If they truly loved you, they would ept you for who you are.¡± ¡°This is who I am,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. ¡°They might have hurt me mentally and physically my entire life, but I still love them.¡± ¡°Do you love Enzo?¡± I found myself asking, much to Enzo¡¯s surprise. Val braced herself for whatever answer Connie gave us. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Connie was quiet for a moment as she looked up at Enzo, meeting his eyes. ¡°Of course, I do,¡± she whispered. ¡°He¡¯s like a brother to me and I will always have a love for him.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t in love with him.¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered, pulling her eyes away from his to meet mine. ¡°I¡¯m not in love with him. I only wanted to be Luna.¡± I felt better knowing this information and I gave her a small smile. ¡°I see,¡± I breathed. ¡°So, this was all to appease your pack. You don¡¯t love Enzo in that kind of way.¡± She nodded her head once as more tears filled her eyes. ¡°If they knew my mate was an Omega¡­¡± she stopped talking, unable to finish that sentence. ¡°Your mate was created for you by the goddess herself. You were made to love and cherish one another wholeheartedly. She doesn¡¯t make mistakes.¡± I nced up at Enzo when I said thatst part; I wanted to believe my own words, but I was still trying to figure out why the goddess would pair me with someone who obviously doesn¡¯t want a mate. Someone who doesn¡¯t even like Vna wolves has told me just that repeatedly. I will never understand her logic, but this wasn¡¯t about me right now. It was about Connie and what she wanted because Tyler seemed like a great guy, and he was genuinely hurt that Connie didn¡¯t want anything to do with him. I felt for him because I could rte to him. If I could get one thing done out of this whole trip, it would be to make sure these two mates at least talk to one another. ¡°I could never bring him home to my pack,¡± Connie said, tugging at her fingers. ¡°But maybe it wouldn¡¯t hurt to speak with him anyways.¡± I felt relieved to hear that; I couldn¡¯t hide therge smile on my face as I looked up at Enzo excitedly. He looked surprised that I managed to convince Connie to give Tyler a chance. But then Connie stood up and said something that left me frozen. ¡°Then, I will be able to reject him properly.¡± Chapter 154 Chapter 154 L¡¯s POV This wasn¡¯t what I had in mind. But I was d that Connie was open to at least seeing Tyler. Maybe she won¡¯t want to reject him once she spoke to him. Enzo was thinking she was going to regardless, but I¡¯d like to think maybe not. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until after the date to reject him?¡± I asked a couple of hourster while I was helping Connie get dressed. I already had her entire outfit nned already and she looked super cute, as much as I hated to admit it. Though, I kind of liked her a little more now that I knew she wasn¡¯t in love with Enzo. Not that it mattered much anyways. Enzo liked having sex with me, but he doesn¡¯t want me as a mate. I¡¯m a Vna wolf and he¡¯s made it perfectly clear that he doesn¡¯t want a Vna as a mate. ¡°Why would I wait?¡± Connie asked, raising her brows as she peered at me through the mirror while she did her makeup. ¡°It would only worsen the pain. He knows the rejection ising.¡± ¡°But you might change you mind¡­¡± ¡°For the hundredth time, L, I¡¯m not going to change my mind,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Besides, this is what¡¯s best for the both of us anyway. We aren¡¯t right for each other¡± ¡°Of course, you are right for each other,¡± I nearly shouted. ¡°You are goddess-fated mates. She created you for each other.¡± ¡°If that were true then what about you and Enzo? You two don¡¯t exactly look like a happy couple.¡± I felt my face warm at her words. ¡°It¡¯splicated,¡± I said in return, folding my arms across my chest. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to fight about this, but if she wanted a fight, then I would give her one. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Well, this isplicated too,¡± she said, returning to her makeup. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand. You grew up in a loving home with an adoring family and a pack that cherished you. I didn¡¯t have any of that stuff. I have to earn my respect and my ce in the pack. Bringing home an Omega mate would do the opposite.¡± My heart ached at her logic. She was giving up her fated mate to appease a pack that didn¡¯t respect or even like her it seemed. Her family was awful, and they were desperately trying to turn her into somebody she was not. I hated that she had to go through that, and I was upset with Enzo for not telling me sooner about all the struggles Connie was going through. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have hated her for so long and so hard too. Maybe I could have been better to her and treated her with understanding instead of hospitality. However, she has been after my mate for a while. But now I know it wasn¡¯t because she was in love with Enzo and wanted to be with him, it was because she felt pressured into marrying an Alpha and bing a Luna. After Connie finished with her makeup, I was in awe of how beautiful she looked. It wasn¡¯t often that I saw her outside of workout clothing or warrior gear. But seeing her in a beautiful dress that fell just above her knees, with loose straps that fell around her shoulders, I couldn¡¯t believe how gorgeous she was. The dress hugged her every curve and made her boobs look bigger. Her dark strands of hair were pulled out of her face in a sleek low ponytail. She had no hair out of ce, and I was oddly impressed with her ability to do that. She didn¡¯t wear a heavyyer of makeup, but it took her a while to do her makeup. She must have mastered the art of a natural look using makeup. I wanted to make a slyment about her dressing up just to reject her mate, but I chose not ot because I didn¡¯t want her to change or undo anything. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± she muttered as she walked toward the bathroom door to enter the living room where Enzo was waiting for us. Enzo and I were nning on going with them on their date, but only watching them from a distance. We just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. We both wore evening clothing as well. I wore a ck dress with straps that went around my neck and pockets stitched in the front. Enzo wore a ck button-down shirt without a tie and ck business pants. I hated how good he looked. It was driving both Val and me crazy. ¡°I told him to meet you at the restaurant,¡± I exined to Connie who was inquiring about where Tyler was. Her frown only deepened. ¡°He couldn¡¯t even pick me up?¡± She asked, rolling her eyes. ¡°Pathetic.¡± ¡°It was my idea,¡± I said quickly. ¡°He wanted toe but I told him it would be better if you just met him. Just in case.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± she muttered. ¡°I just want to get this over and done with.¡± ¡°Just get through dinner before you make any decisions,¡± I pleaded. She said nothing. We left for the restaurant shortly after. Enzo drove. The restaurant was right on the waterfront and overlooked the beautiful ocean. It was still light out, so the sun reflected off the water, making it glisten beautifully. There were outdoor lights veiled over the building and expanding out down the cobblestone walkway, over our heads like a bridge. Flowers of all different colors bloomed across the green bushes that sat beside the path we took to the front entrance. Upon nearing the main doors, ssical music yed from the live orchestra. ¡°This ce is beautiful,¡± I breathed, staring up at therge white pirs that also contained outdoor lighting. ¡°It¡¯s everything I imagined¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve heard about this ce. This was one of the fanciest restaurants in the world. Enzo and I N?velDrama.Org owns all content. agreed that Connie would love this ce. However, she looked around with a frown on her face. ¡°It¡¯s a little much, don¡¯t you think?¡± She asked, looking over at me. Before I could say anything, I saw Connie tensing and I knew at that moment her mate was nearby. She was trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips and the excitement on her face. Instead, she just straightened her shoulders and turned in his direction. He was standing at the table we reserved for them, and my goddess looked incredibly handsome. Connie had to have noticed that as well. Rejecting him wasn¡¯t going to be easy for her. She made her way to the table, and he instantly started to talk quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this was kind of sprung on you. That wasn¡¯t my intention. I just thought maybe if we went out, I could prove to you that I could be the guy that you need or want. I know you are disappointed in me as your mate, but I will do what I can to deem worthy of you.¡± She was quiet for a moment as she processed what he had said. Then she said something in a low tone and for a moment, I worried about what it might be. But then, to my relief, Tyler smiled and motioned for her to sit with him. The two of them sat together and instantly started a conversation. ¡°Sorry, but you can¡¯t just stand there. If you don¡¯t have a reservation, you¡¯ll have to leave,¡± A waiter said to Enzo and me. Connie and Tyler looked content, and I should probably check the estimated time of that carriage ride. Just when I was about to say, ¡°We¡¯ll go,¡± Enzo spoke first, and his words startled me. ¡°I have a reservation for two under the name Enzo.¡± Chapter 155 Chapter 155 L¡¯s POV ¡°You got us a table? I said under my breath as we followed the waiter toward an empty table. ¡°I figured if we are going to be here anyway, we might as well eat.¡± ¡°You could have run that by me first,¡± I said, trying hard not to roll my eyes at him. Enzo shrugged at my words. ¡°Would you have denied me?¡± I frowned, peering up at him. I probably wouldn¡¯t have denied him. He was right; if we were going to be here spying on Connie and Tyler, we might as well get a table too, and have some food while we do that. Plus, I hadn¡¯t eaten all day and I was admittedly starving. I didn¡¯t answer his question though; I didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Our table wasn¡¯t too far away from Connie and Tyler¡¯s table. It was far enough away that we couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about, which I found frustrating, but close enough that we could see facial expressions. Once we were seated, the waiter gave us our menus and went to check on Connie and Tyler. I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes away from their table. I knew Connie wanted to reject him and she didn¡¯t exactly promise me that she¡¯ll do it after dinner. I was waiting for that heartbreaking and wolf-shattering moment. I knew this was going to destroy Tyler once it happened. ¡°Stop watching them and figure out what you want to eat,¡± Enzo said, peering over at me from across the table. My face warmed as I turned away from Connie and Tyler. ¡°Sorry,¡± I murmured. ¡°I¡¯m just worried. Tyler is going to be so heartbroken.¡± ¡°Maybe she won¡¯t reject him.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s a chance she won¡¯t?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°I¡¯m not in her head so I can¡¯t be sure. But she hasn¡¯t done it yet and they seem to be having a nice conversation.¡± ¡°I wish I could hear what they are saying. There are too many conversations going on in here; it¡¯s hard to hear even with my wolf hearing,¡± I said, shaking my head as I grabbed the menu. Everything on the menu was incredibly expensive but Enzo didn¡¯t seem to be fazed by any of it. He had already picked out his food and had the menu closed in front of him. I scanned the menu for something cheap, but the cheapest thing was a $30 sd with an additional cost of protein. ¡°How did you pick out what you wanted so quickly?¡± I found myself asking as I continued scanning the menu. ¡°I¡¯ve been here before during myst trip.¡± I keep forgetting that Enzo has been to Monstro before. I felt a tight knot in my stomach at his words though. He¡¯s been to this incredibly fancy restaurant before? I couldn¡¯t help but wonder who he had taken here. It had to have been a date of some sort. As if he could read the emotions on my face he said, ¡°It was a business dinner. I went with a couple of other Alphas.¡± I felt myself sighing in relief and fighting the smile that tugged at my lips. The waiter returned momentster. ¡°Good evening, Alpha. May I start you and your lovely Luna off with something to drink?¡± My face instantly grew hot at his words, and I quickly found myself needing to correct him. But just as I opened my mouth to tell the waiter that I was certainly not Enzo¡¯s Luna, Enzo started to order his drink. ¡°I¡¯ll have a white wine,¡± he said. Both looked at me waiting for me to order as well. I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to find my voice, it seemed to be caught in my throat. ¡°And for you, Luna?¡± The waiter asked. I could now see the humor twinkling in Enzo¡¯s eyes. He was enjoying watching me squirm. I pressed my N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. lips together in aggravation. If he wanted to y a game, then I didn¡¯t mind ying a game. ¡°I¡¯ll do the same,¡± I said with my most confident voice, straightening my shoulders. ¡°Just bring the bottle,¡± Enzo suggested to the waiter, without taking his eyes off me. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the waiter said before disappearing to grab our wine. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you correct him when he called me your Luna?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I was going to but then you were ordering, and the moment passed,¡± I argued; this time, I definitely rolled my eyes. There was a glimmer of a smile on Enzo¡¯s lips. ¡°Then I guess he will just have to think you¡¯re my Luna.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re okay with that?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°I know you are against having a mate.¡± A mate who¡¯s a Vna, I wanted to add but didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s real.¡± His words were like a punch in the stomach, but I tried hard to not reveal the hurt on my face. The waiter returned soon after with a bottle of white wine and two wine sses. He poured the wine into both sses before setting the bottle in the center of the table. Then, he asked for our food orders. Enzo got a steak with a side sd, and I got a sd with some salmon. Once the waiter finished taking our orders, he went back toward the kitchen, and I couldn¡¯t help but nce over in Connie and Tyler¡¯s direction. We didn¡¯t tell Connie the rest of the ns for the evening because we wanted her to be surprised. But Tyler knew all the details; I wanted to make it seem like this was all Tyler¡¯s idea. Then maybe Connie would give him the time of day. ¡°They seem fine,¡± Enzo said, following my gaze to their table. ¡°I know Connie¡¯s face and she genuinely seems interested in whatever he¡¯s saying.¡± That was a relief to hear; maybe Enzo was right. Maybe Connie wouldn¡¯t reject him after all. ¡°What would happen if she chose not to reject him? Would she be disowned from her pack?¡± ¡°Knowing Alpha Cole, probably,¡± Enzo said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°He¡¯s not a good man and honestly his Beta, Connie¡¯s father, is worse. That¡¯s what made us such good friends when we were children and why my mom took her in as one of her own. Because we both had crappy dads. Except mine wasn¡¯t in my life. However, that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t know the shit he was doing. I was very much aware of it all. As was my mother.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t talk about your mother often,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Not since she ended up in the hospital after getting caught in an attack. Where is she?¡± Enzo was quiet for a moment, and I didn¡¯t think he was going to answer my question. ¡°She¡¯s in the rogue territory,¡± he finally answered, much to my surprise. ¡°Your mother is a rogue?¡± I gaped. ¡°But you¡¯re an Alpha. How could that have happened?¡± ¡°My father is what happened. He banished her long ago after she gave birth to me. He didn¡¯t want any children she might have. To him, my mother was just a fling. Not fit to be a Luna and not worthy of the title of wife. So, he banished us both and we lived in rogue territory. It became our home after a while. When my father died and I took over, I offered my mother a ce in the pack, but she refused it. She doesn¡¯t trust it and plus, she has friends and family in the rogue territory now. It would be hard for her to give that up.¡± I was surprised by the number of details in his story. It wasn¡¯t just one sentence this time. I could tell this was a topic he was passionate about. The waiter returned with our food, and it smelled so delicious. My stomach was growling wildly as I looked down at the incredible dish ced in front of me. I was hungrier than I thought. As we ate, we talked a little bit more about how the rogue territory became their home and how his mother doesn¡¯t trust life outside that territory. This was why he was surprised that she agreed to pick up Connie from the airport because she rarely leaves the territory. I was in awe of his story, and I wondered if Enzo looked more like his mother or his father. Enzo definitely has simr features to Baise, like his eyes and hair color. But I wondered what Enzo got from his mother. I¡¯ve been so wrapped up in Enzo and his story, I forgot for a moment that we were there to spy on Connie and Tyler. I wondered what they ordered; they should have gotten their meals by now as well. I looked over at the table and my heart instantly fell into my stomach. Looking over at Enzo who was eating his food, I gasped, ¡°They¡¯re gone!¡± Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Third Person POV. ¡°I told them this might be a little much,¡± Tyler said, rubbing his hand behind his neck sheepishly. He looked nervous; her wolf was excited to be around their mate, but Connie was anything but excited. Her n was to humor L and Enzo with this ¡°date¡± and then properly reject Tyler as her mate. If Connie wanted to return to her pack and to her father, she needed to marry an Alpha. It was growing painfully obvious that it wasn¡¯t going to be Enzo, which meant she needed to find another unmated Alpha. However, she also had to admit that Tyler looked rather handsome in his suit. She can tell that L and Enzo had something to do with his outfit. It ran a little big on him and she remembered seeing Enzo wear that same outfit not long ago. They really went out of their way to make this evening seemingly perfect. But Connie wasn¡¯t huge on fancy restaurants; she found them to be quite tacky. She would rather have something a little quieter. Maybe when she was younger, she would have liked something like this, but she and her taste had grown over the years. Especially since she started working as a gamma warrior. ¡°It might be a little too much,¡± Connie agreed. ¡°But I guess we should get this over with.¡± He smiled; he had a nice smile. She fought a smile of her own. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you went along with this,¡± heughed as he led her to their reserved table. ¡°Truth be told, you aren¡¯t exactly who I envisioned my mate to be,¡± she said, ncing down at the menu. Everything was so expensive; how was he going to afford this? What were Enzo and L thinking when they chose this ce? ¡°Let me guess, you envisioned a strong Alpha that could make you into a Luna?¡± Categories Search¡­ She was going to deny that, but she figured she was going to reject him anyway, she might as well be honest with him. He deserved at least the truth. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°I truly thought that would be my destiny. To be a luna of a pack. But I guess the goddess wanted me with an Omega. I¡¯ve been called weak my entire life, so I guess that makes sense.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She thought he would take offense to that, but he just looked at her thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t really know you, but I¡¯m not getting the weak vibe from you. In fact, I¡¯m pretty sure you could kick my ass.¡± She stared at his serious face for a moment and then she couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer; sheughed. He smiled and nced down at his menu with a reddened face. ¡°You have a nice smile,¡± he said, his grin only growing that much more. ¡°Maybe we can just rx and enjoy the rest of dinner and whatever else they have nned. Then afterward you can reject me, and we can go our separate ways.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You knew I was going to reject you this evening?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid,¡± he said in return, meeting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m also not offended. Maybe we will both meet our second-chance mates. I hear the goddess will grant us a second chance if we are deserving.¡± This made Connie quiet; a small ping of hurt formed in her chest. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m deserving,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of wrongs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Gamma warrior I¡¯ve heard. Which means you¡¯ve done a lot of good too. Everybody makes mistakes. It¡¯s how you learn from them and grow that count.¡± ¡°Wise words,¡± she said, peering at him questionably. She was starting to grow curious about him. ¡°I¡¯ve had wise role models,¡± he shrugged. Just then, the waiter appeared and asked for their drink orders. ¡°Do you want a bottle of wine?¡± Tyler asked. ¡°Do you drink wine?¡± She asked in return. ¡°I¡¯m more of a beer drinker. But I don¡¯t mind a ss,¡± he chuckled, that nervousness returning to him. She grinned at his response and nced at the waiter. ¡°Two beers please,¡± she ordered. The waiter nodded and went to fetch their drinks; Tyler looked surprised. ¡°You drink beer too?¡± ¡°It would have been my first choice,¡± she admitted. Connie used to hate the taste of beer, but usually after victorious battles, she would drink beer with the other gammas. She eventually started to like the taste and now it¡¯s her first choice whenever she goes out. He seemed to like her response because his smile grew wider. ¡°What else do you think they have nned for tonight?¡± Connie found herself asking. Tyler shrugged. ¡°I think they said something about a carriage ride, maybe a concert and an outdoor party¡­¡± She rose her brows. ¡°That sounds like a lot,¡± she said, keeping her eyes on his. ¡°Very overwhelming.¡± ¡°I wanted to do something simple; like a pic in the park and watch the sunset. But L said you¡¯d want something fancier and more extravagant,¡± he shrugged. ¡°L doesn¡¯t know me,¡± she said in return, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°I would have loved the pic.¡± He beamed at her words. The waiter returned momentster with their beer and then they both ordered steak for dinner. While they waited for their meals, they talked a little more. ¡°So, do you only want an Alpha so you can be Luna? What¡¯s the story with that?¡± Tyler asked as he took a sip of his beer. She wasn¡¯t nning on getting too deep in the feels with him, but she decided to tell him the truth. ¡°It¡¯s actually my father¡¯s wishes,¡± she exined. ¡°My pack wasn¡¯t exactly friendly, and Alpha Cole was an awful man who got off on my torment. My father is his beta. I grew up with my pack tormenting me on a daily basis, my father included. I was the weaker of the bunch and much smaller inparison. They thought of me as weak and useless. However, I believe my father disliked me because I looked a lot like my mother who died when I was a child. I reminded him too much of her so he could hardly stand being around me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that,¡± Tyler said, shaking his head and knitting his brows together. ¡°I was banished from the pack at 16 when the Luna¡¯s pendant was taken and found in my things. It wasn¡¯t me who took it, but they didn¡¯t listen to reason and banished me. I went to live with Enzo¡¯s mother in the rogue territory. He was my best friend and I trusted them to care for me. I spent a lot of time working on my strength andbat. Once I was ready and Enzo was officially the Alpha of the Calypso pack, I took the gamma test to be one of his warriors. So, I worked as a gamma warrior at 18 years old.¡± ¡°It must have been difficult for you to be away from your true pack. I know a wolf¡¯s ties with their pack never truly go away. It¡¯s almost like a mate bond; the distance will hurt, and the banishment will forever be imprinted in your wolf¡¯s heart.¡± She choked back tears at the memory, but she nodded her head once. ¡°It hurt a lot, yes. But I had Enzo and his pack to help me through. It wasn¡¯t untilst year that my father reached out and invited me to return to the pack. Imagine the eagerness my wolf felt when she heard we can go back to our true pack¡­¡± She still appeared uncertain as she nced at her hands. ¡°But he gave me one condition¡­¡± ¡°You have to marry an Alpha and be a Luna,¡± Tyler finished for her. She met his eyes and nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s not what you truly want?¡± ¡°I want to return to my pack,¡± she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be packless. Yes, I¡¯m able to stay in Enzo¡¯s pack when needed and yes, I travel around with the gammas so much that I¡¯m hardly ever in the area¡­ but not having a ce to truly call home¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. ¡°Enzo thinks I found a new pack¡­ but I¡¯m too proud to tell him the truth.¡± ¡°He¡¯s your best friend; you should tell him,¡± Tyler said with such sincerity that it made her heartbeat quickly. The only other person who had ever treated her this kind was Enzo. Tyler nced over at Enzo and L¡¯s table and then back at Connie. ¡°What¡¯s their story?¡± Tyler asked, raising their brows. ¡°I sense it¡¯s a weird one.¡± Connie bit the inside of her cheek to keep fromughing. ¡°A very weird one and a long one. I shouldn¡¯t speak about them when they are clearly trying to eavesdrop on our conversation.¡± Tyler rose his right brow and gave her a cocky grin. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Chapter 157 Chapter 157 L¡¯s POV ¡°Where have they gone off to?¡± I asked, staring at the now empty table that Connie and Tyler once upied. I looked over at Enzo who looked just as confused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Enzo said, ncing back at me. Enzo got the waiter¡¯s attention and quickly paid the check before we left the restaurant. They couldn¡¯t have gone far; they were only here moments ago. I was worried though that something might have happened. Did she reject him and then he took off? My heart ached at the very thought of him being so heartbroken that he had to leave. She promised she wouldn¡¯t do anything until the very end of the evening. We still had so much nned for them. ¡°I can smell her perfumeing from this direction,¡± Enzo said, motioning for me to follow him. We went in the direction of the waterfront that overlooked the ocean. Not far from the waterfront was the beach and he was right, the scent of her perfume was growing stronger as we neared that area. They must have gone down to the beach for whatever reason. This wasn¡¯t part of the n and Connie didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who even liked the beach. This must have been Tyler¡¯s idea. Why couldn¡¯t he just stick to the n? The sun was setting off on the horizon, causing the ocean water to sparkle and glisten so much. It was beautiful scenery I will admit, and it made my heart feel full. But I knew this wasn¡¯t something Connie would want. It was hard to walk in the sand wearing the shoes I was wearing and when I nearly fell over, Enzo grabbed my arm to keep me on my feet. ¡°Maybe it will be better if I take these off,¡± I said, reaching toward my shoes to unstrap them. ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± he muttered in agreement. Categories Search¡­ Once my shoes were off, I could feel the warm sand under the palms of my feet, and it was very This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. sky. ¡°It would be a shame if she were to be upset because of my actions. I wanted to return to my pack, but I¡¯m starting to question whether or not that¡¯s the right choice for me.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll stay here a little longer to explore this?¡± Tyler asked; he couldn¡¯t hide the happiness on his face and that made me smile in return. Connie surprised me byughing. ¡°I¡¯m open to that idea,¡± she said in return. ¡°My flight isn¡¯t for another week. That gives us time to go on another date¡­ a real date that we can both enjoy. We can get to know each other a little better and go from there. Would you like that?¡± He was quiet for a moment longer before his lips formed into a massive grin. ¡°I would like that very much,¡± he breathed, cupping her face in her hands. I nearly gasped when he brought her lips to hers and they started kissing. Just as their lips touched, Enzo brought his hands to cover my eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t need to watch the rest of this,¡± Enzo told me, using his other hand to pull me away. ¡°I feel awful,¡± I breathed as we began walking off the beach. ¡°They were right; we did this for us¡­ not for them. I ignored Tyler¡¯s wishes the entire time thinking that Connie would hate all his ideas. But he¡¯s her mate¡­ I should have known she would have loved anything he came up with.¡± ¡°Well, I guess now you know not to meddle,¡± Enzo shrugged. I paused and red at him as if he was so innocent. ¡°And what about you?¡± I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be her best friend. How did you not know she enjoyed beaches and pics? You told me she hated bugs and being outside. You agreed that she would want elegancy.¡± ¡°I guess she is a gamma,¡± Enzo shrugged. ¡°So maybe I was wrong about that. She¡¯s always on the road with the gammas nowadays so it¡¯s clear she¡¯s changed a lot.¡± ¡°So, what now?¡± I asked as we continued to walk. ¡°We had so much nned and most of it was already paid for. We can¡¯t cancel the events.¡± Enzo was quiet for a moment longer and we finally got to hardnd where I could put my shoes back on. ¡°Let¡¯s just do it,¡± Enzo finally shrugged. ¡°We can do the events in their ce.¡± I almostughed. ¡°What?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°It¡¯s all very romantic activities. A sunset carriage ride around Monstro¡¯s famous attractions. A live show in the Monstro theatre. Ate-night beach party and bonfire. Those are date activities.¡± Enzo rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes. But I¡¯m not sure what else to do when it¡¯s obvious they have no interest in the activities we nned.¡± ¡°I thought we agreed that we were going to keep our rtionship tonic,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°We can¡¯t take this rtionship back home and you know this.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say we had to pursue a rtionship. But maybe having onest night together wouldn¡¯t be that bad,¡± Enzo said, and I could tell from his face just how serious he was. ¡°Then again, if you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll call and cancel. Maybe I can get some of the money back,¡± he turned to walk away but I grabbed his arm before I could think of what to say. ¡°Wait no,¡± I said quickly, causing him to turn and raise his brows at me. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s enjoy the rest of the date. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Enzo¡¯s POV Despite all the shit that¡¯s happened between Connie and me over the course of these months, I was d she finally found her mate and it seemed she was willing to give him a real chance. L seemed pleased too. We made our way back towards the restaurant knowing that was where the carriage ride was going to start. When we arrived, I saw a stubby man standing near a pure white stallion withrge brown eyes. Attached to the horse was the white carriage with golden framing around the doors and matching seats with golden and white cushions. This particr carriage ride around Monstro was called the royalty ride. I thought this would have been something Connie would enjoy, but it seems I had misjudged her. L looked up at therge and gorgeous horse with wide eyes. She was in awe of the creature and the smile that tugged at her perfectly plump lips caused my heart to quicken its pace. ¡°May I pet it?¡± L asked the stubby man who gave her the nod of approval. I watched as L, a bit too short to reach the horse¡¯s head, stood on her toes and reached her arm up to the horse¡¯s nose. She ran her slender fingers down the bridge of the nose and that smile only grew. The way the sun was setting made L¡¯s features glow and sparkle; I stifled a smile of my own. The horse snorted and closed its eyes, allowing L to pet it. ¡°We should get going before the sun actually sets,¡± the man said, moving around the carriage to open the doors. ¡°My name is William and I¡¯m the coachman for the evening. We will start with the beach views of Monstro and then gradually make our way into the city. There will be a firework show there once the sun ispletely set. Then, I¡¯ll be taking you to the theatre for the showing tonight.¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful; thank you,¡± L said to him, her eyes beaming as she slid into the carriage and sat in one of the seats. Categories Search¡­ I pulled out a $50 bill and handed it to the coachman, William, as a tip. He thanked me as I slid into the carriage and made myselffortable next to L. ¡°There is champagne in the cooler and some snacks; feel free to help yourself,¡± William added. I looked down and saw the wine sses that were hooked to the lower wall and beside them was a cooler. I opened the cooler and pulled out the bottle of champagne. ¡°Would you like some?¡± I asked L. She answered my question by grabbing the wine sses and holding them toward me to fill them. I met her response with a smile as I filled the sses. ¡°This is beautiful,¡± L said, staring around at the carriage. ¡°I¡¯m sure they would have loved it if given the chance.¡± ¡°They are happy doing their own thing,¡± I shrugged while taking a sip of the champagne. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t push it.¡± ¡°I know you are right,¡± she breathed leaning back in her seat. ¡°I feel rotten that I let myself get so consumed by this that I didn¡¯t even bother asking what she wanted. Or what he wanted.¡± I nced over at her and saw that she was gazing out the window, watching as we went by palm trees. The sky was now orange and made everything else around us look orange as well. I made a promise to myself that my rtionship with L would be nothing more than tonic. This wasn¡¯t something we could keep doing considering I was her professor. Though, I¡¯m not sure for how much longer. My father¡¯s men were beginning to snoop around our pack even more now that I¡¯m not there to protect it. Ethan and the Gammas have worked hard on protecting the pack and keeping things safe, but they feared that these now rogue wolves were going to do something stupid. ¡°They can smell that an active Vna has been in the pack,¡± Ethan had told me one evening. We call L and her mother an active Vna because they still have their powers and have the appearance of a Vna wolf. Those like my mother and the rogues she lives with are inactive because they gave up their abilities long ago. It was an attempt to keep themselves hidden and out of reach for those who wish to do them harm, however, because they are still technically Vna wolves, they can still be sensed if close enough. My father¡¯s followers don¡¯t know where my mother and the others are hiding, mainly because they have a witch that keeps their territory hidden. However, whenever they wander outside of their barriers, they are in danger of being found out. That was how my mother got hurt in the past. But the scent these followers were picking up from the pack was not the scent of my mother or the other inactive Vnas. It was the scent of L. Which meant that they were that much closer to finding out about her. Of course, they already knew she existed. Everybody in the werewolf world knew about Bastien¡¯s Vna daughter and wife. But nobody in their right mind would mess with Bastien¡¯s family. However, if my father¡¯s followers knew that she was my mate¡­ she would be in severe danger. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. Which meant I needed to keep her at arm¡¯s length. Having sex with her all these times while we were here was a mistake because of now her scent was on me. Resisting her was going to be difficult though because of how beautiful she is. Not to mention this mate bond we had was intense and made my wolf nearly lose control every time we were around her. One day, once I gained the respect and trust of the entire werewolf world when I rise my way to the top and be the number one Alpha and head of the Alphamittee, I will be able to take care of my father¡¯s followers and banish them for good. I will be able to protect my mother and the others and build their ownmunity within Calypso. I would be able to protect my mate. Not even Bastien has gained enough power to be able to do that. He made Elysium safe for his family, it was time for me to make Calypso safe for mine, along with the rest of the world. ¡°Are you okay?¡± L¡¯s voice brought me out of my head. I almost forgot where we were; she must have been worried since I had gone quiet. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, I knew the less she knew the more she would be safe. ¡°This is a beautiful ride,¡± she breathed, closing her eyes, and soaking in the cool breeze that tickled her feature. ¡°I¡¯m d we were able to do this together.¡± Her words caused my throat to tighten. This feeling she unintentionally gave me was like no other feeling I¡¯ve ever had. By the time we reached the city, the sun waspletely set and was reced with a dark sky and bright stars that danced above us. The moon shined its ray¡¯s down, something L was soaking in as well. I knew as a Vna, the moon gave her more energy than it would an average werewolf. I could see the strength and life illuminating around her and it caused her to smile as she stared up into the sky. I wanted to reach over to her and hold her hand, but I refrained from doing so. I feared the physical touch would be too much for my wolf and me to handle. The carriage soon stopped and that¡¯s when I heard the crackling of the fireworks. The fireworks lit up the sky and caused everything around us to light up in color. L was in awe over the disy, as was everyone else who gathered around the busy city streets. ¡°Enzo?¡± I heard L¡¯s small voice from beside me. When I looked over, she was chewing on her bottom lip, and I found myself being drawn to her. Her cheeks grew pink, and she looked almost embarrassed. ¡°I want you to kiss me¡­¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Enzo¡¯s POV I stared down at L¡¯s serious face, dumbfounded. Her cheeks were growing pinker by the moment, and I couldn¡¯t believe what she was asking. ¡°We just agreed to end our fling and we never had thatst kiss¡­¡± She rified, her voice dropping to nothing more than a whisper. Was that what this was? A fling? The word ¡°fling¡± left an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. To me, L was much more than a fling. She was the forbidden fruit I craved so desperately. I knew if I kissed her, I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the rest of her. The sound of the fireworks grew louder, drowning out L¡¯s soft voice as she spoke again. She was trying to further exin herself, but I didn¡¯t need her to. I knew where she wasing from and why she wanted this kiss. But I knew I would want much more of her if I gave her something this small. L sat before me, looking so beautiful, and smelling so delicious. Every second I was with her, my wolf was drawn to her even more. Max was practically going feral. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she quickly said, turning away from me. ¡°Forget I asked.¡± Just as she turned her head to look at the fireworks again, I cupped her face in my hands, holding her head firmly in my hands. She looked up at me in surprise; the only sounding from her was the sound of her rapidly beating heart. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± Before she could finish saying anything, I leaned closer to her and pressed my lips gently against hers. I was only meaning it to be a small kiss, but our mate bond was like a ma and drew me into her. Her lips were so soft and formed perfectly around mine as she deepened the kiss. I couldn¡¯t stop my tongue from exploring her mouth, massaging against her tongue. I dropped my hands from her face and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She went willingly and I could feel the Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org owns all content. smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she continued to kiss me. I ran my free hand to the top of her head and draped my fingers through her long and thick hair, tugging at it gently and massaging her scalp. She ran her fingers through my hair as well, causing goosebumps to stand tall on my arms. She was the only woman that ever had that effect on me. I bit onto her bottom lip, chewing on it, and drawing it into my mouth. I didn¡¯t want to let it go; it tasted so sweet, and my wolf was bing ravenous. This was bing much more than just a simple kiss as my manhood began to harden in my pants and she soon noticed this as well because her fingers began to trace the lining of my belt. I knew what she wanted, and I wasn¡¯t going to be able to resist her for much longer. It only took for William to turn around to see us; however, he was engrossed in the firework disy, and it was just loud enough that we might be able to get away with this without him finding out. That only made me grow even harder just as her hand traced my bulge and her kisses deepened. I couldn¡¯t take it any longer. I broke my kiss from her, leaving her breathless and panting. Her eyes stayed on my lips as I undid my belt and adjusted my pants, releasing myself from their restraint and revealing my manhood to her. Without even looking at it, she wrapped her soft and small fingers around the shaft and started to move her hand up and down slowly. I nearly gasped at the sensation, closing my eyes, and feeling her work her magic as she began to kiss me once again. I grew harder in her grasp, and she quickened her speed only slightly, using her other hand to rub my inner thigh. I ran my hands down her back until they reached her bottom, cupping it in my hands and bringing her even closer to me. Her dress was tight around her waist, and I slowly worked to move the hem of her dress to reveal hercy white panties. The scent of honeysuckle was potent in the carriage, and I could feel the heat radiating off her flesh. Her desires were painfully obvious to me, and I hoped they weren¡¯t obvious to William too. I looked over at him and saw that he was still fixated on the firework show. L broke her kiss from my lips and lowered herself; I closed my eyes again, feeling her lips wrapped around my erection and I filled her warm and inviting mouth. Her tongue swirled around the head causing my body to jolt. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep myself from moaning. I knew if I moaned, William would definitely hear us. She couldn¡¯t fit the whole thing into her mouth because of how big it was, so she continued with her tongue. She used her hands to move up and down the shaft; I wanted more than anything to plunge myself deeply into her. But I couldn¡¯t do that right here; the most I could do was fuck her perfect little mouth. I wrapped my hands through her hair so I could have control of her movements. She didn¡¯t stop me as I started to thrust my hips, jamming me into her until hit the back of her throat. Tears wedged in her eyes, and she had to adjust her body so she could be morefortable, but I saw the smile fighting the corner of her lips as I quickened the speed. She whimpered slightly as I continued to hit the back of her throat; the sound of her gag only made me want her that much more. I slowed down my pace when she was growing loud; I pulled myself out of her mouth and lowered myself, so I was at eye level with her before shushing her with my lips. I kissed her intently, shoving my tongue into her mouth as she continued with her hands to please me by tugging on my erection. Goddess. What was she doing to me? I used my hands to raise her dress till it was wrested on her hips and yed with the lining of her panties. I wanted her so badly and from the scent of her desires, she wanted me just as badly. I moved her panties to the side and began to rub in slow circles around her center with my thumb. This only caused her chest to rapid move as her breathing intensified. Her juices dripped between her legs, coating my fingers as I shoved one into her. She gasped at the sensation and naturally broke her kiss from mine to throw her head back. I used that as my opportunity to kiss down her neck, resisting the urge to mark her right then and there upon Max¡¯s desperate request. ¡°Get on top of me,¡± I whispered against her ear as I nibbled on her lobe. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she breathed in return, keeping her eyes closed as I continued to work my fingers inside of her and move my thumb in circles. ¡°He might see¡­¡± She was referring to William who couldn¡¯t hear a thing over the loudness of the fireworks. At that point, even if he did see and hear us, I couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I expressed, my voice deep and husky. ¡°I need you.¡± Without another word, I grabbed onto each side of her hips and moved her until she was positioned on top of me. Her dark strands of hair fell over her face, so I moved it behind her ear with my fingers just before I kissed her deeply. I didn¡¯t even need to position myself inside of her, my erection did it for me. I was soon burying myself inside of her; she moved her hips against mine to deepen me. I used my hands to pull down the front of her dress and reveal her incredible breasts. I began to lick at her nipples, tugging one of them with my teeth and ying with the other between my fingers as she continued to grind against me. Her breathing grew more intense, and I knew this meant she was close to her beak. I felt the rising tension as well and knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before Ibusted. I bit onto her nipple even harder, causing her to whimper slightly as she drew her fingers through my hair. She quickened her speed as sweat formed on her gorgeous features and began to drip down her body. She went in for another kiss, moaning softly into my mouth and allowing me to muffle her sounds. We breathed one another in, moaning softly against one another¡¯s lips just as her climax took her and her legs grew weak. I felt her body trembling and jolting just as she copsed against me. I quickly pulled out of her, finishing into my hands, not wanting to make a mess in the carriage. She pressed her forehead against mine and fought to catch her breath before she gained the strength to get off me and readjust herself in her seat next to me. ¡°What a show!¡± William cooed, pping as the fireworks concluded. ¡°Those get better every time I see them. Shall we get to the theatre?¡± Chapter 160 Chapter 160 L¡¯s POV I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to walk once, we got to the theatre. I couldn¡¯t believe we pulled that off without William spotting us. It was meant only to be ourst kiss but turned into something much more. Even after the climax, I felt hot all over, so I knew my body was probably very pink. Once I was off Enzo and adjusting myself back into my dress, he was tucking himself back into his pants. I couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly disappointed because I wanted so much more of him. I was ashamed of myself for even thinking that thought. It was entirely out of character for me. I could still taste Enzo on my lips, and I brought my fingers to my bottom lip to feel how swollen it was from his biting and sucking. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the memory. We said nothing as we made our way to the theatre; it was a ballet because we knew Connie enjoyed watching the dancing. It wasn¡¯t something I enjoyed specifically, but we already got the tickets. The theatre was crowded, which wasn¡¯t surprising considering this was the biggest and most famous theatre in the world. William parked the carriage just outside the doors so we could get out and I felt myself blushing as he smiled at me. I knew he couldn¡¯t hear or see anything happening but knowing he was present while Enzo and I had sex caused me to be embarrassed easily. Enzo held his hand out for me to take as he helped me out of the carriage. He gave William another tip before thanking him. William tipped his hat and went back to the carriage while we went towards the entrance of the theatre. I wasn¡¯t fully dressed for a theatre date; we weren¡¯t nning oning here. The most we were nning on doing was spying on Connie and Tyler at dinner and then we were going to leave them alone for the evening. We had pretty good seats, close to the front, so we could see the stage clearly. Enzo motioned for me to sit down before he sat down with me. Categories Search¡­ This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. After a while the lights dimmed and gorgeous dancers appeared on the stage. The music was loud and boomed across the theatre, and the outfits the dancers wore were captivating and kept everybody¡¯s attention. I found myself in awe of them, though I was having trouble concentrating as Enzo sat beside me and the memory of the carriage ride invaded my mind. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing or if it was on his mind at all. I nced over at him, and I saw him watching the show intently like he was studying. I wondered if he liked this kind of thing. It was never a thing we discussed before but then again; I never really made it a mission to get to know him on that personal level. There was a tightness in my throat as his scent filled my nose. Before I could grasp what was happening, Enzo was wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. I felt heat rising in my features. His eyes were still fixated on the show. My heart raced rapidly against my chest, and I wondered what he was going to do. I wondered why he felt the need to hold me so close. Then, his hand started to move down my waist, and I felt the blood draining from my body. He was lowering his hand until it was under my butt, and he cupped it tightly, making me jump in surprise. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± I tried to protest but I felt the bottom of my dress being moved upward. It was just dark enough that nobody would notice this if we were careful, but we had to be exceptionally quiet because there were a lot of quiet moments during the dance. Without taking his eyes off the stage, he leaned down and whispered for only my ears, ¡°I want to have my way with you.¡± Heat tickled the back of my neck, and I could only imagine how I must have looked to him. ¡°Are you insane?¡± I asked, peering up at him. ¡°We can¡¯t right here.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go the bathroom,¡± he murmured against me. I opened my mouth to protest against that risky n, but my wolf¡¯s excitement stopped me. She wanted to be with our mate more than anything and she didn¡¯t want me to deny him. ¡°Right now?¡± I asked, raising my brows at him. The sexy smirk on his lips told me everything I needed to know, and I felt my heart nearly jump into my throat. I swallowed down the lump in my throat as he pulled the bottom of my dress back down. He stood up just then and took my hand, pulling me along with him. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t get too much attention as we left the theatre hall and stumbled into the quiet and vacant halls. Only some security remained at the front entrance along with the ticket booth workers. We managed to slip past them and make it to the female bathroom. I went in first to make sure nobody was in the stalls; when I saw the bathroom was empty, I opened the doors and gave him the okay to enter. He instantly locked the doors. Excitement filled me as he turned to face me. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± I said, my toneing out as a squeak. ¡°Oh, this won¡¯t take long,¡± he said with a devilish grin as he rushed toward me. He was soon wrapping his hands around my waist and putting me on the sink; I wrapped my legs around him and kissed him deeply. He tasted so good, and I couldn¡¯t get enough of him. He didn¡¯t waste much time teasing me and I was d for that. He was sliding my white panties down my legs, and I allowed them to drop to the ground. He soon positioned himself between my legs and I gasped as I felt his tongue running circles around my center. I held onto the sink for dear life, worried that I might fall. He was licking every ounce of juice that fell from me and I nearlybusted with pleasure. My legs grew weak as my body trembled uncontrobly. He held my legs tightly, making it impossible for me to move them on my own. He spread them further,pletely exposing me to him. I could see the pure hunger in his eye, and it waspletely turning me on. Just as I was feeling my rising climax, he stopped and began trailing his kisses up my body until he reached my neckline. He started to kiss and lick my neck, nibbling on my ear gently as I ran my fingers through his thick dark hair. He was such a beautiful man, and, at this moment, he waspletely and utterly mine. But for how long afterward, I wasn¡¯t sure. He adjusted himself so his manhood waspletely freed from his pants and wedged between my legs. I had the memory of putting it in my mouth in the carriage and my features grew hot. It was so big I couldn¡¯t even get it halfway into my mouth before it made me gag. I sighed with satisfaction as he slid himself into me, thrusting hard. This time, I allowed myself to moan out his name softly. It¡¯s not like anybody could hear me. It was torture not being able to moan in the carriage and I knew he felt it too. He buried his face into my neck, and I felt his teeth grazing my shoulder de. Did this mean he wanted to mark me and im me as his own? Did he decide not to reject me after graduation? I could feel my wolf¡¯s eagerness and I decided I wasn¡¯t going to stop him if he chose to mark me right now. But the mark never came; instead, he put his canines away and kissed the spot gently before trailing his kisses back to my lips. I stared around his face while he kissed me, and I could almost see the trouble in his eyes. He was struggling against something, and I wanted so badly for him to let me in. I wanted to see the demons he battled but something was telling me he was never going to show me those demons. As he picked up the pace and continued to thrust deeply into me, I felt my rising climax and I couldn¡¯t help but moan even louder. He muffled the sounds with his lips and sucked on my bottom lip as he often does. Soon, my entire body was trembling against his and my legs had gone weak. I fell against him, gasping for breath as I orgasmed. After a few more thrusts, he pulled out of me and finished in the sink. We remained heavily breathing for a long while until we heard a loud knocking on the door startling us both. ¡°Hello? Is anyone in there? I need to go to the bathroom! Unlock the door!¡± Then another voice came from down the hall; it was a worker. ¡°That¡¯s odd that it¡¯s locked. Hold on, I have the key.¡± Chapter 161 Chapter 161 L¡¯s POV I felt a wave of panic hearing the knocking on the door. Soon, they would be unlocking the door, and Enzo and I would be exposed. I quickly slid off the counter and adjusted my dress to cover me once again, my fingers trembling as I pulled on my underpants. Enzo adjusted himself as well, but he didn¡¯t look as concerned. He took his time as he tucked himself into his pants, almost bored. ¡°We can¡¯t be seen in here together,¡± I said in a harsh whisper, my voice feeling strained. He nodded his head only once. ¡°I need you to trust me,¡± he said, meeting my eyes. His demeanor was so calm and unbothered that I instantly started feeling better. I knew at that moment that he had a n. Without saying anything he looked up at the window that rested on the top of the wall on the far side of the bathroom. Was he seriously thinking about climbing through the window? The footsteps only grew louder; our time was up. Enzo was already standing on a tform and pushed the window open. He moved with such ease that I was amazed by him. He looked down at me and held out his hand. ¡°We don¡¯t have time,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°We have to go.¡± I looked at the bathroom door just as the key was inserted. I quickly turned back to Enzo and grabbed his hand. With his help, I could climb on the tform and slide out the window. It wasn¡¯t a far drop to the ground, but I managed to climb down with Enzo closely behind me. Categories Search¡­ Just before we got to the ground, I heard the bathroom door opening. ¡°That¡¯s odd¡­¡± the worker said. ¡°I thought I heard voices.¡± Enzo grabbed my hand again and we ran as fast as we could away from the theatre. We only got a few strange looks as we ran into the busy streets and down the long sidewalks. I began tough as we picked up speed; Enzo looked back at the building to make sure no one was looking out the window we had just escaped from. When he didn¡¯t see anybody there, he started tough too. Enzoughed so rarely that it made my heart skip a beat whenever I got to see it. It made me smile that much more to watch him loosen up and allow himself to have a little fun. Even if it was naughty fun. We finally stopped running and I fought to catch my breath while Enzo got us a cab to take us back to the resort. Once we returned, I was surprised to see that Connie wasn¡¯t there. It was veryte in the evening; we left her alone with Tyler hours ago. I assumed she would be back by now. ¡°I¡¯ll try her cellphone,¡± Enzo said with that worried look in his eyes. He grabbed his phone and called her but frowned immediately. ¡°Straight to voicemail.¡± ¡°Should we go looking for her?¡± Just as that question left my lips, the door swung open, and Connie stood there with a dazed smile on her face. Her clothes appeared dirty from the sand at the beach and her hair was messy. I had never seen her look so unkempt before. She also reeked of boos, so I knew she was intoxicated. ¡°Connie, what happened to you?¡± I asked before Enzo had the chance. ¡°I had the time of my life is what happened,¡± Connie chuckled, her face reddening slightly as she staggered into the suite. ¡°Tyler was so sweet and so handsome¡­¡± She breathed, nearly falling over. ¡°He wanted to walk me to the room, but he was so drunk, and I told the cab driver to just bring him home.¡± ¡°You were with Tyler this entire time?¡± I asked, raising my brows at her. Hours ago, she was saying she wanted to reject him; it looked as if she had changed her mind. Connie chuckled again. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to leave him,¡± she cooed. ¡°Oh, I wish I knew him sooner. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have made the terrible mistakes I¡¯ve made. I¡¯m so sorry, Enzo. For all the shit I put you through. I know how important a mate is now. I understand your feelings for L. It¡¯s like no other!¡± Enzo gave me a look and I felt the heat rushing to my face instantly; I quickly averted my eyes. Enzo grabbed onto Connie¡¯s arm before she fell over and helped her to the couch. ¡°You are very drunk, Connie. You should sleep it off. Tell us about your date in the morning.¡± ¡°I will,¡± she breathed, setting in on the couch. ¡°But Enzo, a word of advice,¡± she started to say as her eyes drifted shut. ¡°You should tell L how you feel¡­ she¡¯s your mate and you love her. Just like I love Tyler. It doesn¡¯t matter what anyone else thinks or says about it. You should¡­¡± her voice faded out and telling from the light snoring that reced her words, she was asleep. Enzo and I just stared at her, dumbfounded, at what she had just said. I chanced a look at Enzo and he returned the look. Both of us were silent and unsure of what to say. I knew Connie was talking about me being a Vna. Enzo was afraid others would judge our rtionship if we were to pursue one. Plus, he had told me not long ago that he could never truly be with a Vna. I wasn¡¯t sure why Connie was suddenly going on about Enzo and my rtionship. ¡°I should get to bed. I have to work in the morning,¡± I told him, brushing my fingers through my hair awkwardly. Enzo nodded, but his eyes never left my face. ¡°Good night, L,¡± he finally said after a long pause. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Good night, Enzo.¡± ¡­ It¡¯s been a few weeks since the night of that date. Enzo and I haven¡¯t really spoken about what Connie said. I think it was a mutual agreement that she was wrong. We couldn¡¯t bring this rtionship back with us anyway, so it was a moot point. What we had was only in Monstro. It was an incredible experience, and it was nice knowing what it felt like to have a mate. But after I graduated from this school, Enzo was going to reject me. I had to face the fact that he might be my mate, but we aren¡¯t destined to be together. I still had hope for my second chance mate though. It sucks that he won¡¯t be my first kiss or have my virginity though. But I couldn¡¯t change what had happened. I can only work to be better for both me and my wolf. It¡¯s been an incredible trip; I¡¯ve learned so much and done a lot of work. I feel like I have a great footing when ites to my career. Cassidy-Ann sold millions of dors worth of art and really put her name out there for the world. All-in-all it was a sessful trip, but it was time that we got back to reality and went home. We have a flight this afternoon to catch. My family was set to meet us at the airport, and I was so excited to see them. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve had a hug from my mother and father. I spent most of the morning packing my things while Enzo was getting everything ready for our flight. ¡°Have you seen Connie?¡± Enzo asked, leaning against the door frame of my room. ¡°She didn¡¯te homest night. I¡¯m assuming she was with Tyler.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been with Tyler almost every night these past few weeks,¡± I said, a hint of a smile on my lips. ¡°She¡¯s smitten by him.¡± ¡°Yeah, for someone who imed she couldn¡¯t be with an omega, she hasn¡¯t left his side,¡± Enzo said, shaking his head but I saw the humor in his eyes. We were both silenced when we heard the main door opening and then shutting. ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± Enzo said, turning to greet Connie who had just returned. I stopped what I was doing so I could go with him. Connie had a wide grin on her face when we entered the living room. ¡°Was starting to worry. We have a flight to catch in a couple of hours and you have a lot to pack,¡± Enzo said, staring at her smiling face. ¡°I¡¯ll pack,¡± she said, staring between the two of us. ¡°But I¡¯m not going with you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Enzo and I said in unison. Connieughed happily. ¡°I¡¯m staying!¡± She announced. ¡°Tyler asked me to live with him in his pack and I epted! Chapter 162 Chapter 162 L¡¯s POV ¡°You¡¯re staying?¡± Enzo asked, raising his brows. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise? You barely know him.¡± ¡°They are mates,¡± I shrugged. ¡°She knows all she needs to know. They are destined for one another.¡± Enzo gave me a look before looking at Connie. ¡°She¡¯s right. I love him. I can¡¯t deny it. I want to be with my mate. So, yes. I¡¯m staying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy you decided not to reject him!¡± I cooed. ¡°You are going to have such a nice life with your mate.¡± I was a bit envious honestly, but I wasn¡¯t going to say that out loud. Enzo gave me another look, but he didn¡¯t say anything either. I went back to my room to finish packing while Enzo and Connie talked things over. She¡¯s been his best friend since childhood, so I figured they¡¯d want a little bit of privacy on theirst day together. When I got back into my room, I grabbed my phone to check my messages and saw that Brianna had texted me. ¡°Oh, my goddess!! We have so much to catch up on! I can¡¯t wait to hear about your trip! See you soon. XOXO!¡± I smiled at the phone. Brianna had found her mate; I wondered if she was going to take him to the airport. He¡¯s part of Uncle Don¡¯s gamma army. She¡¯s been so excited and from the sounds of her texts thesest few weeks, she¡¯s very smitten. I just hope she doesn¡¯t have to experience what I¡¯m experiencing. A mate that doesn¡¯t want her back. ¡°What do you mean he doesn¡¯t want us?¡± Val, who has been oddly quiet until that moment, chimed in. ¡°He spent weeks having sex with you! Must I remind you of that hot date?¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to remind me of anything. We only went on that date because Connie and Tyler bailed,¡± I shrugged. ¡°What about the sex?¡± Val purred. ¡°The theatre¡­¡± ¡°It was ourst time together,¡± I said quickly, stopping her before she said anything more. ¡°When I graduate, he¡¯s going to reject us. We have to get used to the idea now, Val.¡± Her head lowered in my mind¡¯s eye, and I knew I hurt her feelings. I hated that feeling and I wanted to apologize, but she recoiled away, not wanting to hear another word. ¡­ ¡°Wee home, L!!!¡± Brianna cooed as she threw her arms around me, pulling me in for arge hug. ¡°I¡¯m so excited that you are back!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± I said in return, chuckling as I hugged her back. My mom was next to grab me and hug me. ¡°Oh, L Bean. It hasn¡¯t been the same without you! I¡¯m so happy you are home safe.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear about everything I missed,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home! We are having a little get-together tonight to wee you home,¡± my mom exined. ¡°You are invited as well, Enzo,¡± my father said, patting him on the back. ¡°Thank you for taking care of my little girl. l owe you big time.¡± ¡°I was happy to help. It was nice to get away for a bit. But I guess it¡¯s time to get back to reality.¡± Enzo and my father started walking off, talking. Bri draped her arm through mine, and I rested my head on her shoulder as we walked toward the exit of the airport. Cassidy-Ann took an earlier flight because she needed to deal with Scott and fix her art gallery. I made a mental note to check in on Scottter, but for right now, I just wanted to get home to thefort of the Nova Pack. ¡°So, where¡¯s your mate?¡± I asked once no one else was in earshot. ¡°You¡¯ll meet him at your packhouse. He stayed behind to help set up the party,¡± Bri said with a broad smile. ¡°My Uncle Don and my mom are there as well. I think he just wants to get on their good side.¡± ¡°Is he on their bad side?¡± I asked, lifting my head to look at her. Sheughed. ¡°Oh, goddess no. He¡¯s my mate; they couldn¡¯t hate him. Actually, they respect him a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really good to hear, Bri,¡± I said in return. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet him.¡± The five of us got into my dad¡¯s car and we drove about 30 minutes until we reached Elysium. Soon after, we reached the Nova Packhouse. As it came into view, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I was home. There were a bunch of cars parked out front, some of which I recognized. I was eager to see everybody. ¡°Wee home,¡± my father breathed from the front seat. ¡°It¡¯s good to be home,¡± I said in return. We piled out of the car and Beta Aiden was quick to greet us. ¡°Hello, Miss L. How was the trip?¡± ¡°Uncle Aiden!¡± I cooed, throwing my arms around him. ¡°It feels like I¡¯ve been away for years.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I know it? I know you aren¡¯t around here often because of school, but it didn¡¯t feel right knowing you weren¡¯t in our region.¡± I chuckled. He grabbed my bags and began walking towards the packhouse. Enzo grabbed his own bags; his car was parked nearby so he just went ahead and brought his things to his car. ¡°You¡¯re staying, right?¡± I asked, walking closely behind him. ¡°For the party I mean?¡± ¡°I should get back to my pack,¡± Enzo said, staring around my sunken face. ¡°Beta Ethan has been mindlinking me nonstop for thest few days. I guess they ran into some trouble.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said, staring at the ground. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I was hoping we could spend a little more time together¡­¡± I knew it was hopeful thinking, but I still hoped. ¡°L¡ª¡± He went on to say, but the voice of my father interrupted him. ¡°Enzo, I hope you aren¡¯t leaving just yet. We still have to talk in my study,¡± he said, eyeing him carefully. Enzo nodded, ncing at me briefly. ¡°We¡¯ll talk moreter,¡± he assured me. He finished putting his things in his car before we went to speak to my father privately. I furrowed my brows together, curious about what they were going off to talk about and why they couldn¡¯t do it in front of me. Part of me wanted to follow behind them and try to listen to their conversation, but I saw Brianna waving me over from the front door with a wide smile on her face. I sighed and followed her inside. She stood next to a tall and broad man with orange hair and huge muscles. He had kind blue eyes with longshes and freckles around his nose and cheeks. He wore the uniform of a gamma warrior, equipped with weapons, which wasn¡¯t unusual for a gamma warrior. He matched my Uncle Don when it came to his uniform, except Donovan had a red symbol on his chest indicating that he was the leader. Bri grabbed this gentlemen¡¯s arm and pulled him closer to her, that smile never leaving her lips. ¡°You must be Alexander,¡± I said, reaching my hand out to shake. He shook it without hesitation and bowed his head at me. ¡°It¡¯s great to finally meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. From both Donovan and Brianna,¡± Alexander said in return, keeping his head bowed. ¡°You are kind of a legend actually.¡± Iughed. ¡°A legend you say?¡± I rose my brows. ¡°You are a badass fighter and a Vna wolf. You fear nothing and you¡¯ve faced so many challenges your entire life. Yes, a legend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you,¡± I said, ncing at Brianna who bit her bottom lip to stifle a giggle. She seriously was smitten with him, and I was so d for her; yet I was also a bit envious. Which reminded me that Enzo was off having a secret conversation with my father. ¡°Can we talk moreter? There¡¯s someone I need to speak with,¡± I told them both, stepping around them. Brianna frowned like she was about to protest, but she kept her mouth shut and watched as I went towards my father¡¯s office. My father¡¯s office door was at the end of the long hallway, and it was closed tightly with only a faint light under the door indicating that someone was in there. The closer I got to the door, the more I was picking up Enzo¡¯s scent, so I knew he was there with my father. I paused outside the door, just as I began to hear their voices. ¡°Have you thought more about our conversation fromst month? The semester officially starts next week,¡± My father said to him. ¡°Yes,¡± Enzo said in return. ¡°It¡¯s all I could think about.¡± ¡°And? Have you made up your mind?¡± ¡°I made it up a while ago, Alpha,¡± Enzo said to my father. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but my decision hasn¡¯t changed at all. I can¡¯t remain at this school any longer. I won¡¯t be returning as a professor. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 L¡¯s POV ¡°What did he just say?¡± Val croaked as we stepped away from the door. It felt like my entire world had just crumbled down around me. Enzo was quitting. Was it because of me? Did I push him away? ¡°I wish there was something I could say that would change your mind,¡± my father had said to him, sounding defeated. ¡°But I understand. You need to do what¡¯s best for you and your pack and you say being a professor is too distracting to your daily work. I get it.¡± ¡°I knew you would, and I really appreciate it. I also appreciate the opportunity you¡¯ve given me. I¡¯m d I was able to be the professor for shifting andbat for the short while I was. It means a lot that you trusted me enough with this task and trusted me to take care of your daughter.¡± ¡°She¡¯s grown fond of you¡­¡± my father said I felt a jab of pain in my heart. If only he knew the truth. If only he knew that Enzo was my mate, and it was more than just the fondness I was feeling. Enzo was quiet or maybe he was saying something I couldn¡¯t hear. Could he sense me outside this door? Did he know I was listening? ¡°She¡¯s going to be upset when she finds out¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell her,¡± Enzo assured him. ¡°But not today. I want her to enjoy the party and get settled in.¡± ¡°The sooner you tell her, the better.¡± How long had Enzo been nning on leaving the school? Was it before our trip to Monstro? The thought of him knowing about this from the very beginning was infuriating. So many chances he had to tell me, and he chose not to. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Categories Search¡­ I realized soon that their talking had stopped. Then I heard footstepsing towards the door and I froze. They were about to see me standing before them. I could stay and confront him right now, but this probably wasn¡¯t the best ce to do so. I didn¡¯t want my father nearby when I gave Enzo a piece of my mind. Turning away, I squared my shoulders and began to walk towards the party. By the time they had opened the door and stepped into the hall, I was already around the corner. I almost got back to the party, but then I heard my name. ¡°L, there you are. I was looking for you,¡± Brody said with a bright smile and a half wave. Ipletely forgot that he was here. Ba was also here somewhere as well. I invited Rachel too, but she wasn¡¯t answering my texts. I only heard from her once this summer and she promised she was going to be returning to school this semester. Ba, Rachel, and I are supposed to be roommates; I was told we were given a bigger dorm as well. ¡°I wanted to give you these,¡± Brody said, revealing a gorgeous bouquet. I knew it was only a matter of time before Enzo and my father walked around the corner and saw us. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of you, Brody,¡± I said to him, taking the flowers from his hand. He narrowed his eyes at me with a small frown. ¡°Are you okay? You seem a little off,¡± he pointed out, staring around my face questionably. Before I could answer, I sensed Enzo was standing behind me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you at the party?¡± Enzo asked, staring down at me. My face reddened, but I kept myposure. I looked at my father who shuffled in his feet awkwardly. ¡°Brody I¡¯ll walk you back to the party,¡± my father finally said after a beat of silence. As he walked by, he took the flowers from me. ¡°I¡¯ll find a vase¡± he added. He patted Brody on the back, motioning for him to follow. Brody kept his eyes on me though, clearly not wanting to leave me alone. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in there,¡± I assured him. Brody still kept his eyes on me for a moment longer before finally following my father down the hall. Once we were alone, I looked up at Enzo. ¡°How much of that did you hear?¡± Enzo asked immediately. He must have been able to sense me lurking outside the door after all; I should have known I couldn¡¯t hide that from him. ¡°Enough to know that you are leaving,¡± I answered, trying to keep my tone even and my eyes on his. ¡°That¡¯s not how I wanted you to find out.¡± ¡°How did you want me to find out then, Enzo? Did you want me to return to school and then realize you weren¡¯t going to be there? Was I supposed to find out in ss with the other students? You know I signed up to take the second course,¡± I said, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°How exactly was I supposed to find out?¡± ¡°I was going to tell you before you went back.¡± ¡°When did you decide that you wanted to quit?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°Was it before Monstro?¡± He didn¡¯t answer, which in terms was an answer. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°You knew all this time?¡± I asked, my voice beginning to betray me by bing weak. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Is it because of me?¡± I finally asked the question that¡¯s been weighing on my heart. ¡°Are you leaving to get away from me?¡± ¡°What?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m a Vna and I disgust you, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s why you are leaving. It¡¯s because you hate me.¡± ¡°You are being stupid, L.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one being stupid?¡± I asked; I could feel myself growing angry with him and I hated that I was feeling this way. ¡°How could you say that when you are the one leaving.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°No, you just don¡¯t want to exin it to me,¡± I shot back, Tears filled my eyes. My wolf was growing restless, and her distress was heavy. This wasn¡¯t the time or ce to be having this conversation and I knew if it continued, I would start crying. I wasn¡¯t going to show him that kind of weakness. I bit onto my bottom lip, chewing on it as I thought of what more to say. ¡°I need to get back to the party,¡± I finally said, my voice sounding hollow and yet strained as fought to keep myself under control. When I got like this, there was no telling if I would be able to keep my powers stable. My mother was here and would be able to help me, no doubt. But I didn¡¯t want to burden her with saving me from myself yet again. However, just as I turned away from him, he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me into his open embrace. My entire body red up in heat as he wrapped his warm and strong arms around me. The thought of pushing him away burdened my mind, but my heart was weak to him. I buried my face in his chest and allowed his scent to fill my nose, and wrap around me like a warm nket. He kept one hand on the back of my head and the other was wrapped around my waist to keep me in this position. Our mate bond was strong at that moment and out of all the times I¡¯ve been with him in Monstro, this moment felt different. It felt more powerful. ¡°Enzo¡ª¡± I whispered hoarsely but he shushed me to keep me silent. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving because I hate you, L. I don¡¯t hate you. I thought I made that obvious during our time together in Monstro,¡± he said in a low tone for only my ears alone. I wanted to say something in return but couldn¡¯t think of the words. I just remained still and continued to listen to him as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m leaving because I can¡¯t stop thinking about you and that alone will destroy me¡­¡± What was he saying? I didn¡¯t understand what he meant, but my heart was rapidly beating against my chest. ¡°Every time I¡¯m around you I want to touch you¡­ I can¡¯t go a single second without wanting your lips on mine. To press my body against yours and have you over and over again. It¡¯s driving me insane, L.¡± He spoke through his teeth; I could hear the frustration he was feeling. I managed to sneak a look at his face, his lips brushing against my forehead and sending warmth through my body. His face was so serious, and I could see the trouble in his eyes. ¡°Do you have any idea what you do to me?¡± He asked; he was staring at my lips now, his arms still wrapped around me. I managed to shake my head once. ¡°You make me feel things I¡¯ve never felt before.¡± Goddess¡­ how was he this captivating? I forgot why I was mad at him. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving because I hate you¡­¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m leaving because I¡¯m in love with you.¡± Chapter 164 Chapter 164 L¡¯s POV Love. It was such a strong word and something I was reserving for my mate. Enzo was my mate and now that this moment had arrived, I found myself troubled with the thought of whether this was the future I saw myself having. Enzo wasn¡¯t my ideal choice of a mate in the beginning. He was set in his own ways, and he made it no secret that having a mate was nothing more than a burden to him. It wasn¡¯t the love story I had envisioned, but this past year with him has been something for the books. He was my first kiss. He took my virginity. But could I truly trust him enough to give him my heart? I mentally epted the fact that he was going to reject me in a few years after graduation once my wolf was strong enough to handle the rejection. Was he saying he no longer wanted to reject me? It was a mind game and I feared that it was a game that I would lose. Before I could say anything in return, though, Enzo brought his lips to mine. His kiss was sweet and soft; it wasn¡¯t riddled with hunger and lust like it always is. It was more like he wanted to take care of me. His fingertips brushed down the side of my face as he deepened the kiss. When the kiss ended, I found myself with my eyes closed, wishing for more. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you that sooner,¡± he said. ¡°But I can¡¯t leave without you knowing how I feel. How I¡¯ve been feeling.¡± His words brought me back to reality and I opened my eyes, peering up at his face. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Categories Search¡­ He was still nning on leaving. It hurt knowing he wasn¡¯t going to be at this school, but did that mean it was because he wanted to be with me as my mate? I wanted to ask him, but I heard footsteps approaching from around the corner and his arms dropped to his sides. I turned just as my mother came around the corner. ¡°Oh, there you are,¡± she breathed. ¡°What are you doing in the hall?¡± ¡°I was just talking to¡ª¡± I nced behind me, my voice faltered away when I saw that Enzo was gone. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°No one¡­¡± I finished; I couldn¡¯t hide the sadness in my voice. ¡°I was talking to no one¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± my mother said, furrowing her brows together. ¡°Well, I just set out dinner. It¡¯s a buffet.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, straightening my shoulders and trying to appear as normal as possible. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me all that happened on your tripter,¡± she said with a knowing smile as we continued to walk toward the dining area. Just as we entered, I heard a loud crashing sound and then what sounded like Corinne screaming. Everybody was silenced as she screamed in frustration, and I knew she was crying without even looking at her. ¡°You did this on purpose!!!¡± She cried. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?!¡± I broke away from my mother and pushed through the crowd until I saw Corinne standing in the center of the dining hall with a broken dish scattered around her and food covering her from head to toe. Tears burned in her eyes. She wore a cute dress with cherries stitched throughout it, which was nowpletely stained. There was also a basketball near her feet, which I¡¯m assuming was the cause of the broken dish. Flynn stood off to the side with wide eyes and a boy that I knew to be Flynn¡¯s best friend, stood beside him biting onto his bottom lip like he was stifling augh. ¡°What happened?¡± My father asked before I had the chance to ask anything. ¡°He threw a ball at me,¡± Corrine sniffled, wiping her misty eyes on the back of her hand. ¡°He ruined my dress and broke the dish¡­¡± My father red at Flynn. ¡°Flynn¡ª¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, Dad!¡± Flynn said quickly, throwing his hands up in defense. ¡°I swear. I¡¯m innocent.¡± ¡°No¡­ it was that jerk,¡± Corinne, muttered, pointing at Flynn¡¯s friend. ¡°Justin,¡± my father said, pressing his lips together in a disapproving manner. ¡°This is no way for future Alpha¡¯s to act.¡± Justin was known for his mayhem and for as long as Flynn and Justin have been friends, he¡¯s always seeming to get Flynn mixed up in his mess too. Flynn had known Justin for a few years; they met at school. Justin belongs to a different pack located in Elysium. The neighboring pack, Stonewood. While the twins are 13 years old, Justin is 16 and I would have thought he would be a little more mature. Lile Flynn, he was training to be an Alpha and he only had a few more years to be ready. ¡°Okay, sweetheart. Let¡¯s get you cleaned up,¡± my mom said, draping her arm around Corinne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sorry for the disturbance everybody,¡± she added to the rest of the crowd. ¡°Flynn, Justin¡­e to my office,¡± my father said, using his stern voice. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°But dad¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not arguing,¡± my father interrupted. ¡°My office.¡± Flynn lowered his head and went with Justin to my father¡¯s office. Everybody stood, silently and awkwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t let this ruin anything,¡± I said, giving a smallugh. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of food. Please enjoy the meal.¡± With that being said, everybody started to mingle once again, and I went to clean up the food. ¡°I hope Corinne is okay,¡± Bri said with a timid frown as I grabbed the broom and dustpan from the closet. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°She¡¯s just mellow dramatic. My parents will take care of it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know why they allow that jerk in this packhouse. He only causes issues,¡± she said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Who even is that?¡± Ba asked, approaching with Brody who was staring off in the direction of my father¡¯s office. ¡°He¡¯s Flynn¡¯s best friend,¡± I answered. ¡°The future Alpha of the Stonewood pack.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a future Alpha?¡± Brody asked, raising his brows. ¡°He better shape up before he¡¯s put in charge.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been training with both his father and mine,¡± I exined. ¡°For the sake of his pack, I hope he shapes up.¡± Once I finished cleaning the mess, I helped myself to some food and then went to join Bri and Alexander at the table on the far side of the dining room while Brody and Ba fixed their own tes at the buffet table. ¡°So, tell me¡­ how was the sex between you and Enzo?¡± Bri blurted out excitedly. ¡°Brianna!¡± I scolded, ncing at Alexander who looked unphased, but also curious. ¡°Oh please, he¡¯s my mate. Of course, he already knows,¡± Brianna chuckled. ¡°Just tell us! Are you two officially an item now?¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, my face reddening. ¡°We always said while we were in Monstro that our rtionship couldn¡¯te back home with us for obvious reasons. But I just found out he quit being a teacher¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Bri gasped. ¡°Did he quit because of you?¡± ¡°He said he did,¡± I admitted, blushing. ¡°He said he quit because he can¡¯t stop thinking about me and that he loves me¡­¡± Brianna squealed at my words, causing some others to nce in our direction. ¡°Did you say it back?¡± That question came from Alexander; he was now just as invested as Bri. They truly were perfect for each other. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have the chance to say anything. We were interrupted by my mom and then he left quickly after.¡± ¡°Are you going to say it back?¡± Bri asked, raising her brows. That was a loaded question; I wasn¡¯t sure. I knew how Val was feeling, but I had this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that Enzo wasn¡¯t telling me something. Like he was keeping something from me. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV It felt like a long trip back to my pack, but it felt good to be back. Beta Ethan was the first to greet me and he had a grim look on his face as I got out of the car. ¡°They are back for the third time this month,¡± Ethan told me, taking hold of my bags to bring them inside. ¡°I won¡¯t let them in the packhouse, but they are on the back patio.¡± I nodded my head and said nothing as I made my way around the packhouse and toward the patio. The patio overlooked therge chunk ofnd that held the battlegrounds/arena, the garden, and the pool yard. There were threerge men wearing armor that sat on the patio, waiting for my arrival. I recognized one of them to be my father¡¯s former beta. ¡°Why are you on mynd?¡± I asked, not wanting to deal with the small talk. ¡°You know exactly why we are here. We can smell it¡­ the Vna wolf. Your pack reeks of the stench of a Vna. You need to hand it over or your pack will pay the price.¡± Chapter 165 Chapter 165 L¡¯s POV ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t have to go back so soon,¡± Bri pouted as she watched me pack my things. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you.¡± ¡°At least I¡¯m not going to be across the world,¡± I told her, giving her a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m only a phone call away.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she sighed, lying across my bed, and staring up at me sadly. It¡¯s been a few days since I returned home from Monstro. Ba and Brody had gone back to their own packs to get themselves ready for this semester as well. Still no word on Rachel. I haven¡¯t heard from Enzo at all since his love confession, which only furthers my suspicions that something is up and he¡¯s not telling me the entire truth. I have texted and called him a couple of times, but he hasn¡¯t been responding or answering. Part of me almost wants to go to his packhouse and find out what¡¯s really going on. This semester didn¡¯t start until Monday, and it was Friday, so I would have time to go there. But I was assigned a new room that I needed to settle into and plus they were doing an orientation tonight that I couldn¡¯t miss. I could find some time to go this weekend. ¡°L, are you almost packed? You should be leaving soon,¡± my mother said, poking her head through the door. ¡°Almost ready,¡± I said in return. She smiled at me before leaving and I looked back at Bri. ¡°You have your mate now. You¡¯ll be fine,¡± I assured her. She sighed and nodded. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Speaking of mate, have you heard from yours?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I frowned and shook my head. ¡°Sadly, no,¡± I answered. ¡°I called him a couple of times, but he hasn¡¯t answered. I was thinking of going to his packhouse this weekend at some point.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell him you love him back?¡± ¡°Well, I still feel like he¡¯s not beingpletely honest with me, and I would like to speak with him before I decide anything. His n has always been to reject me after graduation. I¡¯d like to find out for certain if he changed his mind about that.¡± Brianna went with me downstairs where my family was waiting for me to say goodbye. Aiden had my car ready for me and parked out front. He was quick to grab my things and bring them to the trunk of my car for me while I hugged my family. ¡°Call me once you get to school,¡± my mother breathed as she held me tighter. ¡°I will,¡± I promised. ¡°If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to call us, or mindlink,¡± my father said, hugging me next. I hugged the twins simultaneously. ¡°Be nice to your sister, Flynn,¡± I ordered him. ¡°Keep your friend in check.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t control Justin,¡± Flynn shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s a wild card.¡± Corinne only rolled her eyes, and I shook my head at him. After a final round of goodbyes, I got into my car and pulled away from the packhouse. It felt good to be in the driver¡¯s seat again and I truly missed my little car. It took about an hour to get back to Hig, but I didn¡¯t go directly to the school. There was someone I needed to see first. Someone other than Enzo. ¡­ The jailhouse wasn¡¯t far from the school. Scott was sent to jail in Hig for vandalizing Cassidy-Ann¡¯s art studio. She returned from the trip a few hours earlier so she could deal with the aftermath of the situation. The vandalism happened about a month before we left for Monstro, and she was able to clean up and fix most of everything. My father has been investigating this crime the entire time we were in Monstro. It seemed that most of the security cameras were destroyed. Except for the one street camera that they were able to recover footage from. Once my father saw that it was Scott who broke into the art gallery, he was quick to arrest him. Now it¡¯s up to Cassidy-Ann if she wants to pursue awsuit and from the sounds of it, she wanted to do just that. I wanted to see Scott for myself and get the entire story from him. I already knew it had to have been Sarah that put him up to a stunt like this, but Enzo was right when he told me regardless of if Sarah put him up to it, it¡¯s not like we¡¯d be able to do anything about it. She wasn¡¯t at the scene of the crime, so she couldn¡¯t be charged with anything. Not to mention her father was incredibly rich and could get her out of jail and get all charges dropped. It was quite annoying. But I needed to find out why Scott did what he did for my own sanity. I gave the officer at the front counter Scott¡¯s full name and asked for a visit. He granted me ess right away and led me down a long hall with various doors until we reached the door at the end. He slid open the little window on the door. ¡°You have a visitor,¡± the cop said. I heard Scott saying something, but I couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was. Then, the officer unlocked the door and pushed it open. I instantly felt annoyed by these drastic measures. Why was Scott being locked up this extremely over something ridiculous like vandalism? It¡¯s not like he murdered anyone. He was being treated like an extreme criminal. Scott sat on a bed on the far side of the room, and I was pleased to see that he wasn¡¯t cuffed or shackled or anything. In fact, he was wearing his normal clothing and looked almost like the Scott I knew and dated. His hair was nicely done, and he didn¡¯t look tired, or even angry. Actually, he looked surprised. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°I wanted to talk to you,¡± I said in return, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two alone. I¡¯ll be in the hallway close by so if you need anything, you can just shout,¡± the officer said, giving Scott a look before sealing me inside the cell. ¡°You look well,¡± I said to him, noticing how well put together he appeared. ¡°They must be treating you nicely.¡± ¡°My father is paying them well,¡± Scott exined. ¡°Why are you here, L?¡± ¡°Because what you did was awful, Scott,¡± I said in return, pressing my lips firmly together. ¡°You destroyed millions of dors worth of artwork¡­.¡± ¡°Look, if you came here to lecture me, you can save it. I already got an earful from Cassidy-Ann the other day. She¡¯s suing me for the money it cost her to fix everything. My father is going to pay her and then I¡¯ll be released. Hopefully in a week or so.¡± I was oddly relieved to hear that it wasn¡¯t going to be much more extreme than that, but I was still hurt that he would do such a thing. I knew we didn¡¯t break up on good terms, or were on good terms in general, but I didn¡¯t think he would stoop that low. ¡°I¡¯m not here to lecture you,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m here for answers. What you did was so out of character that I don¡¯t think you thought of this n yourself. I think Sarah put the bug in your ear and made you do this.¡± ¡°Nobody made me do anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± I said in return. ¡°You did this for her; I know you did.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, L.¡± ¡°Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn¡¯t do this for her,¡± I demanded firmly. ¡°No, because you¡¯ll use your weird Vna powers to manipte me.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± I said, offended by his usation. ¡°I don¡¯t trust that,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Why¡¯s it so important to you that Sarah had something to do with this? Why can¡¯t you ept that I did this out of my own free will?¡± ¡°Because I know you, Scott. You have too much to lose to pull a stunt like this. Being an Alpha has always been your whole life and if word got out that you did this out of your own free will, it would ruin your reputation.¡± ¡°Is that a threat?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wake-up call,¡± I answered. After a beat of silence and seeing the seriousness on my face, Scott finally sighed and buried his face in his hands. ¡°You are right,¡± he murmured, lifting his gaze to meet mine. ¡°It was Sarah¡¯s idea. I shouldn¡¯t have let her convince me knowing that I¡¯m going to be an Alpha.¡± ¡°Why did you go along with her?¡± ¡°Sarah is a lot worse than you think and she has a way of convincing people to do anything she wants. I think she¡¯s dangerous. I didn¡¯t do this because I love her¡­ I don¡¯t know why I did it. I think she has some kind of strange ability that convinces people to do her bidding and I fell victim to it. She¡¯s like a siren or something.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, turning back to him, and narrowing my eyes. ¡°You think she has abilities?¡± ¡°I do,¡± he answered with a single head nod. ¡°You need to be careful around her L. She¡¯s not who she ims to be. Chapter 166 Chapter 166 L¡¯s POV ¡°That¡¯s your excuse? You can do better than that, Scott,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I already know that Sarah is maniptive. You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re the only one who can have powers?¡± His words halted me, and I looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­¡± ¡°Then why is it so hard to believe that she could have powers too?¡± Scott asked. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, L. She¡¯s made me do some awful things that I didn¡¯t want to do and it¡¯s not because I love her. I don¡¯t even think I like her.¡± He paused for a moment so he could gather his thoughts; he looked so serious, and I could see the pure fear in his eyes. He was telling me the truth. But how was it possible for her to have these abilities without anybody noticing? Without me noticing? ¡°L¡­¡± Scott said, meeting my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not just me. It¡¯s her followers too. I heard them talking about it a while ago. They don¡¯t even know why they follow her like they do. They don¡¯t even like her.¡± ¡°If what you are saying is true, then she really is dangerous. Why haven¡¯t you told anyone else this? ¡°I did,¡± he said, sitting back down on his cot. ¡°She just convinces them it¡¯s not true. She makes them think I¡¯m the crazy one. I would bemitted but she convinced them not to. Eventually, I just gave up and epted my fate. I didn¡¯t even think about the possibility of her having actual abilities until I hadn¡¯t seen her in weeks. I¡¯ve gained a lot of rity while I¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let her get away with this,¡± I said, pressing my lips firmly together. Sarah has had the upper hand for way too long; she¡¯s been ying me and everyone around her like a fiddle and I wasn¡¯t going to stand for that anymore. Categories Search¡­ Scott didn¡¯t look so convinced; in fact, he looked worried, and I had never seen him like that before. I turned away from him and firmly knocked on the cell, waiting for the officer to return. ¡°L¡­¡± Scott said from behind me. ¡°Be careful.¡± I nodded my head once and turned away from him just as the officer opened the door. I left without another word. ¡­ Students were meeting in the student lounge to get their assigned rooms and their schedules for this year. I grabbed my bags out of my car and went to meet up with Ba who waited for me by the entrance. ¡°Have you heard from Rachel yet?¡± She asked, a worried look in her eyes. ¡°Nope,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Hopefully she will be here soon.¡± ¡°If she doesn¡¯t show up, they will probably reassign us to a smaller room.¡± ¡°Or find us a third roommate,¡± I added. She looked even more worried after I said that. We went into the crowded student lounge. Students were already lining up at the table to receive their back-to-school packets, which included the keys to their dorms and their schedules. ¡°Wee back to the Academy for Shifters. I am so excited to start this year as the new Headmaster of this academy. I am Mrs. Tiffany Prescott. I am also in charge of the board this year as well. Please, line up to receive your packets from Miss Elena.¡± I recognized Miss Elena as one of the witchcraft teachers for the sorcerers of the school. Behind her stood someone I didn¡¯t recognize. He was a tall gentleman withrge shoulders that looked fit for any contact sport. He wasn¡¯t giving me Alpha energy but the look in his eyes was incredibly intimidating. He looked to be in his mid-thirties with an incredibly strong exterior and a body suit of armor. He also had a scar going across the left side of his face. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Is he some kind of gamma?¡± Ba asked, noticing him as well. ¡°He definitely looks like one,¡± I agreed. As if he heard us talking about him, his eyes traveled down the line andnded on me, holding them for what felt like an eternity. Meeting his eyes left a chill down my spine and suddenly I couldn¡¯t breathe. I was getting a bad feeling about this guy, and I didn¡¯t want to go anywhere near him. ¡°Oh, hello, L,¡± Sarah said, stepping beside me in the line. Remembering the conversation I had with Scott earlier, I knew to be careful around Sarah and I wanted Ba to be careful as well. I didn¡¯t trust her. ¡°Heard your teacher-boyfriend quit. How sad for you,¡± Sarah said with a fake pout. ¡°And I heard your boyfriend is in jail. How sad for you,¡± I said in return; Ba chuckled from behind me as Sarah pressed her lips together. ¡°Scott and I broke up,¡± Sarah said, rolling her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s not worth my time or energy. Plus, I have bigger things to focus on. Like winning the election for president of the studentmittee.¡± Mrs. Prescott stopped beside us and gave us each a kind smile. I knew her from when she was just a member of the board; it was nice to see that she¡¯s stepping up since the old headmaster retired at the end ofst year. I was sad when I saw her goodbye email but pleased when I saw Mrs. Prescott taking over. ¡°Hello, girls. I wanted to touch base with you about the studentmittee. I made some changes to the role of themittee. It isn¡¯t just about nning events anymore, although that will be one of the responsibilities as well. But as a board, we thought it would be good to give the students a real voice. Have those in charge who know firsthand what the students need. To help find weaknesses and strengths. Maybe even an extrayer of protection. Whoever wins this election to be the president of themittee will be working closely with the board to make sure the school is running smoothly. If you are both still interested, we will hold the election in a couple of weeks.¡± ¡®I¡¯m still very interested,¡± I said in response. This could be my chance to really leave a footprint at this school; I would be stupid if I didn¡¯t go for this opportunity. ¡°I too am interested,¡± Sarah said, stering a smile on her face. ¡°Excellent. You should start working on your campaigns within these next couple of weeks and start leaving an impression with the other students to gain their votes,¡± she exined, looking between the both of us. ¡°I¡¯m really excited for this, and I feel it¡¯s going to be an amazing year.¡± She turned to walk away and speak with another teacher. Sarah turned to look at me. ¡°Good luck,¡± she said, flipping her hair over her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ll need it.¡± We were almost at the front of the line; Sarah who cut in front of us grabbed her packet first and then brushed past me to join her friends on the other side of the lounge. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± Ba said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You got this in the bag.¡± ¡°Hello, L. Hello Ba. Wee. I hear you two are roommates this semester, along with Rachel. I haven¡¯t seen her around here yet; has she arrived yet?¡± Miss Elena asked. ¡°Not yet,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯m hoping she will be here soon though.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep her packet to the side until I see her. But here¡¯s yours for right now. If she doesn¡¯t show up, we will assign a new roommate to take that spare bedroom. I already have a few candidates in mind.¡± she said, sliding a man folder in our direction. Opening the packet, I saw that my ss schedule, along with a wee notice and my room key was inside. The room key had our room number on it. Room 203. I was on the second floor of the dormitory. ¡°Rachel better show up,¡± Ba murmured after we walked away from the table. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get stuck living with aplete stranger.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh, wait, L. I forgot to mention,¡± Miss Elena called after me before I got too far. ¡°I know you were taking Shifting and Combat 102 with Professor Enzo this semester, but I¡¯m sorry to say he won¡¯t be returning to this academy,¡± the teacher said with a sad frown. ¡°Yes, my father told me,¡± I lied. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we found an incredible teacher to rece him so you girls will still get a good education out of this semester,¡± she said fondly, ncing up at the strange man that I saw earlier with the body of armor. My heart fell into my stomach as he poured his dark eyes into me, and I felt the need to step away. ¡°This is Professor Xander. Enzo¡¯s recement.¡± Chapter 167 Chapter 167 L¡¯s POV ¡°I can¡¯t believe they are recing Professor Enzo. Did he even give a reason as to why he quit?¡± Ba asked as we made our way toward the dorms. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I lied. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to him sincest year.¡± ¡°He was at the party though, wasn¡¯t he?¡± She frowned, peering over at me. ¡°Yeah, but he mainly talked to my father,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I guess we can just call him ¡®Alpha Enzo¡¯ now,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s too bad. I was practicing all summer.¡± ¡°We are still going to take this course together, right?¡± I asked, raising my brows at her. ¡°We signed up for it togetherst semester.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just not going to be the same.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± I said in return. We finally reached the student dorm building and we used the elevator in the female section to get to the second floor. ¡°Hey, L. Hey Ba. Wee back!¡± A girl said as she walked by. ¡°Hey!¡± I smiled, giving her a wave. We went down the crowded hall, saying hi to other students in the passing. Everybody was eager to be back at school and was talking amongst friends and peers they hadn¡¯t seen all summer. Even Sarah was in the hall, talking amongst her friends and telling them all about her ¡°glorious summer.¡± We finally made it to our room, and I grabbed the key to unlock the door. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect upon entering. I¡¯ve only had one roommate in the past, but this dorm was made to have three roommates. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Categories Search¡­ When we walked in, we both gasped. We were met with a small living room and a half kitchen. Half because we weren¡¯t allowed to cook in our dorms so there wasn¡¯t any stove or anything. However, there was a microwave, a fridge, and some counter space, along with a couple of cabs. The living room consisted of a sofa, a love chair, a coffee table, and a t-screen TV on a stand in front of the coffee table. On the wooden floors, there was a light purple rug that looked incredibly soft to the touch. There was also a small bookshelf on the far side of the room, near the small dining table. The dining table sat next to the window that overlooked the campus yards and it was a gorgeous view. On the far side of the wall, I saw 2 doors, which I¡¯m assuming were the bedrooms. On the other side of the room, there was another set of 2 doors, which was assumed to be the third bedroom and a shared bathroom. ¡°They gave us a suite?!¡± Ba gasped as she too took in her surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful in here.¡± ¡°This semester is going to be awesome,¡± I said, arge smile tugging at my lips. We were staying in a dorm suite; this was awesome. We all got separate bedrooms. I was going to miss sleeping with Ba¡¯s bed beside mine, but it was going to be nice having privacy. Especially considering there¡¯s going to be three of us. ¡°I guess we should pick out our rooms,¡± I suggested as I shut the door behind us. She went to one door and opened it, peering inside, and then went into the one next to it and looked inside that one as well. ¡°They both look roughly the same. I¡¯m assuming the third one looks the same as well. I¡¯ll just take this one,¡± she said as she pulled her suitcase into the room. I went to the room next to hers and went inside. The room was small, but it was my own. It had a fullsized bed, a nightstand, a dresser with a mirror, and a small closet on the far side of the room. I grabbed my phone out of my bag and frowned at the screen when I saw that Enzo hadn¡¯t texted or called me back. I couldn¡¯t help but grow annoyed with him. ¡°Who tells someone they love them and then just ghosts?¡± Val huffed, also annoyed. ¡°Enzo apparently,¡± I said in return, shaking my head. ¡°We are still going to his packhouse this weekend though, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I need answers from him,¡± I confirmed. I sent Bri a text telling her about the big dorm we have and then sent a couple of pictures. Then I sent Rachel a text inquiring where she was. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to answer, but I figured I¡¯d try anyway. I spent most of the afternoon unpacking and putting things away in my new room. Ba and I spent time decorating and making the dorm room our own. ¡°You have to start thinking about your campaign. We can¡¯t let Sarah win. She would destroy the very committee that you created,¡± Ba told me, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. That¡¯s when I remembered my conversation with Scott earlier. ¡°Ba, you¡¯ve known Sarah longer than I have. Did you ever notice anything weird about her?¡± She furrowed her brows together. ¡°Weird how?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know; anything out of the ordinary. Like abilities,¡± I answered. ¡°You¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve met with real abilities,¡± Ba shrugged. ¡°I never noticed anything with Sarah. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I had a weird conversation with Scott earlier,¡± I began to tell her. She froze and looked at me. ¡°Scott¡ª?¡± Just as she was about to ask me a question, the front door swung open, and we both turned to see Rahel walking into the room with a bunch of suitcases. ¡°I¡¯m back, bitches!¡± She announced. ¡°Rachel!¡± Ba and I said at the same time. I was the first to run to her and hug her; sheughed when we nearly attacked her. ¡°Holy shit; get a load of this room,¡± she gasped as she walked into the dorm. ¡°Do we each get our own separate bedrooms??¡± ¡°Yes! Yours is next to the bathroom,¡± I told her fondly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re here, Rachel. How are you? We barely talked all summer.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed a phone in the facility, but I¡¯m great. Better than ever and ready for this semester. Did I miss anything good?¡± ¡°Nothing unusual. We were just talking about¡ª¡± ¡°Our sses,¡± I interrupted, giving Ba a look. ¡°We were talking about our sses. One of our professors quit so the transition is going to be weird.¡± ¡°Awe, that¡¯s too bad,¡± Rachel said with a frown. ¡°I kind of have some weird news too and I don¡¯t have a lot of time before he¡ª¡± Just as she was about to finish her sentence, a tall gentleman appeared at the doorway. His aura was strange and hazy, nothing like I had seen before. Not particrly dark, but also not light either. Just dreary. He wore a suit, but it looked kind of cheap, and he had a worn-out smile on his lips. He looked to be around my father¡¯s age. I knew right away that he wasn¡¯t a wolf; he was giving me bear energy. I looked at Rachel with a frown and she met my eyes, giving me a look, I couldn¡¯t read. However, she didn¡¯t look particrly thrilled. ¡°L, Ba¡­¡± Rachel began. ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet Raymond. My father.¡± Chapter 168 Chapter 168 L¡¯s POV I stared dumbfounded at this man that Rachel introduced as her father. ¡°Ray,¡± he corrected, holding out his hand for me to take. ¡°You can call me Ray.¡± ¡°Hello, sir,¡± I said in return, shaking his hand. Rachel had confided in me once about her home life and the struggles she¡¯s had growing up. A lot of it pushed to abuse drugs and alcohol which led to the problems she has currently. Most of these issues stemmed from her estranged rtionship with her father. From what he told me, he wasn¡¯t a good man. He was incredibly abusive in more than one way and the thought of him weaseling his way back into her life caused me to feel unsettled. She even looked uncertain when she introduced us, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice the stered smile on Ray¡¯s face when he shook my hand. It looked like he didn¡¯t want to be here any more than she wanted him to be here. But it made me wonder why he was putting on such a show and who he was trying to impress. ¡°Rachel had told me a lot about you. I¡¯m d to finally able to put a face to the name,¡± Ray said, his dark eyes fixated on my face and making me feel even more ufortable. I felt the need to take a step back this time. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you get the rest of my stuff from the car,¡± Rachel suggested, peering up at him. He pulled his eyes from me to look at her, a deepened frown ying on his lips. He eventually nodded. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said with arge grin. He turned away and left our dorm, leaving all three of us silent. I finally look at Rachel with disbelief on my face. ¡°Why is he here? He¡¯s the route to most of your problems, Rachel.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I know¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°But he¡¯s still my dad.¡± I could see the sadness and remorse on her face; she was unable to look me in the eyes. ¡°He abused you for years,¡± I reminded her. ¡°And you are just going to let him back into your life just like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. ¡°As bears, we are loyal to our kind. I can¡¯t just walk away from my father.¡± ¡°After everything he had put you through??¡± ¡°He¡¯s trying to make it up to me. I¡¯ve been staying with him thesest few weeks and he¡¯s been really great. He feels badly about how he treated me so he¡¯s basically buying my forgiveness. He¡¯s bought me so much.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t an item that he can just buy, Rachel. You deserve so much better than that and it¡¯s not fair,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, L,¡± she said in return. Her voice was calm and not at all upset. I knew she was right, but I really didn¡¯t want Rachel getting hurt. ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re here, Rachel,¡± Ba grinned. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t¡¯ have been the same without you.¡± ¡°I second that,¡± I said in return, happy for the subject change. Rachel hugged us both again before going off to her room to unpack. I looked at Ba with a worried frown. ¡°I don¡¯t like that her father is here,¡± I murmured, trying not to be too loud. ¡°I know. But there isn¡¯t anything we can do about it,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°Rachel can make her own decisions.¡± At that moment, Ray returned with another bag and looked between Ba and me with a frown. ¡°I hope my being here isn¡¯t intruding,¡± Ray said, meeting my eyes. ¡°I just wanted to make sure she made it here okay. I¡¯ll be heading home soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± I said turning away from him. ¡°I¡¯m going to finish unpacking.¡± I went back to my room, shutting the door firmly behind me. I wasn¡¯t getting a good feeling from him; I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had an ulterior motive. But I really didn¡¯t want to argue with Rachel about this so I figured the best thing I could do is just go back to my room for the evening. I grabbed my phone and nced at the screen, once again being disappointed that Enzo hadn¡¯t responded to any of my messages. Where are you, Enzo? ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Our mate is upset we aren¡¯t with her. I can feel it,¡± Max whined for the hundredth time. I knew this already; I could feel her pain as well. But there wasn¡¯t anything I could do about it. I felt like an idiot confessing my love to her like that. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything, but I was acting out of pure impulse and emotions. Not thinking about the consequences following it. ¡°Going to her would only put her in danger,¡± I reminded my wolf. ¡°If my father¡¯s followers knew how important she was to me if they knew she was my mate, they wouldn¡¯t stop hunting her.¡± ¡°We can protect her from any and all dangers,¡± Max told me in return. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t deprive ourselves of our mate because you fear the worst.¡± ¡°This is protecting her. I don¡¯t know how else to do that.¡± ¡°Let me loose and I¡¯ll show you,¡± Max said in a growl, baring his teeth in my mind¡¯s eye, nearly making me shift without control in the process. ¡°Max!¡± I scolded. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I only want her to be safe and the best way to do that is if we keep our distance. I know you don¡¯t like it, but it¡¯s for the best.¡± As I said those words, I wondered if they were true myself. I finally got my father¡¯s followers off her trail, or so I think. I at least got them to leave. If they knew of her importance to me, it would only put her in danger, and I can¡¯t let anything happen to her. Remembering what they did to my mother caused my stomach to hurt at the very idea of them doing that to L as well. My mother lives in exile because of them. Until they are no longer an issue, I can¡¯t be with L. My phone went off for what felt like the hundredth time this week. I didn¡¯t need to look at the screen to know who it was. L has been trying to get a hold of me nonstop, and as much as I¡¯d like to answer and go to her, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I took my phone and threw it in my desk drawer. I was struggling to resist the urge to contact her and the less I looked at my phone, the better it would be. But damn I missed her scent. I shook the thought out of my head just as the memory of my father¡¯s followers resurfaced in my head. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing rumors that you were spotted around town with a pretty little number on your arm. She wouldn¡¯t happen to be the Vna we are smelling here, would she?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Paul,¡± I growled through my teeth. ¡°I would never be caught dead with a Vna wolf. You know above anybody how dangerous they are. You saw what they did to my father. You think I¡¯m dumb enough to fall for their bullshit. My own mother is living in the rogue territory because of what she is¡­. or was.¡± ¡°Just because she doesn¡¯t have abilities, doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s not a Vna,¡± Paul spat. ¡°The point is, I¡¯m not dumb enough to let a Vna in this pack. So, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I didn¡¯t care what he thought; he was not part of this pack anymore anyway. I already exiled him. ¡°You better hope for your sake there is or you¡¯ll both pay the price.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 169 Chapter 169 L¡¯s POV ¡°So, what we need to do ise up with a campaign,¡± Rachel said as we sat in the student lounge. It was Sunday, the day before sses began, and a few days after we settled into our new dorms. Rachel and Ba both looked eager as they sat across from me at our usual table. The lounge wasn¡¯t too busy, but it was still crowded enough that I didn¡¯t want to talk about this too loudly. I didn¡¯t need Sarah to somehow overhear this conversation and use it against me. There was still the real possibility that she could in fact have powers that she used to get everything she ever wanted and make people do her bidding without a second guess. I hadn¡¯t told either Rachel or Ba about this because I didn¡¯t want them to worry. ¡°She¡¯s right, we can¡¯t let Sarah win. She will destroy this school,¡± Ba agreed, staring at me intently. ¡°We need you to win, L. The school needs you to win.¡± ¡°The board would never allow for the school to get destroyed,¡± I assured them. ¡°Regardless of who wins, they will protect us.¡± I was trying to be positive and reassuring, but they gave one another a strange look that told me they didn¡¯t believe me. I didn¡¯t believe me either. If Sarah really did have powers, she would use them to manipte the board too. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her. ¡°Everybody in this school already loves L,¡± Ba added. ¡°So, it¡¯ll be easy to get them on her side.¡± ¡°Yeah, but Sarah has her father¡¯s money and can afford a huge campaign,¡± Rachel reminded us. ¡°We can¡¯t be too careful. We already know she will do anything to win.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ba said, leaning back in her seat. ¡°So, what are we thinking?¡± ¡°We can do a bake sale,¡± I suggested. Categories Search¡­ ¡°A bake sale isn¡¯t going to win you this election,¡± Rachel said, shaking her head. ¡°Well, no. But regardless of who wins, themittee is going to need some funding for future events and the bake sale was a hit thest time around. We should have another one.¡± ¡°Okay, but shouldn¡¯t you be thinking of that after you win the election?¡± Rachel asked, seemingly annoyed with the suggestion. I shrugged. ¡°I can prove to everybody that I¡¯m worth voting for at any point. But we only have so much time to get enough funding. I don¡¯t want to scramble at thest minute for money when we need it. Plus, the students deserve to have a back-to-school party, regardless of who wins. I¡¯d like to have a bake sale. Not for myself, but for them.¡± Ba gave Rachel a wide smile. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be L if she didn¡¯t care more about the students than herself.¡± ¡°True,¡± Rachel said, leaning back in her seat. ¡°It¡¯ll also make her look really good. Okay, let¡¯s do a bake sale.¡± I smiled at my friends. It was sweet of them to have so much faith in me and help me with this. I don¡¯t know what I would do without them. ¡°We are going to have to do a lot of baking,¡± Ba said, shaking her head. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have a kitchen. Do you think the school would let us use theirs?¡± ¡°I can ask them,¡± Rachel shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m cool with some of the lunchdies.¡± I still wanted to go to Enzo¡¯s packhouse before school officially started tomorrow. This could be an excuse for me to go there. Dee would be able to help me with this bake sale, just like she didst time, and I would be able to speak with Enzo. ¡°I might know somewhere I can bake for this bake sale and someone who can help me bake,¡± I told them both. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I wasn¡¯t sure how much I could tell them without revealing that Enzo was my mate. ¡°Who?¡± Rachel was the first to ask. ¡°Her name is Deanna, she¡¯s the chef in Enzo¡¯s packhouse. She¡¯s like the pack mother of a sort,¡± I exined. ¡°She¡¯s very sweet and she¡¯s done bake sales that I¡¯ve helped her with in the past. She¡¯s good at what she does, and she would help me if I asked her.¡± They both looked at one another questionably. ¡°I had no idea you out so much at Enzo¡¯s packhouse that you know the staff,¡± Rachel said, raising her brows. ¡°You never mentioned it before.¡± ¡°I go there asionally to teach the children of his pack to fight,¡± I said with a casual shrug. ¡°It¡¯s really no big deal. Not worth mentioning.¡± ¡°See?! She¡¯s so great. She deserves to win,¡± Ba said, throwing her hands in the air. Rachel and Iughed at her dramatics. ¡°You are right about that,¡± Rachel agreed. She then turned to me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you able to go there today and ask for her help?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go this afternoon and seek her help.¡± ¡°Maybe you can find out why Professor¡­ or Alpha Enzo quit while you¡¯re there. I still can¡¯t believe he quit.¡± ¡°Wait, Professor Enzo quit??¡± Rachel gaped. ¡°When did that happen?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡± I lied. ¡°We found out about it recently.¡± ¡°That sucks; he was your favorite teacher,¡± Rachel said with a timid frown. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to be,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, we met the new teacher. He seems¡­ interesting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Ba said with an eye roll. ¡°Dude looks terrifying. He¡¯s going to give you a run for our money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, staring between the two of them. ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about anything until we have to.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to give us the details of what happened,¡± Rachel said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m curious as to why he left.¡± ¡°Alpha Enzo is very busy being an Alpha and running his pack. I probably won¡¯t even see him.¡± ¡°But if you do, you got to ask him why he left,¡± Ba repeated. I knew they weren¡¯t going to stop until I gave them something that pleased their curious minds. I was going to have toe up with something. ¡­ I stood outside of Enzo¡¯s packhouse with a sense of doubt. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. I mean, if he wanted to talk to me, he would, right? I technically wasn¡¯t here for Enzo; I was here for Dee. But I still really needed to get answers from Enzo. I was feeling so conflicted. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be here. I wasn¡¯t ready to have this conversation with Enzo. There was a chance that I wouldn¡¯t see him if I stayed in the kitchen with Dee. It was past noon, which meant Enzo was probably tied up with something Alpha-rted. But I knew once he sensed me, he¡¯d probablye looking for me. Maybe. I took a deep breath and lifted my hand to knock on the wooden doors. My heart raced rapidly in my chest; it was toote to back down now. It was only a matter of seconds before the door opened. I just had to hope that it wasn¡¯t Enzo who opened the door. I saw the knob of the door turning and I took a step back. Maybe if I shifted into my wolf form and sprinted for the forest, I could get away before anybody¡ª ¡°L?¡± A familiar voice cut through my inner dialogue. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Chapter 170 Chapter 170 L¡¯s POV Ethan furrowed his brows at me as I turned to face him. I felt warmth all around my body, so I¡¯m sure that was evident on my face. He was staring at me with such concern that my entire stomach decided to turn into one giant knot, making me feel sick. I wasn¡¯t even sure what to say or how long I was staring at him dumbfounded. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He decided to ask, cocking his head to the side. ¡°Are you here to see Enzo?¡± ¡°No,¡± I said a little too quickly, my voice cracking slightly. ¡°I¡¯m actually here to see Dee.¡± ¡°Dee?¡± Ethan asked, raising his brows. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having a bake sale to help for my campaign,¡± I exined. ¡°What are you campaigning?¡± ¡°President of the studentmittee,¡± I answered. ¡°I¡¯m up against a girl who doesn¡¯t exactly like me and is making it her mission to make me miserable. She would destroy the school if she were to win. I know a bake sale won¡¯t help me win, but I figured I could raise some money for the future of themittee.¡± ¡°I could always help you if you are serious about this election. I know some people who can set up a whole production for you. Maybe even get you on TV.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really sweet of you, Ethan. But I can handle the election.¡± ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Ethan said with a shrug. ¡°So, if you¡¯re here to see Dee, then why are standing outside? You know you can juste in, right?¡± I didn¡¯t want to intrude,¡± I said with a nervousugh. ¡°Enzo hasn¡¯t been responding to my texts. so, I assumed he didn¡¯t want to see me.¡± Ethan frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the problem,¡± he said in return. I raised my gaze and met his eyes. Categories Search¡­ ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve known him for a long time, and the first time I ever saw him smile was because of you. You brought out a lot in him; you brought out a part I didn¡¯t even know existed. Believe it or not, he loves you.¡± My face warmed and I lowered my gaze. ¡°Come on,¡± Ethan said, motioning for me to enter the packhouse. ¡°Enzo isn¡¯t even here right now.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± I asked; I couldn¡¯t hide the disappointment in my tone. ¡°He just ran some errands in the city. He should be gone for a while.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I breathed. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± I lied.¡± He gave me another concerned smile and motioned for me to enter the house again. This time, I did. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said to him, giving him a sweet smile. ¡°If you need anything, let me know. I¡¯m going to be practicing on the fighting grounds. Dee should be in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, waving to him as he went toward the back doors. I went into the kitchen and saw that Dee was in the middle of cooking dinner. Whatever she was making smelled absolutely delicious and made my mouth water. I forgot I hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day and I was starving. ¡°L?¡± Dee said with wide eyes once she noticed me. ¡°What are you doing here? It¡¯s been so long!¡± She cooed as she ran toward me and wrapped her arms around me. Once she pulled away, she was wearing a frown. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Enzo isn¡¯t here right now. He should be backter though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually not here for Enzo,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m here for you. I need your help.¡± ¡°Of course, what can I do for you?¡± Dee asked, peering at me eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m running for president of the studentmittee, and I¡¯d like to have a bake sale for the students.¡± ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you create themitteest year? And you still have to have an election?¡± Dee asked, raising her brows. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely not. But this girl seems to always get what she wants,¡± I murmured, trying not to sound like a Debbie downer, but sometimes I couldn¡¯t help it. I was admittedly annoyed about this election. I did create themittee after all. I shouldn¡¯t have to try this hard to be in charge of it. But there I am. ¡°This girl has money,¡± I continued. ¡°Her father is the richest Alpha in the world and can buy whatever she wants. Including followers. So, I need a really good campaign. I have some friends who are helping me. The bake sale isn¡¯t really for the campaign, but regardless of who wins, themittee will need some funding and I figured we should start now.¡± ¡°Even if this other girl wins?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the students. They deserve something nice like a back-to-school party,¡± I exined. ¡°I love how selfless you are,¡± Dee said fondly. ¡°They¡¯d be stupid to not vote for you. I¡¯d love to help with the bake sale. When is this happening?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no set date. But I¡¯d like it to be sometime next week.¡± ¡°How about Friday? We can spend Wednesday and Thursday evening baking once you get out of school,¡± Dee suggested. I nodded. ¡°That sounds great. I¡¯ll text my friends and let them know¡± I said, p; pulling out my phone and sending a memo to the group chat I have with Ba and Rachel. ¡°While I finish with dinner, how about you make a list of all the baked goods you want to make for this sale.¡± She handed me a notebook and a pen before going back to the stove. ¡°Also, there¡¯s going to be plenty of food, you can join us for dinner.¡± I was about to decline her offer, but then I sensed Val perking up and Enzo¡¯s scent became incredibly strong. I knew what that meant, and my heart was weighing heavily in my chest. Enzo was home. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Soon, he was walking into the kitchen, and hepletely froze when he saw me. I knew he could probably sense me from the outside but seeing me was still a shock to him. His face was unreadable, and I couldn¡¯t tell if he was angry or not. He certainly wasn¡¯t pleased; I knew that much. I stared at him back; our eyes locked onto one another. It almost felt like we were the only two people in the room; Dee was non-existent to us. My heart thudded violently against my chest, and I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat. ¡°L¡­?¡± His voice sounded distant, yet so close at the same time. ¡°Hi¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°Let me exin why I¡¯m here before you get angr¡ª¡± Before I could finish that sentence, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him, his lips covering mine and he kissed me with such a heated passion that my soul was set on fire. At that moment I knew¡­Undoubtedly, with every ounce of my heart, I was in love with him Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Enzo¡¯s POV Earlier. ¡°Enzo? I wasn¡¯t expecting you. What are you doing here?¡± My mother asked as we stood just outside her small cottage in the rogue vige. My mother and the others in her n fixed this small town up nicely from when they discovered it years ago. It was the only area in the rogue territory that wasn¡¯t infested with the kind of rogues that hunt for sport. Thankfully, my mother had a witch on her side, and they were able to put a shield on this town to keep them hidden from those uninvited. Because I once lived here, I was always invited. I rarely came here because it could be dangerous for them to have frequent visitors. Someone could follow me and discover that there is a shield in this area. They could find a way to break the shield and attack my mother¡¯s n. The n rarely left this rogue town because as soon as they did, they were in danger of being found. Although they had given up their Vna powers to better hide themselves, and they no longer looked like Vna wolves, they still had the mild Vna scent. So, if close enough, it could be smelled. That alone puts them in danger. When I became in power and began training with the Calypso pack gamma warriors, I appointed a couple I trusted with my life to protect my mother and her n. They made themselvesfortable in this territory and they gathered supplies and essential things for survival. They are also ready for any kind of attack. I haven¡¯t seen my mother since she was attacked after straying too far from the vige. I knew she would be surprised to see me now, but she was the only one who could help me with the very real dilemma I was facing. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Categories Search¡­ My feelings. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± She asked with a worried frown. She searched my face with her warm brown eyes, and I knew that she could feel my distress. I nodded, but only once before I dropped my eyes from hers. ¡°I just haven¡¯t seen you in a while and I missed you,¡± I told her, suddenly feeling a little nervous to tell her about this. She cocked her head to the side as she continued to search my face. ¡°Come in, Hun,¡± she said, stepping aside for me to enter her cottage. I did as she said and stepped into her warm andforting home. Being here reminded me of my childhood; though we lived in rogue territory, my mother and the others made this area feel comfortable and weing. It wasn¡¯t until years after we moved here that my mother met a kind witch who wanted to help and ced a shield. So, for most of my childhood, while living here, we were constantly in danger of being found out and we were hunted on a daily basis. My mother kept me protected. I owe her my entire life. ¡°I was just making some tea. Take a seat on the couch and I¡¯ll grab you some,¡± she said as she disappeared into her kitchen. I sat down on the couch, recognizing the light blue and white quilt she made when I was a young pup. It smelled like her, and it instantly put my mind and body at ease. It wasn¡¯t often that I was able toe here and just sit and be with my mother. I truly did miss her. She returned momentster with a tter of tea and some cookies. cing the tter on the table, she began to pour a couple of mugs worth of tea and pushed one towards me. ¡°I brought some sweeteners and milk too if you¡¯d like them,¡± she said, taking a seat beside me on the couch. ¡°This is fine. Thank you, Mom,¡± I said to her, taking a sip of the hot liquid, allowing it to soothe my insides. She looked at me for a moment longer, neither of us saying anything. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Enzo?¡± I was silent for a moment longer. She waited patiently. ¡°I found my mate,¡± I said, keeping my eyes fixated on the tea in my mug. She gasped, cing her mug on the table before she dropped it. ¡°What?!¡± She asked; I could feel her eyes on the side of my face, and I couldn¡¯t even look at her. ¡°When?? Who is she?? I need the details!!¡± ¡°Her name is L¡­¡± I began slowly. ¡°She¡¯s the most beautiful she-wolf I had ever met. She¡¯s so full of charisma, and she¡¯s kind. Everybody loves her. She¡¯s also incredibly strong and talented in every way. She¡¯s an amazing fighter¡­ and her wolf¡­¡± I had to stop to gather my thoughts. ¡°Her wolf is the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Max is head over heels in love with her. Valentina is her name. Val for short¡­¡± A smile had tugged at my lips as I spoke about L. My heart felt like it was going to explode, I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I tried so hard to deny my feelings for her but speaking about her to my mother¡­I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. I finally looked at my mother and she had tears in her eyes. ¡°This is the girl you went to Monstro with¡­ right?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. I nodded. ¡°Alpha Bastien¡¯s daughter, yes,¡± I answered. ¡°She was my student. I recently quit being a teacher because being around her and not being able to touch her was too difficult. We had a lot of fun in Monstro and the thought of not doing that again¡­¡± My heart hurt at the very thought. I thought I didn¡¯t want to bring our rtionship back home, but having that taste of her¡­ knowing what it was like to be with my true mate¡­ I wanted so much more. As soon as we returned to the airport in Elysium, I knew I couldn¡¯t just continue acting like she wasn¡¯t anything to me. The fact of the matter is¡­ she was everything to me. ¡°Oh, Enzo¡­¡± My mother breathed¡¯; tears were spilling from her eyes now and she had a wide grin on her face. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you¡­ but why do you seem so upset?¡± This was it¡­ I was about to say something to my mother that might potentially break her heart. I lowered my gaze once again, putting the mug on the table. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked again. ¡°There¡¯s a problem¡­¡± I began to say. ¡°I can¡¯t be with her¡­¡± ¡°Enzo, she¡¯s your mate. What possible reason do you have that you can¡¯t be with her?¡± I hesitated. ¡°She¡¯s a Vna¡­¡± I finally said. My mother gasped, covering her mouth. ¡°A Vna??¡± She asked. She was quiet for a moment and when I met her eyes, I saw realization shing through her gaze. ¡°Alpha Bastien¡­ oh¡­ she¡¯s Selene¡¯s daughter¡­¡± my mother breathed. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s a Vna. I should have figured that out right away.¡± ¡°You can see the issue¡­ right?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes on hers. ¡°Dad¡¯s followers¡­ Paul and his asshole crew, are watching me like a hawk. Waiting for any chance they can get to take over the pack. They are waiting for me to fuck up. Paul wants what Dad had and he can¡¯t stand that I¡¯m the one who has it. If he knew that my mate was a Vna wolf, he would use her against me. She would be in danger.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a Vna. She¡¯s already in danger. There are a lot of wolves in this world that don¡¯t trust Vnas because of what they can do. They are powerful creatures, and that frightens people. There are also a lot of wolves that want the Vna abilities. The world is divided and none of it is in favor of Vna. That¡¯s why we gave up our powers¡­ to keep ourselves safe and not worth hunting. But unfortunately, they still don¡¯t trust us.¡± My mother grew sad. ¡°L and Selene have always been protected because Alpha Bastien, one of the most powerful Alphas, is their protector. Nobody would dare mess with Bastien¡¯s family. However, if Paul found out that L was my mate, he wouldn¡¯t care who her father was. He would hunt her¡­ I couldn¡¯t live with myself if anything were to happen.¡± ¡°She¡¯s felt you as her mate?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, staring down at my hands. ¡°So, what exactly have you been doing? Ignoring her?¡± ¡°We continued having a student-teacher rtionship. Bastien has appointed me to protect her while at this school. It was his random idea for me to go on this trip¡­ ironic I guess.¡± ¡°Was it?¡± She asked with a small smile decorating her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think he did that randomly.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He obviously knows that you are her mate.¡± ¡°Impossible. We never told him,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell him for him to know. I¡¯m sure Selene knows too,¡± she said, chuckling. ¡°Trust me, Enzo. You can¡¯t keep something like that from your parents. A parent always knows.¡± Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°You think they know that L is my mate??¡± I asked, staring at her in disbelief. If they did know, they yed it off cool. I never suspected that they could know anything. I suddenly felt extremely nervous. I wondered if L knew that they knew. ¡°Yes,¡± my mother said, stifling augh. ¡°It exins why he appointed you, out of anybody, to keep an eye on her and go on a trip with her across the world. As opposed to a gamma warrior. He knows you have responsibilities to your pack, but he still pulled you away to tend to his daughter. It¡¯s quite obvious to an outside eye¡­ but it¡¯s even more obvious to a mother.¡± I felt stupid; of course, he knew. ¡°Have you already decided on rejecting her?¡± My mother then asked with sadness in her tone. I sighed, but I nodded. ¡°Yes, but I wanted to wait until after she graduated,¡± I exined. ¡°Her wolf is still so young that I¡¯m worried if I reject her right now, her wolf will go into permanent hibernation. I didn¡¯t want to do that to her, so I figured I¡¯d wait until she¡¯s stronger.¡± ¡°And she knows this?¡± My mother asked, her brows knitting together. I nodded again. I saw a sh of pain in my mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°You realize that with her knowledge that you want to reject her, it¡¯s basically already rejecting her? I can imagine how much pain she must feel knowing that her fated mate doesn¡¯t want her,¡± she breathed. ¡°It¡¯s slowly destroying her. Being her mate, you must be able to feel that if you channel her emotions. I know it¡¯s not easy to channel them before you mark her, but you can still do it if you focus hard enough. I feel sad that she¡¯s in that much pain.¡± Categories Search¡­ Hearing her words hurt my heart and I felt Max cowering away. He agreed with her; he¡¯s been able to feel her pain and he¡¯s been trying to tell me¡­ but I haven¡¯t been listening. How could I have been so careless and stupid? She reached her hand out and grabbed my hand. ¡°You¡¯vee here for a reason. Can I assume that reason is that you are rethinking things?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°Do you no longer wish to reject her?¡± I was silent for a moment longer. ¡°In Monstro¡­ we decided to have a small rtionship,¡± I exined. ¡°We made a promise to each other that it wouldn¡¯t leave Monstro though. That once we returned, we would go back to normal and pretend it never happened. I never anticipated how impossible that would be though. Because since we¡¯ve been back, all I could think about was making her mine.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s stopping you? She¡¯s your mate. You can do that.¡± ¡°I already told you; it would put her in danger,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Enzo¡­ regardless of who her father is, she¡¯s always going to be in danger. She¡¯s a young and vibrant girl. She¡¯s not always going to have her father¡¯s protection. You said she¡¯s your student, which means she¡¯s always in Hig, which is far from Alpha Bastien¡¯s pack if I¡¯m not mistaken. Being with her might make Paul aware of her, but being away from her could also prove to be dangerous. Because from where I see it, the school year is starting soon¡­ which means she¡¯s in Hig and you aren¡¯t. She¡¯s in danger right now because you aren¡¯t there to protect her.¡± I was stunned and silent because my mother was right. In fact, this semester starts tomorrow, which means L is at the academy right now. She didn¡¯t have anyone there to protect her and some of those students weren¡¯t exactly weing. Sarah was also returning to the academy, and I knew she had issues with L. ¡°One way or another, Paul and his crew are going to find out about her. Once they do¡­ you are going to want to be close to her so you can protect her. Vnas are very strong, some might actually be dangerous if they had lost their way. But something tells me that L isn¡¯t dangerous at all, and she wants to use her abilities for good. She should be fighting along your side¡­ not hidden. An Alpha is strongest with his fated mate.¡± I found myself smirking, to which my mother asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Max is just agreeing with you.¡± She smiled and ran her hand down the side of my face. ¡°Max is a very smart wolf,¡± she said in return. ¡°Maybe you should listen to him once in a while.¡± I nodded, agreeingpletely, much to Max¡¯s relief. ¡°I should go,¡± I said, standing to my feet. ¡°L is at the academy, and I¡¯d like to speak with her. I need to tell her how I feel¡­ again.¡± ¡°Again?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. But it doesn¡¯t matter. She needs to know that I¡¯m not nning on rejecting her and that I want to be with her. She¡¯s my everything and she deserves to know just that.¡± Tears filled her eyes instantly as she stood to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you,¡± she breathed. ¡°When will I get to meet her?¡± That nervous feeling returned to me; I didn¡¯t want my mom to think I was hiding her from L. But I hadn¡¯t told L that my mother was a Vna. If L knew that my mother was a rogue because of what she is, she might think that I had something to do with this. Knowing her, she would want to hunt Paul and his crew and fight them right away and we were far from ready for that battle. Paul had way more men than I couldprehend, and they all worked under my father for so long. They were powerful. I needed more warriors and wolves on my side and until I could change their minds about Vna¡¯s, that wasn¡¯t going to happen. I needed to continue working on my reputation and be a well-respected Alpha before anyone joined my side. It took years of hard work for Bastien to make Elysium safe for his family. He¡¯s been actively working on making other parts of the world safe too, but he was an enemy to my father, which means he¡¯s an enemy with my father¡¯s followers. It makes it difficult for him to gain the trust needed to make this worldpletely safe. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I¡¯m not going to stop trying until my mother can safely leave her vige without getting attacked. The less L knew about my connection to Vna wolves, the better. I wasn¡¯t ready for this battle yet and she would run headfirst into it. ¡°Soon,¡± was all I said as I hugged my mother. ¡°You¡¯ll meet her soon.¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°Go get your mate!¡± She urged. Max was on the edge, already getting ready to shift and run to her. ¡°I love you,¡± I said to my mom; giving her onest hug before I shifted into my wolf form and ran from her cottage. I told Max that I needed to grab a few things from the packhouse before heading to Hig and for some reason, he was more adamant about getting to the packhouse than he was about getting to the academy. I would have thought making this pit stop at home would be frustrating for him, but he was extremely eager. It wasn¡¯t until the packhouse came into view that I realized why he wanted to get there so quickly. It was L. She was there. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Enzo¡¯s POV The scent of honeysuckle grew stronger the closer I got to the packhouse. What was she doing there? School starts tomorrow; there isn¡¯t a reason why she would be over. Although, I have been ignoring her calls and texts. So, maybe she was there because she wanted to talk to me. What I did wasn¡¯t fair to her. Kissing her and telling her I loved her, and then disappearing for days. I¡¯m sure she was confused and upset. Maybe even a little hurt. I hated that I did this to her. My mother was right; I would have a better chance of defeating Paul with her by my side. She was my fated mate and Alphas were always stronger with their mates. As soon as I reached the packhouse door, I shifted back into my human form. I grabbed the clothes I typically kept in the nearby shrubs and quickly dressed before entering. She was in the kitchen. She must have been with Dee. ¡°Wee home,¡± Ethan said, walking around the corner. ¡°Did you gain the rity you needed?¡± Ethan was the only one who knew where I went off to. He also knew how conflicted I was feeling. I¡¯m sure he could tell from my face alone the conclusion I hade to. I couldn¡¯t even find the words to speak; all I could think about was L and getting to her. He knew this because he gave me a sly smile. ¡°She¡¯s in the kitchen,¡± he confirmed, nodding his head towards the doors. I gave him a smile in return as I went straight to the kitchen. She stood at the counters, writing something on a piece of paper while Dee was finishing dinner. Categories Search¡­ Knowing Dee, she probably already invited L to stay for dinner. Dee was in the middle of saying something to her that I wasn¡¯t listening to. All I saw at that moment was L. She had a faint glow around her that I hadn¡¯t noticed until that moment. ¡°It¡¯s the mate bond,¡± Max spoke in a low and lustful tone. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed it every time she¡¯s around. It¡¯s about time you see it too.¡± My goddess, she was so beautiful. How was it possible for her to get even more attractive in just a matter of days? I had no words; all I could think was, ¡°She¡¯s mine.¡± It felt like I was standing there, staring at her, for an eternity. But I knew it was only a couple of seconds because immediately after I entered the kitchen, her eyes found mine and they widened. She probably sensed me when I got close to the packhouse, but that didn¡¯t make her any less surprised. Her breathing hardened and she stood up straight to face me; her eyes never leaving mine. My wolf was pushing me to go to her, but I was frozen. ¡°Oh, Enzo,¡± Dee said from the stove. ¡°You¡¯re home sooner than I thought. Dinner is almost ready. I¡¯ll mindlink the pack and tell them ¡­¡± Her voice trailed off when she noticed that I wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°L¡­¡± I said in a mere whisper, still shocked that she was standing in the middle of my kitchen. ¡°Hi¡­¡± she said in return, her voice soft and worried. ¡°Let me exin why I¡¯m here before you get angr ¡ª¡± I couldn¡¯t handle it anymore; I didn¡¯t want her to finish the sentence. I needed to taste her; I needed her lips on mine. Max was about to burst, and my heart couldn¡¯t take it any longer. Before she finished speaking, I was already rushing to her. It only took a couple of long strides before I was only inches from her. Her glorious scent nearly knocked me off my feet; how had I been so blind to this? She gasped when I reached her; she certainly wasn¡¯t expecting it. I leaned down, wrapping my arms around her, and pulled her close to my body. My lips met hers. I was careful to not frighten her, worried that she might push me away. I wanted so much more of her, but I only took her in small doses. I deepened the kiss, wanting to taste her with my tongue. Her tongue wrapped around mine and she pulled herself close to me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I lifted her off the ground, wanting her legs to be wrapped around me. As if she sensed what I wanted, she did just that. It wasn¡¯t until Dee loudly cleared her throat that we stopped. ¡°Maybe you should take this somewhere more private?¡± She suggested trying not to look at us as she continued cooking. L¡¯s face reddened as I put her down. I grabbed onto her hand and pulled her with me. She went without hesitation. Ethan spotted us as we walked up the stairs and I met his eyes; he looked like he was about to say something but refrained from doing so. He bit his lip, trying not to smile as I took L upstairs and into my bedroom. As soon as we were in the closedpacity of my room, I turned to her and continued the kiss. I lifted her up again and she instantly wrapped her legs around me. She ran her soft and delicate fingers through my hair, sending goosebumps to form on my skin. I was an Alpha. Alphas don¡¯t get goosebumps like this easily. But L brought that side out of me. I walked her over to my bed and tossed her on top; she stared up at me breathless with excitement on her face. I could see her wolf through her eyes, itching toe out and y. Max was also on the edge, teasing her. I took my shirt off, throwing it on the ground and she watched me with such hunger in her eyes. Watching her reaction to me caused me to be even harder than I already was. Her eyes trailed down my body as I undid my pants; she bit her lip. Goddess, she was sexy. I climbed back on top of her, kissing her neck as I lifted her shirt up and tossed it on the ground beside mine. She threw her head back and moaned softly as I kissed down her body, cupping her breasts in my hand and tugging at her nipples with my teeth. I continued to kiss and lick down her torso until I reached her jeans. She waited eagerly for me to unbutton them; I slid them down her perfect legs, revealing her cute silky ck panties with a little bow on the front of them. I wanted to rip them off with my teeth. ¡°Oh, Enzo¡­¡± she gasped as I started to please her with her tongue. Her juice ran down her inner thighs and I was quick to lick it up. She tasted even better than she smelled. I continued to kiss her body until I reached her lips again. I explored her mouth with my tongue so she could taste herself as well and she let out a small moan of satisfaction. I wanted to be inside of her. I positioned myself between her legs and she waited eagerly for me to enter her. Starting off slowly, I inched my way into her, causing a gasp to escape her lips. She threw her head back and I kissed her neck again, moving my way deeper inside of her. We had done this a lot in Monstro, but for some reason, this felt different. I positioned myself in the sitting position while she was on top of me with her legs wrapped around my waist. I moved her up and down slowly, allowing her to feel every inch I was giving her. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her, so I refrained from putting the whole thing in, but she seemed to want more. She began to thrust herself on me even quicker, throwing her head back as she did so. Sweat began to drip down the nape of her neck, running across her shoulders. I leaned in to lick it, kissing her as well and watching as goosebumps covered her smooth skin. I brought my lips to the back of her shoulder de, kissing gently and then nibbling lightly. My canines grewrge and my wolf, with excitement, came loose for only a moment. My teeth sunk into her flesh deeply tasting her blood as it trickled down her back. She didn¡¯t seem to mind; she moaned loudly like it was the best feeling in the world. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. It felt good for me too. At that moment, I felt every emotion she had, every emotion she felt, and a new line of colors invaded my vision. I cradled her in my arms as she reached her climax almost instantly. ¡°Mine¡­¡± I breathed against her ear as I kissed it gently. ¡°You are mine.¡± Chapter 174 Chapter 174 L¡¯s POV HOLY HELL!!! Did he do what I think he did??? ¡°Yes!¡± Val chuckled. ¡°L! We¡¯ve been marked!!¡± Enzo just marked me. I reached my hand to touch the tender mark on the back of my shoulder de. It still hurt a little, but not much. It didn¡¯t hurt when he did it; in fact, it felt incredible. But afterward, it stung a little. It bled for a while too. I think Val was in such shock that it happened that she forgot to heal me right away. She was working on healing it right now. It was turning into a light pink mark. After that incredible sex and Enzo iming me as his, he went to take a shower before dinner. I had gotten dressed, but I remained in his bed, still in shock. He marked me¡­ Oh, my goddess. This feeling was so surreal; since his teeth sank into me, I could feel everything he was feeling. It was like we were connected by our hearts and minds. I could feel how pleased he was; how in love he was. I felt his every emotion. Yet, I also felt there was a little fear. He spent so long iming he doesn¡¯t want a mate, that I figured he was just having a little anxiety over epting me as his mate. I wanted to make sure he felt safe andfortable with me. Thest thing I wanted was for him to feel any kind of fear. Enzo was my entire world. He came back into the room with his pants on, but his shirt wasn¡¯t. He had water from the shower glistening on his incredible chest and dripping down his abs. When he walked in, I felt love radiating from him as well. Categories Search¡­ His scent became even stronger, and I saw the sheepish smile on his lips as he looked me over. ¡°I want to rip your clothes off,¡± he said, bending down till he was only inches from me. He ced a gentle kiss on my lips. ¡°Dee made dinner and she will be upset if we don¡¯t eat it,¡± I breathed against him, not wanting him to go anywhere. ¡°Can¡¯t I have you for dinner?¡± He asked in a husky whisper, teasingly. He caused the area between my legs to be warm and Val wiggled in delight. Iughed. ¡°You can have me for dessert,¡± I teased back, causing his grin to widen. ¡°Deal,¡± he said, kissing me once again before pulling back. He grabbed a shirt from his drawer and to my disappointment, he put it on. He held out his hand for me to take. ¡°Ready?¡± He asked, a new light in his eyes that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡°Right now?¡± I asked, my eyes widening. I was suddenly feeling very nervous as I touched my shoulder de. ¡°They will see the mark.¡± ¡°So?¡± He asked, raising my brows. ¡°They are my pack¡­ my family. They should know that their Alpha had found and marked his fated mate.¡± Alpha¡­ Oh, my goddess. I was going to be a luna! Of course, I knew Enzo was an Alpha. But I also adapted to the idea that he was going to reject me, and it would nevere to this. But he had marked me¡­ which meant now I was going to be the Luna of the Calypso pack. I¡¯m still a college student; I wasn¡¯t ready to be a luna. ¡°Why do you look scared?¡± Enzo asked, frowning. ¡°I guess I just never saw myself being a Luna,¡± I admitted. ¡°It just dawned on me and I¡¯m a little afraid.¡± ¡°My pack already loves you,¡± Enzo said, giving me a warm smile. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll be an amazing Luna. We don¡¯t have to set anything in stone until you are ready though. Just because I marked you doesn¡¯t mean you have to take on Luna responsibilities. You can still finish college and do what you need to do.¡± This mate bond was incredible; he knew exactly what I was feeling, and I felt better knowing that he wasn¡¯t going to pressure me with the Luna title just yet. ¡°You mean that?¡± I asked, peering up at him. He reached his hand out for me to take. ¡°Of course,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go get dinner.¡± I breathed out relieved as I grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull me out of bed. I walked with him, my hand still in his, as we walked out of his room and down the main stairs until we got to the front room of the packhouse. A few pack members had entered and were walking towards the dining area where Dee and some of the other packhouse workers usually set up meals on the buffet table for the pack. She was an incredible cook, and I was excited to eat what she had prepared. ¡°Good evening, Alpha,¡± a couple of she-wolves said as we walked by. A low growl escaped through my throat; I wasn¡¯t expecting it and it took me by surprise. Val did not like the other she-wolves speaking to our mate. The girls looked frightened and quickly scurried away. ¡°Calm down. He¡¯s an Alpha. He has to be able to speak to his pack members without you getting jealous,¡± I scolded my wolf. ¡°They were batting theirshes at him,¡± she said through her teeth. I rolled my eyes at my wolf and nced up at Enzo who was staring down at me with a warm smile. He bent down and kissed me gently. ¡°I¡¯m yours,¡± he whispered reassuringly. I smiled into his second kiss and instantly felt Val rxing. He pulled me along with him and we entered therge dining area. It was filled with pack members and the entire room smelled delicious. My mouth was watering, and my stomach was growling. I hadn¡¯t eaten all day and I was excited to finally get something in my system. Especially Dee¡¯s cooking. Some of the pack members were seated at the long dining table; others were grabbing their food to go. It wasn¡¯t unusual for members of the pack toe to the packhouse to grab food if they didn¡¯t feel like cooking themselves. It wasn¡¯t mandatory for them to eat at the packhouse, or even eat the food Dee prepared, but she made enough just in case everybody in the pack wanted some. Actually, she always made more than she needed. Any leftover food would be donated to lesser packs; those who can¡¯t afford a lot of food or could use a hot meal. There were quite a few of those. My father enjoyed helping the lesser packs around Elysium and the Nova packhouse did the same thing with their leftover food. My mother did most of the cooking because it was something she always enjoyed. She had some helpers in the kitchen, but she was the one in charge of all meals. Like Dee, she always made a little too much food too that way she could donate it to lesser packs. There was a line for the buffet table, but Enzo didn¡¯t bother standing in it. He grabbed both me and him a te, handing me one, and then walked towards the front of the line. Nobody even batted an eye. He was the Alpha, and nobody expected him to stand in line. A few said hello to him and he said hello back. I followed closely behind, suddenly feeling incredibly shy. Once we reached the front of the line, I nced at all the amazing food in front of me. There was even a sd bar with a variety of veggies. Dee went all out; I imagined she did this all the time. ¡°Take as much as you want,¡± Enzo instructed as he made himself a te. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. As I started filling my te with a variety of foods, I heard a light gasp from beside me. I looked up to see Dee staring at me with wide eyes. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± she gasped. ¡°You¡¯ve been marked!¡± Chapter 175 Chapter 175 L¡¯s POV I stared at Dee with shock; she had seen the mark so quickly. I didn¡¯t even realize she was standing there. Soon, murmurs erupted from around the dining room, and everyone was excitedly chirping. ¡°Did the Alpha mark her??¡± ¡°Had he finally found his mate?!¡± ¡°I knew something was going on with them!!!¡± My face reddened instantly, and I looked up at Enzo who was only grinning, trying not tough. He found this amusing. Soon, Ethan appeared beside him with a bright smile, patting him on the back of the shoulder. ¡°Does this mean we have a new Luna?¡± Ethan asked the question that everyone was wondering. Enzo stared down at me, meeting my eyes briefly before turning to the rest of his pack. ¡°As much as I want to marry her right now, I made a promise that I would allow her to be ready on her own terms. As most of you know she is a student. She¡¯s starting her second year tomorrow. Once she is ready, I¡¯m hoping to officially marry her and make her the Luna of this pack. Until then, I expect you to still treat her with the same respect you would a Luna.¡± The pack continued their excited murmurs. Except for a few she-wolves, including the ones that said hi to Enzo earlier. They were standing off to the side with their arms folded across their chests and giving me the death re. I knew they were probably going to be a problem for meter and my stomach tightened. I didn¡¯t want any issues with anyone in Enzo¡¯s pack. But it seems to be unavoidable. Enzo didn¡¯t notice them though. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to him. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I would also expect that this information doesn¡¯t leave this pack. No outsiders should hear about this C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org from anyone other than my mate and me.¡± ¡°Of course, Alpha,¡± someone from across the dining room said with a bright smile. He wore a gamma uniform with the Calypso pack symbol on his chest. ¡°And might I be the first to say congrattions.¡± Everybody began to cheer and coo their congrattions. Well, most everyone. Those she-wolves continued to re at me. I tried my best to ignore them. Dee hugged us both with tears in her eyes. ¡°Oh, my goddess. I can¡¯t believe this,¡± she cooed. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, Brother,¡± Ethan said, shaking his hand. He turned to me and reached his hand out for me to take. I took it right away and he brought it to his mouth and bowed his head to me, making my face re up. I heard a low growl from Enzo¡¯s throat, and I knew he didn¡¯t like another man touching me. ¡°Congrattions, future Luna,¡± Ethan said, lifting his gaze to mine. Enzo grabbed my hand and pulled it out of the grasp of Ethan. ¡°Careful, Beta Ethan,¡± Enzo growled in a low tone. Ethanughed. ¡°Easy there, big guy. I¡¯m just teasing. I really am happy for you both though. It¡¯s about time you decided to take a mate. With your age, it was getting kind of sad,¡± Ethan continued tough. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Enzo said, a sly grin on his face. ¡°Might I remind you that you are unmated as well?¡± Ethan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not an Alpha. It doesn¡¯t matter when I find my mate.¡± ¡°Well, in the meantime, keep your hands off mine,¡± Enzo warned. But they bothughed, so I knew they were teasing. I turned to the buffet table while the two continued talking and I finished fixing my te. Dee was watching me with a pleased smile on her face. ¡°You must be so happy,¡± she breathed; she spoke low so Enzo couldn¡¯t hear. I couldn¡¯t help but smile in return. ¡°It¡¯s surreal,¡± I said with my face warming. ¡°I never thought this day woulde.¡± ¡°I was beginning to doubt he would evere around as well,¡± she chuckled. ¡°But now that you are marked, will you be moving in?¡± Moving in? I hadn¡¯t even thought about that. ¡°We didn¡¯t talk about it,¡± I told her, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m still in school. I guess it would only be a 30-minute commute. But my roommates would be very upset.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they would understand,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°A mate bond is very important. You should be near one another all the time. At least in the beginning.¡± My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. I looked at Enzo who was still talking with Ethan. He told me we could take things slow, but maybe he just meant marriage. Did he really expect me to abandon my friends to move in here? Enzo turned to me and smiled. ¡°Hold on, let me fix myself a te,¡± he said as he continued to ce food on his te. Dee went back to work and others were talking amongst themselves. Once Enzo was done, we went over to the dining table and sat down. I stared at my food with a frown as Enzo began eating. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± He asked, raising his brows. ¡°I have school tomorrow¡­¡± I said slowly, still staring at the food. ¡°All the more reason to eat,¡± he said in response. ¡°I mean¡­ I have to return to school tomorrow,¡± I said, this time I rose my gaze to meet his eyes. ¡°To my dorm.¡± He frowned and set his fork down. ¡°I see,¡± he said, staring around my face curiously. ¡°I have roommates who depend on me being there,¡± I continued. ¡°If I leave then they would be assigned a new roommate to live in the third room. Ba worries about living with a stranger and¡ª¡± ¡°Who said anything about you leaving your dorm?¡± Enzo asked, his brows furrowing together. ¡°I just assumed that you¡¯d want me to move into this packhouse and live with you. I mean it¡¯d be doable because it¡¯s only a 30-minutemute. But¡ª¡± ¡°L, I already told you that nothing has to happen until you are fully ready,¡± Enzo said, his tone soft andpassionate. ¡°I meant what I said.¡± I met his eyes; my heart began to beat quickly against my chest and a smile tugged at my lips. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to be around you all the time to keep you safe, I know it¡¯s not usible. I want you to enjoy this time with your friends and finish college. I never want you to resent me for keeping you from that. But I¡¯d also like it if you came to stay with me during the weekends and breaks. If you ever want to visit your family, we can visit them together.¡± He reached his hand over to mine and held it gently. ¡°I love you,¡± he said, and I saw the seriousness in his eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make you do anything you wouldn¡¯t want to do.¡± ¡°I love you too,¡± I said with a bright smile; and I truly meant it. He beamed. ¡°You know that¡¯s the first time you said that to me,¡± he said, picking up his fork again. My smile widened as I leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°The first of many,¡± I said in return. I began eating and the thought of my family invaded my mind. ¡°I wonder how my family is going to react when I tell them about this,¡± I said, a little bit worried about my father¡¯s reaction. ¡°I can go with you this week to see them,¡± Enzo offered. ¡°We can tell them together.¡± I smiled; I like that idea a lot. At that moment, Ethan walked over to us; his face looked worried. He whispered something to Enzo and Enzo tensed, looking at me. ¡°L, I need to deal with something. I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. He leaned close to me and kissed my cheek. ¡°Alpha business. It never ends,¡± was all he said. He stood up and left with Ethan. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Word from the gammas that Paul and some of his men are outside the gates,¡± Ethan had whispered into my ear. My head gamma, Jack, and some other warriors were outside, keeping Paul from going any further. Paul was leaning against a red Mercedes with his arms folded across his chest. A few of his men standing nearby as well. ¡°I told you to stay away from here,¡± I said, keeping my eyes on Paul. ¡°We know you are hiding a Vna wolf in your pack,¡± Paul said through his teeth. ¡°We can smell her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a concern of yours,¡± I said, anger fueling me. ¡°Maybe not¡­ but it is a concern of yours,¡± he said darkly. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± I wasn¡¯t going to let him near anywhere near L; I would kill him if he tried. ¡°We want the Vna girl,¡± Paul said. ¡°We know you have her. So, I will give you 24 hours to bring her to me¡­or your mother will suffer.¡± My heart fell into my stomach, Just as I took a step toward him, he stepped away from the car and opened in the backseat. No¡­ Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Enzo¡¯s POV My mother sat in the backseat with bruises and cuts upying her face. Her hands and feet were bound together, making it impossible for her to move, despite her desperately trying. Her mouth was also covered in tape, so she couldn¡¯t speak but I heard her screaming through the tape. I saw fucking red. I shifted without another thought, growling so loudly that the earth shook. Ethan and my head gamma, Jack, were also shifted into their wolves; they were ready to attack on my command. Paul mmed the door shut, blocking me from my mother. I lunged toward Paul, ready to bare my teeth into his flesh and rip him apart, limb from limb. He remained unmoved, a hint of a smile ying at the corner of his lips. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize why. Soon, a shooting pain hit my head and I was falling to the ground in mid-air. The shoulder of my wolf hit the hard ground and we howled out in pain as the feeling intensified on our heads. It felt like my brain was about to explode. Nausea came quickly after, and spots clouded my vision. I managed to sneak a peek at the men around me and saw they were too wailing on the ground. I saw Paul¡¯s shoes stepping in front of me and he knelt in front of me. I howled out as the pain grew worse, gritting my teeth as I red up at the bastard. Behind him stood a small-looking woman with white hair and eyes that looked avoid. Telling from her aura, I could tell that she was a witch. This pain was her doing. I wanted to rip her throat out, but I was nearly paralyzed by the pain. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Have you met my friend Cecilia¡­ CC for short,¡± Paul said, his tone kept casual, which pissed me off immensely. ¡°She¡¯s quite good at what she does,¡± Paul chuckled as he stood to his feet. He turned back to the car, the car they were keeping my mother inside and he opened the door. I got a glimpse of my mother with tears in her eyes. She saw me lying on the ground and I heard her muffled screams through the tape. She struggled against their hold, wanting to get to me. Paul slid into the car beside her, forcing her further into the car. CC got in after him. She had released her hold on our brains just as the door of the car mmed shut. My head still hurt, but I was able to perch myself up and try to steady myself. ¡°Where is that fucker!!¡± I growled, ignoring the shooting of my head. ¡°He¡¯s gone,¡± Ethan said from beside me, he was rubbing his head, trying to recover from that pain. ¡°They have a witch on their side.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I stared after Enzo, curiously. Ethan had pulled him away so suddenly and my stomach tightened. I knew something was wrong; I could feel it in my bones. Part of being marked was being able to feel the emotions of the other mate if we were in the range of one another. I felt his anxieties and worry when Ethan whispered into his ear. It was a feeling that soon turned into a fury that bubbled in my stomach. Someone was outside with them. ¡°We should get to our mate,¡± Val agreed with me. ¡°Max feels angry.¡± What could possibly be happening outside that could cause Enzo and his wolf to feel this much anger? It was a rage I had never felt before and yet it wasn¡¯t my own. I didn¡¯t know having a mate would feel so intense. Just as I stood, pain shot through my body, making me buckle in my steps. My head was throbbing, and it felt like my brain was about to explode. The pain only got worse, and this time, I let out a whimper. ¡°L?¡± I heard my name, but it sounded distorted. ¡°Oh, my goddess. Are you okay?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I couldn¡¯t respond, I couldn¡¯t speak. But soon, a warmth washed over me, and the scent of my mate filled the air. The pain in my body began to lessen and I rxed. His arms embraced me, wrapping me in his warm and soothing arms. I pressed my face into his chest and breathed him in, taking in his every scent. ¡°What happened?¡± Enzo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I whispered to him. ¡°I felt your emotions and I was going toe to check on you. Then I felt this shooting pain in my head.¡± Enzo frowned and looked around my face. ¡°A shooting pain?¡± He asked. I nodded. ¡°I felt it in my back too. I thought I was dying for a second.¡± Enzo gave me a strange look, furrowing his brows together. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Did it happen to anyone else here? He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I looked around brefily before looking back up at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± I said in response. ¡°Why?¡± He was about to answer, but Ethan interrupted us. ¡°We need to go,¡± Ethan said to him; Enzo nodded and then turned to me. ¡°We will talkter, okay?¡± Enzo said, leaning in to kiss me. I kissed him gently on the lips but my frown deepened. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked, following after them. ¡°I just need to deal with something. More Alpha stuff.¡± ¡°Does it have anything to do with that pain you felt?¡± I asked, still following after him until we left the dining room. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, L. Its just Alpha stuff,¡± he repeated, a little frustration in his voice. Jack and Ethan were far ahead of him, almost at his office. ¡°As the future Luna, I think I should be concerned with Alpha stuff. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± I asked, making him pause. ¡°L¡ª¡± ¡°Enzo, the moment you marked me you decided to make us a team,¡± I reminded him firmly. ¡°Whatever is happening, whatever you are going through, we can get through it together. I can feel your emotions and I know something is going on. What is it?¡± I wasn¡¯t backing down from this. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Enzo sighed. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to put you in any danger. I just got you¡­I can¡¯t lose you, L.¡± I saw how scared he was from his eyes and the look he was giving me, but most importantly I could feel it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked again. ¡°Paul has my mother and said he will kill her if I don¡¯t bring you to them,¡± he said quickly, a wave of hurt crossing his face. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°Your father¡¯s beta?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°He has your mother?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let him hurt you. I¡¯m going to get my mother back.¡± Enzo turned to leave but I grabbed his arm gently. ¡°I¡¯ll go to him,¡± I said, gazing up at my mate. Enzo growled, the eyes of Max shing through Enzo¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you do that,¡± Enzo growled. ¡°If it¡¯s the only way to get your mother back; I will go to him,¡± I said again. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t put you in danger, L,¡± he said through his teeth. I knew it was taking everything he had to keep control. I ced my hand on his arm, gazing up at him and pressing myself close to him. ¡°I¡¯ll have you with me,¡± I told him softly. ¡°I¡¯ll be safe.¡± He looked around my face for a moment longer before sighing; I knew I had won this battle. I leaned up and kissed him. Feeling his lips on mine was the only thing I needed at that moment. He tasted so good, and I loved everything about him. I was his and he was mine. I would do anything to protect what is mine and those that I love. Even if it means walking into the eye of danger. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Enzo¡¯s POV My mother sat in the backseat with bruises and cuts upying her face. Her hands and feet were bound together, making it impossible for her to move, despite her desperately trying. Her mouth was also covered in tape, so she couldn¡¯t speak but I heard her screaming through the tape. I saw fucking red. I shifted without another thought, growling so loudly that the earth shook. Ethan and my head gamma, Jack, were also shifted into their wolves; they were ready to attack on my command. Paul mmed the door shut, blocking me from my mother. I lunged toward Paul, ready to bare my teeth into his flesh and rip him apart, limb from limb. He remained unmoved, a hint of a smile ying at the corner of his lips. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize why. Soon, a shooting pain hit my head and I was falling to the ground in mid-air. The shoulder of my wolf hit the hard ground and we howled out in pain as the feeling intensified on our heads. It felt like my brain was about to explode. Nausea came quickly after, and spots clouded my vision. I managed to sneak a peek at the men around me and saw they were too wailing on the ground. I saw Paul¡¯s shoes stepping in front of me and he knelt in front of me. I howled out as the pain grew worse, gritting my teeth as I red up at the bastard. Behind him stood a small-looking woman with white hair and eyes that looked avoid. Telling from her aura, I could tell that she was a witch. This pain was her doing. I wanted to rip her throat out, but I was nearly paralyzed by the pain. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Have you met my friend Cecilia¡­ CC for short,¡± Paul said, his tone kept casual, which pissed me off immensely. ¡°She¡¯s quite good at what she does,¡± Paul chuckled as he stood to his feet. He turned back to the car, the car they were keeping my mother inside and he opened the door. I got a glimpse of my mother with tears in her eyes. She saw me lying on the ground and I heard her muffled screams through the tape. She struggled against their hold, wanting to get to me. Paul slid into the car beside her, forcing her further into the car. CC got in after him. She had released her hold on our brains just as the door of the car mmed shut. My head still hurt, but I was able to perch myself up and try to steady myself. ¡°Where is that fucker!!¡± I growled, ignoring the shooting of my head. ¡°He¡¯s gone,¡± Ethan said from beside me, he was rubbing his head, trying to recover from that pain. ¡°They have a witch on their side.¡± ¡­ L¡¯s POV I stared after Enzo, curiously. Ethan had pulled him away so suddenly and my stomach tightened. I knew something was wrong; I could feel it in my bones. Part of being marked was being able to feel the emotions of the other mate if we were in the range of one another. I felt his anxieties and worry when Ethan whispered into his ear. It was a feeling that soon turned into a fury that bubbled in my stomach. Someone was outside with them. ¡°We should get to our mate,¡± Val agreed with me. ¡°Max feels angry.¡± What could possibly be happening outside that could cause Enzo and his wolf to feel this much anger? It was a rage I had never felt before and yet it wasn¡¯t my own. I didn¡¯t know having a mate would feel so intense. Just as I stood, pain shot through my body, making me buckle in my steps. My head was throbbing, and it felt like my brain was about to explode. The pain only got worse, and this time, I let out a whimper. ¡°L?¡± I heard my name, but it sounded distorted. ¡°Oh, my goddess. Are you okay?¡± I couldn¡¯t respond, I couldn¡¯t speak. But soon, a warmth washed over me, and the scent of my mate filled the air. The pain in my body began to lessen and I rxed. His arms embraced me, wrapping me in his warm and soothing arms. I pressed my face into his chest and breathed him in, taking in his every scent. ¡°What happened?¡± Enzo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I whispered to him. ¡°I felt your emotions and I was going toe to check on you. Then I felt this shooting pain in my head.¡± Enzo frowned and looked around my face. ¡°A shooting pain?¡± He asked. I nodded. ¡°I felt it in my back too. I thought I was dying for a second.¡± Enzo gave me a strange look, furrowing his brows together. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°Did it happen to anyone else here? He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I looked around brefily before looking back up at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± I said in response. ¡°Why?¡± He was about to answer, but Ethan interrupted us. ¡°We need to go,¡± Ethan said to him; Enzo nodded and then turned to me. ¡°We will talkter, okay?¡± Enzo said, leaning in to kiss me. I kissed him gently on the lips but my frown deepened. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked, following after them. ¡°I just need to deal with something. More Alpha stuff.¡± ¡°Does it have anything to do with that pain you felt?¡± I asked, still following after him until we left the dining room. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, L. Its just Alpha stuff,¡± he repeated, a little frustration in his voice. Jack and Ethan were far ahead of him, almost at his office. ¡°As the future Luna, I think I should be concerned with Alpha stuff. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± I asked, making him pause. ¡°L¡ª¡± ¡°Enzo, the moment you marked me you decided to make us a team,¡± I reminded him firmly. ¡°Whatever is happening, whatever you are going through, we can get through it together. I can feel your emotions and I know something is going on. What is it?¡± I wasn¡¯t backing down from this. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Enzo sighed. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to put you in any danger. I just got you¡­I can¡¯t lose you, L.¡± I saw how scared he was from his eyes and the look he was giving me, but most importantly I could feel it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked again. ¡°Paul has my mother and said he will kill her if I don¡¯t bring you to them,¡± he said quickly, a wave of hurt crossing his face. My heart fell into my stomach. ¡°Your father¡¯s beta?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°He has your mother?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let him hurt you. I¡¯m going to get my mother back.¡± Enzo turned to leave but I grabbed his arm gently. ¡°I¡¯ll go to him,¡± I said, gazing up at my mate. Enzo growled, the eyes of Max shing through Enzo¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you do that,¡± Enzo growled. ¡°If it¡¯s the only way to get your mother back; I will go to him,¡± I said again. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t put you in danger, L,¡± he said through his teeth. I knew it was taking everything he had to keep control. I ced my hand on his arm, gazing up at him and pressing myself close to him. ¡°I¡¯ll have you with me,¡± I told him softly. ¡°I¡¯ll be safe.¡± He looked around my face for a moment longer before sighing; I knew I had won this battle. I leaned up and kissed him. Feeling his lips on mine was the only thing I needed at that moment. He tasted so good, and I loved everything about him. I was his and he was mine. I would do anything to protect what is mine and those that I love. Even if it means walking into the eye of danger.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 178 Chapter 178 nzo¡¯s POV The hideout reeked of rogues; it made me nearly sick to my stomach. There were a lot of them, and they were attacking my men and me. I was dodging their attacks and even getting a few bites in myself. I was still bigger than most of them, but because there were so many of them, I couldn¡¯t beat them all on my own. I felt a sharp de slicing through my arm; it was made of silver. It stung, but it didn¡¯t let that be shown on my face. Just as the de came back around and was about to slice my face, I shifted into my human form, ducking the attack, and kicking the rogue asshole to the ground. He was also in his human form. I stepped on his wrist, forcing him to release the de and beg me for mercy. Max let out a low growl in my throat; he wanted to tear this jerk to pieces. But as an Alpha, I couldn¡¯t kill someone who surrendered. ¡°Cuff him and get him out of here,¡± I barked to one of my gammas. I shifted back into my wolf form and went toward the other rogues who were continuously fighting my men. A lot of these rogues had already left, but there were still a few bold ones that lingered behind. There are some in human forms, shooting arrows in our direction. Some missed me by only a hair, others grazed me. I ran toward them, growling loudly and being fueled with anger. I was seeing nothing but red. A few more arrows flew in my direction and I intended to catch them with my teeth, but as soon as they neared me, they bounced off an invisible barrier and fell to the ground. It stalled me for only a moment, confused as to what just happened. ¡°It¡¯s Val,¡± Max breathed, lifting his nose in the air and feeling the energy of his mate circting him. ¡°She gave us a shield.¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Categories Search¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible,¡± I said in return as more arrows flew in my direction, but like the first one, they hit an invisible barrier and came crashing down to the ground. ¡°She¡¯s strong,¡± Max said. That was an understatement. L was outside with a couple of my trusted gamma warriors, so my onlyfort was knowing that she was at least safe. If anything happened to her during this, I would never be able to forgive myself. I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my mother either. I could smell her in this hideout, so I knew she was there. I realized quickly that it wasn¡¯t just me that L had ced a shield around; it was all the gammas and Ethan as well. They seemed confused when rogues were having trouble getting to them, but they used the shield to their advantage. With L¡¯s help, we managed to get through the clearing of rogues without getting hurt any further. However, as soon as thest of the rogues was captured, I felt a painful tug in my muscles. Like I was being torn apart from the inside. ¡°Our mate is hurt,¡± Max breathed, also feeling the pain she was feeling. It had to have been the shield; it was draining her of her strength and making her exhausted. It was also tearing her muscles. It was too strong, and she wasn¡¯t trained enough to use that much power yet. She needed to release the shield. ¡°L!¡± I said through the mindlink. She didn¡¯t respond. She was too busy keeping the shield in ce keeping herself together. But I knew she could hear me. ¡°L, you need to let the barrier down. You are hurting yourself. I can feel it.¡± ¡°I want to help you,¡± she said through her teeth, and I knew how much she struggled to speak. ¡°You¡¯ve done more than enough,¡± I assured her. ¡°We got through the clearing. Release the barrier.¡± I felt the tension lessen and I knew the shield was no longer intact. I let out a breath of air. ¡°I think I found something,¡± Ethan said through the mindlink, drawing all of our attention down a long and dark hallway. My mother¡¯s scent grew potent as I went down the hallway, which only made me run to Ethan¡¯s location that much faster. Ethan stood in front of arge wooden doorway with a worried expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± Ethan said. ¡°But it reeks like rogue.¡± ¡°This whole ce reeks like rogue,¡± Jack said, scrunching his nose. I tuned them out and ran with all my force and speed toward the door. I mmed the shoulder of my wolf into the door, ignoring the pain I felt in my body. I ran again and mmed into the door. The third time I ran into the door, Ethan and Jack ran with me. All three of us ran into the door and the door broke off its hinges and went tumbling down a long flight of stairs. I would have fallen down the stairs myself if Ethan hadn¡¯t grabbed my arm to keep me steady. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I ordered my gammas who were quick to run down the stairs. There were more rogues we had to take care of but we soon found the holding cell they were keeping my mother. ¡°Where¡¯s Paul?¡± Ethan asked, looking around the underground dungeon. I smelled the air, only picking up the heavy smell of rogues and then a faint smell of Vna wolves. He¡¯s had other Vnas here besides my mother. The thought of him keeping L here made my stomach uneasy. My mothery on the ground; her breathing was shallow, and she was badly beaten. ¡°I think I found the keys,¡± Jack said from the desk across the room. He dangled a set of keys in the air and tossed them to me. I grabbed them in the air and went to unlock the cell my mother was in. It took a couple of tries to find the correct key, but soon, the cell door was open, and my gamma was running into the cell. ¡°We need to get her to the pack doctor,¡± one of them said, checking for a pulse. ¡°She has a very light pulse and she¡¯s breathing. But barely.¡± ¡°Get her to safety,¡± I ordered. He nodded and lifted her off the ground, securing her on the back of his wolf. Her head dangled over, and her body waspletely limp. I hated seeing her this way; my heart shattered at the thought of what she must have gone through. I should have been there to protect her, but I wasn¡¯t. ¡°We should get out of here too, Alpha,¡± Ethan said, stepping beside me. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad feeling. A lot of the rogues took off quickly and Paul is nowhere to be seen.¡± I sent a mindlink to the warriors who remained outside with L. ¡°How¡¯s L¡± I asked as we sealed the dungeon cell and made our way back up the stairs. ¡°She¡¯s in pain, Alpha. I¡¯m not sure what happened. But she needs medical attention.¡± My heart fell into my stomach. All the attacks on my body, L must have felt. I nced down at my arm which was healing slowly. It would have healed faster but it was a silver dagger. As we got back upstairs, I froze when I heard something ttering to the ground. Before I could fully grasp what, it was, I heard Ethan and Jack screaming at the same time, ¡°ENZO!!! RUN!!!¡± It was a grenade. I wasted no time in running towards the doorway with all the speed I could musk. As soon as I reached the door: KABOOM! Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Enzo¡¯s POV My hearing was gone; all I could hear was a loud pitched sound and all I could see was smoke. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I was breathing or not. My entire body had gone numb, and I was pretty sure I was pressed against the ground, covered in rubble from the rogue hideout. I lifted my head only to be met with more smoke; I couldn¡¯t see any of my warriors and I¡¯m not sure who made it out alive. Soon, I saw the worried eyes of Ethan emerging from the smoke. He was covered in soot, and he was breathing heavily. He covered his mouth to keep from inhaling any more smoke. He was saying something to me, but I couldn¡¯t hear him. Jack was next to appear and together they grabbed each side of me, trying to get me to my feet. It wasn¡¯t until I moaned that I started to feel the pain my body endured. I growled loudly as I stood to my feet. Max was working hard at healing me, but I knew he was exhausted. The rogues threw a grenade into their own hideout in ast attempt to kill us. ¡°Enzo, can you hear me?¡± Ethan¡¯s voice finally cut through my damaged eardrums, and I managed to nod my head. ¡°L¡­¡± I said through gasps of air. ¡°They were able to move her out of the way,¡± Ethan assured me. ¡°And my mother?¡± ¡°Already on her way to the pack hospital,¡± Jack was next to answer. ¡°She¡¯s sustained a lot of injuries that will need to be cared for right away.¡± I nodded as we continued to make our way out of the smoke. Categories Search¡­ Once I was able to see again, I scanned the scene around me. I had warriors sitting on the ground with open wounds from silver weapons. Their wolves weren¡¯t healing them which meant some of these weapons must have beenced in wolf¡¯s bane. I looked down at my arm which hadn¡¯t healed yet either and sighed. ¡°Everyone needs to get looked at by the pack doctors,¡± I ordered. ¡°Return there now.¡± ¡°What about Paul?¡± Jack asked, raising his brows. ¡°He¡¯s still out there. He¡¯s not going to stop until L is in his custody.¡± I stared over in the far distance where I knew L was. One of my warriors was holding her unconscious body in his arms. Her head was leaning against his chest, and she looked incredibly cozy, curled up with this warrior. A low growl escaped my throat as Max grew uneasy. He didn¡¯t like other men touching our mate. ¡°First thing first is making sure everybody is okay. Then, we will go after Paul,¡± I said, walking toward L. The warrior holding L saw meing and I could see the color draining from his face. it was probably the way I was ring at him. However, I said nothing to him. I wrapped my arms around L pulled her out of his arms and cradled her in mine. I was more than relieved to see that she was breathing and seemingly unharmed. She was just exhausted. Using that much power took a lot out of her. She rested her head on my chest and took a deep breath, taking in my scent just as I took in hers. Her eyes fluttered open, and I saw the concern in her gaze as she stared at my face. ¡°You¡¯re okay¡­¡± she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°I thought I lost you¡­¡± I stared at her for a moment longer, watching as some tears strayed loose from her features and stained her cheeks. I bent down and kissed her tears away, nuzzling my nose against her hair. ¡°You¡¯ll never lose me,¡± I whispered in return. Her lips found mine and my heartbeat wildly in my chest. I felt light sparks tingle around my body. She tasted so good, and I couldn¡¯t get enough of her. I let my tongue wander into her mouth, tasting everything, she had to offer. ¡°Alpha, we are heading back,¡± Ethan said through a mindlink. I had almost forgotten we weren¡¯t alone. I was seconds away from ripping L¡¯s clothing off. It was going to wait until we returned home. ¡­ L¡¯s POV I was so tired. Using that much power to keep Enzo and his warriors safe took so much out of me. When I saw the grenade being thrown into the building, a part of me died right then and there. It was an agonizing emotional pain knowing that Enzo was still in that building. My body couldn¡¯t handle knowing what was happening and shut downpletely. I didn¡¯te back until Enzo was holding me in his arms. I thought I was dreaming at first. But then feeling his lips on mine and his tongue in my mouth, I knew that no dream could ever make me feel this way. I wanted so much more of him; I wanted to soak in his scent and stay like this forever. But we couldn¡¯t stick around any longer. We needed to get out of here before Paul returned and finished the job. Enzos¡¯ mother and some of his warriors were already on their way to the pack doctors to get looked at. Enzo had me ride on the back of his wolf as we ran through the forest until we reached the Calypso pack a few minutester. ¡°You should take a shower,¡± Enzo said as we made our way to his room. I nodded. ¡°Are you going to see your mom?¡± I asked. ¡°In the morning. Dr. Levi mindlinked and told me they were currently working on her.¡± ¡°I see¡­ ¡° I said, staring at the ground sheepishly. ¡°Can Ie with you?¡± I felt Enzo¡¯s body tense and I wasn¡¯t sure where that came from. I frowned at him, meeting his eyes. ¡°You need to get ready to return to school,¡± Enzo then told me after a pause. ¡°They gave me tomorrow off, remember?¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. He had gotten weird all of a sudden. ¡°Yes, but you should still return sooner thanter tomorrow.¡± ¡°Are you trying to get rid of me?¡± I asked, half joking, but also a little curious. He rose his brows. ¡°Of course not,¡± he said as he leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips. ¡°If I had it my way, you wouldn¡¯t return to that school at all. You¡¯d stay here and be the pack, Luna.¡± I blushed at his words, which made him grin. ¡°But I respect your choice,¡± he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He allowed his fingers to linger on my upper cheekbone for a moment longer before I closed the gap between us. Standing on my toes, I brought my lips to his, kissing him gently at first but then deepening it. He smelled so incredible; my heart was racing in my chest and all I wanted was to be close to him. I wanted to feel his body against mine, feeling his touch and his kiss. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and feel him inside of me. My lower abdomen felt incredibly warm as the desire for my mate consumed me. I continued to kiss him, twirling my tongue around his. He broke the kiss, and we were both panting heavily. ¡°You should take a shower,¡± he said, staring down at my lips at he spoke. ¡°You¡¯ll feel more refreshed.¡± I managed a single nod, not wanting to part with him. I saw the hunger and lust in his eyes, and it only made me grow that much more excited. He grabbed my hand and without a word, pulled me toward the bathroom. I was amazed that my legs even worked. Once we got into the bathroom, he turned to face me, kissing me again, only this time he ran his kisses down the nape of my neck, licking at the mark he had ced on me. I let a small moan as his kisses traveled down my shoulders and back up to my lips. ¡°I thought you wanted me to shower,¡± I whispered against him as he ced my bottom lip between his teeth. His eyes darkened and I saw a hint of a smile on his lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were going to shower aloC¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 180 Chapter 180 L¡¯s POV Excitement was coursing through me as Enzo lifted the shirt I had on over my head. The only thing I was wearing was that shirt. One of the warriors must have put it on me when I shifted back into my human form while we were in the rogue territory. The shirt was long enough to reach my knees, but I¡¯m sure Enzo couldn¡¯t wait to get this other man¡¯s shirt off me. He trailed his kisses down my neck, running his fingers down my back and leaving goosebumps in their trail. Enzo pulled apart for a minute so he could turn on the shower and then he made his way back to me, kissing me and holding me in his arms. I embraced every aspect of him; the way he feels when I¡¯m pressed against him. The sparks between us when we touch and when we kiss. His scent drove Val crazy. He was already shirtless, with only a pair of sweatpants that poorly covered his growing erection. The bathroom was quickly filled with steam, and he stepped away from me for only a moment so he could remove his sweatpants. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at how incredible his body was. My heart was racing in my chest and all I wanted was to touch him. As if reading my mind, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him. His erection wedged its way between my legs as he kissed me. I moaned into his mouth as he tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth, sending chills down my skin. The hot water hit my skin suddenly and ran down my back, soaking through my hair and falling around ourbined feet. He ran his hands down my body, cupping my behind and bringing me closer to him as he kissed my neck. He then turned me around and he grabbed the bar of soap that rested on the shelf. I felt the smooth soapthering my back and dripping down my body. His fingers ran down my body with the soap. He wrapped his arms around me and ran the soap across my breasts, allowing it to drip down my stomach. I felt his erection pressing into my backside, begging for entrance. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Categories Search¡­ I turned around to face him, rubbing my fingers up his body and wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing me even further into him. I rubbed the soap that was on my body onto his and I watched as his eyes darkened. He kissed me hungrily, exploring my mouth eagerly with his tongue. We allowed the soap to rinse off our bodies and then I pressed him into the side of the shower, much to his surprise. He gave me a startled look, followed by a smirk, as I kissed down his chest and down his torso. He¡¯s pleased me so many times, that it was time for me to return the favor. He lowered himself into a sitting position against the wall of the shower as I positioned myself between his legs. I started with my tongue; I swirled it around the tip of his manhood and as soon as I made that first contact, I felt his body shudder in delight. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, running his fingers through my hair as I continued to flick and swirl my tongue. I brought some of his erection into my mouth, sucking on it and loving every movement he made with his hips. He trusted slowly, allowing himself to go further into my mouth. He let out a low moan as I brought him further into my mouth, still using my tongue to lick around the tip and down his shaft. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± he breathed between his teeth, holding onto my head even harder and moving his hips a little quicker. I felt his penis jerking inside my mouth and it seemed as if it was getting even bigger, if that was even possible. ¡°L¡­¡± he breathed in a husky whisper. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop¡­ I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence; I moved my head faster, taking him in the best way I could. I wanted him to explode into my mouth. I wanted to taste every drop of him. I wasn¡¯t going to stop until I felt and tasted his release. His breathing only grew heavier. Soon, his salty juices erupted into my mouth and his body shuddered from the feeling. I swallowed everyst drop of him, smiling. I was pleased with myself for having that effect on him. He quickly began to kiss me again, tasting himself on my tongue and moaning in the scent of our combined love. He scooped me into his arms and forced my body to straddle him as he kissed my neck, nibbling at my shoulders. His erection was stillrge and strong and itching to be inside me. I wanted to feel him inside of me as well and I was going to go crazy if I didn¡¯t feel him soon. I reached down to touch his manhood, positioning it to my center and feeling him slide in. I went slowly at first, taking him in little by little. But he quickly filled me, and my entire body felt like I was on fire. I moved my hips up and down, taking in every inch he had to offer. I moaned softly, throwing my head back as he kissed my neck and trialed his kisses down my chest until he reached my breasts. He tugged my nipples with his teeth, licking and nibbling, sending tingles throughout my body. The sweet ecstasy of his touch made my body feel hot all over. He continued to tease my nipples, ying with one with his fingers and the other with his lips and then switching positions to tease the other with his lips. I moaned and he caught the moan with his mouth as his lips closed over mine. He explored my mouth with his tongue again and I explored his. I felt the buildup of my climax around the corner. I was on the edge, unable to keep it in any longer. ¡°Oh, Enzo¡­¡± I gasped at his name just as I released myself on him. He moaned and I felt his hips jerking. He quickly slid out of me and released himself into the shower. We were both breathing heavily and no longer felt in control of my body. I leaned against the shower to support myself. He gave me a yful and seductive look as he reached around me and turned off the shower. At one point, I felt self-conscious about standing in front of Enzopletely naked, but now I was embracing it. The way he looked at me made me feel incredibly sexy. He helped me out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body as he grabbed one for himself as well. Taking my hand, he led me out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom. His bed looked so big andfortable; I knew as soon as I got into his bed, I would be asleep. But I didn¡¯t want to go to sleep just yet. I don¡¯t think he did either because as soon as we reached the bed, he was turning back to me and kissing me tenderly. We both allowed the towels to fall onto the floor and he lifted me onto the bed. He crawled on top of me, that hunger and lust returning to his eyes. He kissed me, biting my lip again before trailing down my body and positioning himself between my legs. I threw my head back as he brought my clit into his mouth and sucked on it. I felt his tongue drawing circles around it and I moaned loudly at the incredible sensation. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he was going to make me explode quickly. I moaned out his name, running my fingers through his wet hair as he continued to please me with his tongue. He inserted a couple of fingers and thrusted them in and out of me, releasing the juices that built up from this desire. It didn¡¯t take long for me to release myself and he continued to lick all my juices until there was nothing left. He brought his lips back to mine and kissed me again, falling next to me in the bed. I wrapped my arms around him as he nuzzled against me, pressing his head against my chest like he was listening to my heartbeat. We stayed like that for a long while, feeling sleepy knocking on the door, begging for ess. I felt exhausted and as I closed my eyes, I felt my body rxing and I melted into my mate. Just before sleep officially consumed me, I heard his breathless whispers against my ear sending warmth throughout my body. ¡°I want you to meet my mother¡­¡± he whispered, kissing me gently. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 L¡¯s POV I wore a white sundress with little yellow flowers around the bottom hem. The straps of the dress went around the back of my neck. It didn¡¯t show off too much cleavage, but it made my figure very known with how tightly it hugged my body. It was a gorgeous dress though andplimented the paleness of my skin. I allowed my hair a little bit of freedom. I had it half up and half down; the part that was down was lightly curled and flowing evenly down my back,nding just above my waist. My hair was getting too long; I was thinking about cutting it soon, but Enzo said he liked my hair. He enjoys nuzzling his face in it and taking in my scent. I only wore a little makeup because I wanted a more natural look. My heart was thudding against my chest rapidly as nerves started to get the best of me. Just when I thought I was going to jump out of my skin, Enzo opened the door slightly and peered into his bedroom where I stood in front of his standing mirror. ¡°Wow, L,¡± he said once he got a look at me. He stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get this dressed up, but you are breathtaking,¡± he breathed, his eyes showing so much sincerity. My heart began to flutter at thepliment. I enjoyed this side of Enzo; this side of Enzo feltfortable¡­ it felt safe. ¡°I just want to make a good impression,¡± I tell him as hees closer. ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous.¡± ¡°Why are you nervous?¡± He asked with humor in his tone. I could tell he was fighting the urge tough. ¡°I want your mom to like me. I only get one first impression and I need to make it count,¡± I told him, peering up and into his eyes. Categories Search¡­ His eyes were soft, and I could get lost in them forever. I loved the way he looked at me. Val wiggled burn makers on her hands and the imagery made me wince. I stepped closer, getting a closer look beyond the wounds. From her features, Enzo looked a lot like her. I could see where he got his good looks because she was beautiful. She had big full lips, just like Enzo, and high cheekbones. Her brown hair was long and flowing across her shoulders. I wished she would open her eyes so I could see those too. Enzo took a seat next to her bed and took her hands into his, holding them gently. My heart ached for him; I couldn¡¯t imagine what he must be going through right now. The pain he must be feeling knowing he couldn¡¯t be there to protect his mother. He lowered his head in defeat while still holding onto her hands. It dawned on me that he hadn¡¯t really told me a lot about his mother. I don¡¯t know what kind of mother she was and what he was like with her. Then again, he turned out kind of great so she must have done something right. But still, the question remained: Why was she living as a rogue? I was told it was a choice she made, but I didn¡¯t understand why. Nobody has exined it any further than that. I ced my hand on Enzo¡¯s shoulder and just stood beside him. I said nothing, I knew if he wanted to speak then he would. But I knew for right now, he just needed some time. ¡°She spent her entire life protecting me from the wrath of my father and his men. Now when it was my turn to protect her, I wasn¡¯t here¡­.¡± he finally said after a long silence. I widened my eyes at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°She fled the wolf society when I was only an infant because she knew how dangerous my father was. He told her if he ever saw us again, he would make her watch as he killed me¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± I gasped. I knew ise was messed up, but his own son? This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°He thought my mother had an affair and that I was other guys¡¯ child,¡± Enzo exined, shaking his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t believe that I was really his son. When I was born and didn¡¯t look like I belonged to him, he rejected my mother and kicked her from the pack. Told her to never show her face around here again or he would kill me and then kill her¡­¡± He paused to gather his thoughts and I couldn¡¯t hide the tears threatening my eyes. ¡°She spent a long time protecting me, knowing that he could change his mind and kill us anyway. He had a lot of warriors and quite a following. My mother feared him¡­ she still does long after his death. She refuses to return to the pack unless all my father¡¯s warriors and following are gone. She doesn¡¯t trust the world and the rogue vige she lives in has be her home.¡± ¡°I remember hearing that her vige is hidden with the magic of a witch. Only those invited can enter. So, how did she get attacked?¡± Enzo was quiet for a moment longer as he looked down at his mother. ¡°She was probably scavenging,¡± Enzo said, shaking his head. ¡°They knew they could get to me through her. She probably left the barrier to get something beyond their vige. Or maybe they lure her out with something,¡± he said, shuddering at the thought. ¡°But regardless, they took her and beat her to get back at me.¡± My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I choked back a sob. ¡°I should have been there to protect her,¡± he whispered, defeated. Before I could say anything, a soft voice came from the bed. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Chapter 182 Chapter 182 L¡¯s POV I¡¯m not sure at what point she woke up, but Enzo¡¯s mom stared between the two of us through her swollen eyes. ¡°Mom?¡± Enzo said, his eyes wide and rmed. ¡°You¡¯ve been awake this whole time?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said weakly. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to interrupt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t here,¡± he whispered, lowering his head in shame. It broke my heart to see him like this; I knew at that moment how much he truly loved his mother. I never really took him for a family man, but this proved me wrong in all the best ways. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him close to me, but I knew now was not the time for that. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself,¡± she whispered, tears welling in her eyes which I could see were now brown. ¡°It was my fault for leaving without protection. I should have been more careful.¡± ¡°If I was¡ª¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± she said again, meeting his eyes. ¡°I love you so much, Enzo. Protecting you while you grew up to be this strong Alpha was my job. I¡¯m proud of the work I¡¯ve done to raise you. Watching you thrive is repayment enough. You don¡¯t need to keep me protected because you owe it to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it because I love you, Mom,¡± Enzo said, furrowing his brows together. At this point, I felt a little weird still being in the room. I knew I probably should give them some privacy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but I was thinking about going to the cafeteria to grab some food. Would either of you like anything?¡± I asked, staring between the two of them. Enzo looked up at me and I saw his eyes were misty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m being rude,¡± he said, standing up beside me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. ¡°Mom¡­¡± he said, turning towards his mother who had a hint of a smile on her lips. ¡°This is my mate¡­ L.¡± She breathed out like she was holding in a breath, and she stared at me silently for a moment. Categories Search¡­ This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°L, this is my mother¡­ Diana,¡± Enzo continued. Diana; what a beautiful name. ¡°Oh, L. It¡¯s so nice to finally meet you,¡± Diana breathed. ¡°You are quite beautiful, and I have faith that you will take great care of my son and his pack.¡± Her words were endearing, but they caused a tight knot to form in the pit of my stomach. And his pack. I was going to be a Luna. I knew this fact already once Enzo marked me, but now reality was setting in. Once I graduated from college, I was going to be the Luna of the Calypso pack. Being a Luna was never anything I thought was going to happen to me in the future. I never saw myself as one. My mother is a Luna and she set the bar so high that nobody could measure up to her. My mouth was suddenly dry, and I was feeling all sorts of nervous. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too,¡± I said to her, forcing a smile at her. ¡°Enzo has told me a lot about you.¡± That was a lie, Enzo doesn¡¯t talk about his mother. Before I got to know him and spoke to Dee, I thought he didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with his mother. I didn¡¯t understand why she chose to live as a rogue instead of living in Enzo¡¯s pack where she belonged. But now I understood perfectly that it was because she was terrified. This was the reason she¡¯s stayed away for all those years and my stomach ached knowing that someone did this to her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can stomach any food, right now,¡± Diana finally answered my question. I looked up at Enzo who kissed the top of my forehead gently, making my heart do a flip. ¡°I¡¯m okay too,¡± he said softly, against me. I felt my face redden when I became well aware that his mom was still in the room, so I took a step back. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be back,¡± I told them both politely. On that note, I turned on my heel and left the room. I mainly just wanted to give them some privacy; it seemed they had a lot to talk about. I also had a lot to think about and could use a little alone time of my own. As I walked the halls, I passed by various doctors and nurses who gave me kind smiles as they passed. After I graduate, this will be partly mine as well. The hospital, the staff; it would be my responsibility to make sure they have everything they need. How was I going to be a Luna? I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued walking until the elevator came into view. The cafeteria was on the bottom floor, not that I was very hungry right now. Just as I neared the elevator, I saw a couple of children running around the halls and weaving in and out of rooms. One looked to be younger and was holding onto a small teddy bear. They were both giggling. They also both looked simr; they must have been siblings. Just when I was about to tell them that running around the hospital like this was dangerous, the youngest girl tripped over a table and fell to the ground. My heart fell into my stomach when I watched her fall. Her arm went right onto the edge of the table, cutting it, as she went down. Tears instantly fell from her eyes, and she began screaming in pain and horror when she saw her arm. The other girl stood frozen with wide and frightened eyes. I didn¡¯t have the time to react. I ran. I ran as fast as I could down the hallway until I could reach them; once I was there, I fell to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay¡± I breathed calmly. She was trembling and crying so I wasn¡¯t sure if she actually heard me or not. ¡°Just take in a deep breath,¡± I said, breathing in with her before looking up at the other girl. ¡°Are you two here with any adults?¡± I asked, eyeing her carefully. She stood frozen, staring at the wound on her sister¡¯s arm. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked her, raising my tone a little bit. She stood frozen still. ¡°I need you to answer me,¡± I said firmly, bringing her attention to me. ¡°K¡­Kenzi¡­¡± she finally said, tears filling her eyes. ¡°And that¡¯s Megan.¡± ¡°Are you here with any adults?¡± I asked again, keeping my eyes locked on hers. She nodded. ¡°Our mom,¡± she answered. ¡°Okay, Kenzi. I need you to go get your mom, okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave my sister¡­¡± Kenzi¡¯s bottom lip began to tremble as a few tears dripped from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay with her until your mom gets here,¡± I assured her. ¡°I know you don¡¯t know me, but I need you to trust me.¡± She was hesitant but she eventually nodded and quickly ran down the hallway. I turned back to Megan and gave her a kind smile; she was still crying and trembling. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay,¡± I breathed as I ced my hand on top of her wound. She winced in pain and that broke my heart, but she wouldn¡¯t be in pain for much longer. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I allowed my wolf toe forward and radiate a warmth around me. I imagined that warmth to be healing; I imagined it coursing around my body and traveling down to my fingertips. I imagined it glowing a faint light as the warmth covered and soothed the wound on Megan¡¯s arm. I imagined the pain lessening and her wound healing. Soon, Megan stopped crying, now she was staring at her arm in wonder. When I opened my eyes and removed my hand, her arm waspletely healed. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± she breathed, unable to look away from her arm. I sighed in relief, pleased that I was able to pull that off. Just as I was about to stand, I heard a shrieking, yet oddly familiar, voice. ¡°What the hell are you doing to that little girl??!!¡± Chapter 183 Chapter 183 L¡¯s POV I turned and saw that same she-wolf that was giving me an evil stare at the packhouse the morning that Enzo marked me. She was staring at me like I was some viin. My heart fell into my stomach as she approached. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing?¡± She asked again through her teeth. She was wearing a pair of scrubs and holding a clipboard firmly in her manicured hands. Did she work at the hospital? I stood to my feet, keeping my eyes locked on hers. She already didn¡¯t like me, so I knew this conversation wasn¡¯t going to go in my favor. The best I could do was take her attack with grace and be on my way. ¡°This is why Vna cannot be trusted. You cause harm wherever you go. It¡¯s disgusting. Get away from that little girl,¡± she hissed, her eyes showing nothing but fury. ¡°Megan!!¡± A woman cried, running through the halls with the other little girl, Kenzi, running behind her. ¡°Mommy!¡± Megan cried as she stood to her feet and ran to her mother. They finally reached one another, and the mother scooped her up into her arms and held her close. ¡°Oh, sweetheart. What happened?¡± Her mother breathed. ¡°I was running with Kenzi and I fell,¡± she cried. ¡°I hurt my arm.¡± She lifted her arm to show her mom, but there was nothing there. This caused Kenzi to gasp because she saw the blood and now there¡¯s nothing. I could see theplete confusion on her face as she stared at Megan¡¯s arm. ¡°Oh darling,¡± her mother breathed, kissing her arm gently. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°You did this, didn¡¯t you, Luna?¡± The she-wolf hissed, still staring directly at me. She said the word ¡°Luna¡± like it was a bad taste on her tongue. Categories Search¡­ I narrowed my eyes at her, unsure of what she meant, but she got the mother¡¯s attention, along with a C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org few others who were wandering the halls. A collection of doctors and nurses were looking in our direction as well. ¡°You used your Vna powers to cause this little girl harm,¡± she continued to seethe, stepping closer to me. ¡°If you weren¡¯t here, things would have been fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand what you are saying, Nurse Felicity,¡± the mother said, peering over at the she-wolf. Felicity was her name. ¡°This woman is our future Luna,¡± Felicity spat, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°She¡¯s also a Vna. We all know just how dangerous Vnas are. We heard the stories, and we know them to be true.¡± I heard the murmurs from around me, everyone staring at me in horror. ¡°I heard it was a Vna that drove the previous Alpha crazy,¡± someone whispered. ¡°Is that really our future Luna? She¡¯s so young.¡± ¡°Is she really dangerous?¡± Felicity stepped closer to me, so she was only inches away. ¡°You have no business being in our pack. Regardless of where you go, whether you mean to or not, you will always cause harm.¡± I pressed my lips firmly together; I was about to say something until Megan spoke from behind her. Looking up at her mother she said, ¡°No¡­ the nicedy helped me, mommy. I had a big cut on my arm, and she healed me.¡± Her mom raised her brows. ¡°Really?¡± She asked, staring at her daughter¡¯s arm once again. ¡°Yes,¡± Kenzi chimed in. ¡°I saw it too! It was nasty and I thought she¡¯d need stitches. I was so scared. But now it¡¯s healed. It had to have been that miracledy!¡± She said thatst part while looking at me, making my face be warm. ¡°Did she really save that little girl?¡± I heard someone whisper. Just then, I heard a more manly voice emerging from the crowd. ¡°Why is everyone crowding around the halls? Get back to your rooms or back to work,¡± a tall gentleman said fiercely. He must have been the chief of the hospital. Everyone began to scurry back to where they came from. The mother of the little girls came running toward me and gave me a big hug. ¡°Thank you,¡± she breathed. ¡°Thank you for helping my little girl.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said in return, hugging her back and giving her a small smile. She pulled away and took her girls by the hand before walking back toward the room they came from. I looked at Felicity who refused to move from her spot. However, everybody else was gone, including the chief. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. She pressed her lips together, giving me a sly grin. ¡°I want you to stay away from Enzo,¡± she hissed. ¡°You aren¡¯t good enough for him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my mate,¡± I said in return, raising my brows. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my choice to have him as a mate. If you want toin about it, talk to the moon goddess.¡± ¡°The moon goddess would have never paired you with him,¡± she growled, fury clear in her eyes. ¡°You did something with your Vna powers to make him think you are his mate. I know how your kind works.¡± I stepped toward Felicity, folding my arms across my chest as I narrowed my eyes at her. ¡°I will admit that I¡¯m not perfect, but I¡¯m trying to keep control of my powers. I didn¡¯t ask for these abilities, and I didn¡¯t ask to be mated with Enzo. I¡¯m not entirely sure why the moon goddess chose me as his mate. But I do know that my mother is the Luna of one of the biggest and best packs in the world and she¡¯s also a Vna. She¡¯s the best Luna that I know and if I could be half the woman, she is then I would be happy. Being a Vna does not mean I am dangerous and incapable. Your stereotypes do not bother me.¡± ¡°You are such a stupid bitch,¡± She scoffed. ¡°Enzo was supposed to marry me. I¡¯ve been patiently waiting for him to ask me for years and then youe in and take him within seconds. It¡¯s pathetic that you need powers to make him love you.¡± ¡°Even if I did use my powers to make him love me, he would never love you,¡± I said in return. I didn¡¯t use my powers to make Enzo love me, but I was sick of defending myself against that usation. ¡°I¡¯ve been in this pack for years. I know this pack like it¡¯s the back of my hand. I am the best person to take over as Luna. What do you know about being a Luna? You are too focused on school to give a shit about the pack. I eat, breathe, and sleep for this pack. This pack is my entire life. While you are off at school and living your life, leaving Enzo and his pack in the dust while you be ready to be a Luna, I already am ready. I¡¯m already here and ready to take over.¡± I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat as I stared at her. Her words hurt me deeply and I had to fight to keep the tears away. I wasn¡¯t going to let her see my bit of weakness. All I could manage to say was, ¡°If he wanted you to be the Luna, you would be.¡± Chapter 184 Chapter 184 L¡¯s POV ¡°Someday soon, Enzo will realize what a terrible mistake he¡¯s made,¡± Felicity said, rolling her eyes at me. ¡°And I suppose you think that you¡¯re more suitable to be the Luna?¡± I asked, straightening my shoulders. ¡°Obviously,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Like I said, I know this pack very well. I know Enzo very well. I know what he likes and what he doesn¡¯t like. You are a dangerous nobody who will get everybody killed eventually. You shouldn¡¯t be around people.¡± ¡°If Enzo truly felt that way then he would have rejected me long ago without a second thought. But he hasn¡¯t. In fact¡­¡± I moved my hair away from my neck. Her eyes faltered on my mark and her sly grin fell. ¡°He trusted me enough to mark me. I guess that means he trusts me enough to help him run his pack.¡± She was silent; her eyes never leaving my mark. I wasn¡¯t going to entertain this conversation any longer. I stepped around her and began walking back in the direction of Diana¡¯s room. I felt a cold chill wrap around my body, making me shiver. More than anything, I just wanted to be tucked away into Enzo¡¯s arms and feel his warmth. I knew that Felicity was just talking out of her ass; I know that Enzo loves me. But she still had a little truth in her words. I haven¡¯t learned everything about my abilities yet and they are still unpredictable. Until I can learn how to control them fully and find out the extent of what I can do, I will always be a danger to anyone I encounter. How could I help run Enzo¡¯s pack? How could I expect his pack to trust me, when I barely trust me? The thought caused an ache in my chest, and I paused just outside the door, unable to enter. I ced my hand on my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeat and trying everything I could to settle it down. Her words shouldn¡¯t have affected me like this; I need to learn to brush this kind of attack off my back. It¡¯s going to be unavoidable, and I already knew this. Enzo was so handsome that it would be foolish to think that others wouldn¡¯t want him as well. Categories Search¡­ I wondered what his rtionship with Felicity was before I came into the picture. She, and another girl, said hi to him when we were headed toward the dining room for breakfast the morning after he marked Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. me. He didn¡¯t seem super interested in her though; he said hi in return and moved on. There wasn¡¯t anything unusual about the encounter; except for the fact that she couldn¡¯t stop ring at me. I took in a deep breath and reached for the door handle. It would only be a matter of time before¡ª¡± ¡°L? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Before I could even touch the doorknob, the door was swinging open, and Enzo was rushing toward me. I stood frozen as he wrapped his warm arms around my body, pulling me close to him. Val was wiggling with satisfaction, and I knew Max was probably happy too. I melted into him; taking in his scent and feeling thefort his body provided me. I buried my face in his chest; it took everything I had not to cry. But I wanted him to know just how strong I was. Crying was for weak little girls. I was not a weak little girl. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I breathed into him, lifting my gaze to meet his. ¡°I can feel your emotions. I know something is wrong,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. My face reddened as he poured his gaze into mine. That stupid mark. I forgot he could feel my distress and vice versa. ¡°I watched a little girl fall,¡± I exined, not wanting to start anything within his pack, so I left out the part about Felicity. ¡°She hurt her arm. But I helped her.¡± His frown deepened as he stared around my face like he was searching for something. ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± he said, squinting his eyes at my face. It wasn¡¯t a question, but I sighed and nodded. ¡°I had a run-in with a she-wolf,¡± I told him. ¡°Felicity.¡± I swear I thought the color in his face drained as I spoke her name. His body tensed and he was staring at me through the void of his eyes. ¡°She told me I was dangerous and that I wouldn¡¯t make a good Luna. That I would get everyone killed. She wants to be the Luna. She thinks she knows this pack way better and¡­¡± my voice trailed off, and I was unable to keep the tears at bay. ¡°She thinks she knows you better.¡± Enzo¡¯s jaw tightened and I saw the anger filling his eyes now. He was staring down the empty hallway, the direction he knew I came from. ¡°Can you stay with my mother?¡± Enzo asked, his voice hardened and unfamiliar. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He released his hold on me and began to walk away, but I grabbed onto his arm, stopping him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Really,¡± I said, trying to force a bright smile. ¡°Please don¡¯t make a scene because of this.¡± ¡°She threatened her future Luna,¡± Enzo seethed through his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not letting her get away with this. Also, what room was that little girl in? I¡¯d like to pay her a visit as well to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Room 210,¡± I answered, my toneing out soft. He nodded and turned away again. He was gone before I could even think to protest. ¡°L? Is that you, darling?¡± I blinked a couple of times and turned to face Diana. I forgot her door was open a crack. She probably heard that entire conversation. I pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside before closing it behind me. ¡°Where did my son run off to?¡± She asked, her voice low, but kind. ¡°He went to check on someone,¡± I told her, not sure how much I should tell her. But she rose brows, indicating that she knew there was more to it. Mothers always knew. At least that¡¯s what my mother always said. ¡°I ran into an altercation,¡± I admitted. ¡°He wants to deal with it in his own way.¡± I walked closer to her bedside, keeping my gaze downward. To my surprise, she chuckled. ¡°That sounds like my Enzo,¡± she said, shaking her head, but then wincing in pain at the motion. It broke my heart. ¡°Don¡¯t move too much,¡± I said, sitting down in the chair Enzo was sitting in. ¡°I¡¯m old. That would have hurt even if this didn¡¯t happen to me,¡± she said with a lightugh, making me smile. ¡°But I¡¯m d I can talk to you alone for a few minutes. I¡¯m honestly surprised he brought you to see me.¡± ¡°Enzo loves you very much,¡± I tell her simply. ¡°I love him very much as well,¡± Diana smiled. ¡°You are quite beautiful; I can see the attraction he has for you.¡± I blushed at her words; I couldn¡¯t keep the grin off my face. But then Felecity¡¯s words came back to haunt me, and I suddenly felt very small. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, staring around my face curiously. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I said, forcing a smile. She kept that frown on her face though. ¡°Is it what that girl said to you?¡± I stared at her in shock. ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked, staring at her intently. She pointed to her ear. ¡°I have strong hearing. My wolf might be old, but she¡¯s still strong,¡± Diana said with a faint smile, but then she frowned again as she searched my face. ¡°I know that Enzo loves me and that he doesn¡¯t want her. She just wants to be a Luna; she doesn¡¯t care about Enzo or the pack,¡± I said, staring down at my hands. ¡°If you already know that, then why are you sad?¡± I thought about it for a moment longer and then sighed. ¡°Because part of what she said was right. I am dangerous and I could get the pack killed If I¡¯m not careful. I don¡¯t know if Enzo told you a lot about me, but I¡¯m a Vna wolf. I don¡¯t have a lot of experience with my abilities and I¡¯m not fully trained. I could lose control and hurt someone. I don¡¯t trust me¡­ I can¡¯t expect Enzo¡¯s pack to trust me¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whatpelled me to tell her all of this, but it felt good to talk to someone. She stared at me with such love andpassion in her eyes that it caused my heart to swell. ¡°Enzo deserves better than me¡­ It¡¯s no wonder he hated me at first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I know what you mean,¡± Diana said, arching an eyebrow. ¡°Hated you?¡± I nodded and met her eyes; this time, I couldn¡¯t hide the tears threatening to escape. ¡°He hated me for a while in the beginning because I¡¯m a Vna. He didn¡¯t trust me¡­¡± She stared at me for a moment longer and then she let out a breath I didn¡¯t know she was holding. ¡°L¡­ I think there¡¯s something you need to know.¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 L¡¯s POV ¡°But first, tell me why you think he hates Vna wolves,¡± Diana said, staring at me with sadness in her eyes. I didn¡¯t like talking about this, but at the same time, it¡¯s a lot of stuff that I¡¯ve been holding in. What better person to tell other than my mate¡¯s mother? She had such aforting and yet familiar aura to her. She made me feel safe, and I knew I could talk to her about anything. She was very kind, and I suddenly grew upset that I didn¡¯t know her sooner. Enzo has been hiding her basically and the thought hurt my heart. Did he not trust me enough to be around his mother? They obviously have a great rtionship. Why didn¡¯t he want me near her until now? I sighed and tugged my fingers nervously as I thought about how to answer her question. ¡°When we first discovered that we were mates, he was cold toward me. I didn¡¯t tell him I was a Vna, but I didn¡¯t hide it either. Iter found out that he was doing research on Vna wolves. He was doing research on me¡­¡± I paused to gather my thoughts. I met her eyes and saw how unbothered she was. She didn¡¯t even look phased by this information. ¡°He told me he was going to reject me once my wolf was strong enough. I had just turned 18, so my wolf was fairly new, and he wasn¡¯t sure how she would react to rejection. A rejection is incredibly painful and damaging. It could have caused my wolf to go into hibernation forever¡­¡± I paused again to choke back a sob. The thought of Val hurting so badly that she went into a deep sleep broke my heart into a million pieces. ¡°Enzo said that?¡± Diana asked, furrowing her brows. ¡°Regardless of how old your wolf is, a rejection would be painful. However, wolves always return after. Your wolf wouldn¡¯t abandon you if she could help it.¡± Categories Search¡­ N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°He wanted to wait until my wolf was stronger,¡± I continued. ¡°Until I graduate.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t make a difference,¡± Diana said, shaking her head. I stared at her, unsure of what she meant. ¡°Whether he rejects you now, or rejects you 10 years from now, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. It would still hurt, but you¡¯d bounce back. You already seem incredibly strong, which means your wolf is also very strong.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then why did he want to wait?¡± I asked. ¡°Maybe he was waiting to see what happens in the future. He didn¡¯t want to make any decisions right now, afraid that he¡¯d regret themter. So, he held off on rejecting you; giving you excuses as to why he can¡¯t do it right then and there.¡± ¡°Did he tell you that?¡± I asked, raising my brows at her. She smiled thoughtfully, but then shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t have to. He¡¯s my son and I can read it on his face,¡± she said in return. ¡°There¡¯s not much he can hide from me,¡± she added with a chuckle. I was quiet for a moment longer as I thought more about the things Enzo had once said to me. I was marked by him now; he confessed his love for me. We are happy. But the memory of how cruel he was is etched into my mind. Talking about this with his mother left me feeling a little sad. Maybe even a little lost. ¡°Enzo has a big heart and it¡¯s always in the right ce,¡± she said gently, a twinkle of something in her eyes that I could only describe as hope. I nodded, knowing that she was right. But she was also his mother, so she always only saw the good in him. But I once saw a different side of him until recently. Enzo hated me because I was a Vna. ¡°He thinks it was a Vna that drove his father crazy,¡± I said, staring back down at my hands. ¡°When I was young, I remember that his father was after my mother. He wanted to marry her and use her as his personal weapon. He hurt a lot of people to get her, and it was all because of what she was. I think Enzo feared the same would happen to him.¡± Diana stared at me, puzzled, for a moment longer. But then she started tough. My face warmed as she continued herughter. Was sheughing at me? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t mean tough. Enzo has spent so long cleaning up the mess his father made. Nobody ever asked him what he wanted to do. He was forced to take over as Alpha because there was no one else. ise never had any other children, and no one was strong enough to be the Alpha of the Calypso pack. At least nobody the former Beta trusted. Ultimately, it was his choice on what to do and he chose to bring Enzo home. I knew it would be the best thing for the pack. Enzo went back at such a young age that he missed out on a lot of his childhood. He ran a pack that rejected him as an infant and failed to protect him for most of his childhood. A pack that turned his mother and many others into rogues. Enzo didn¡¯t trust his own pack for a long time.¡± ¡°You were his mother, if he didn¡¯t want to go back, he shouldn¡¯t have had to,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. ¡°Surely you had a say in the matter.¡± She nodded her head once. ¡°I did,¡± she answered. ¡°I asked him as well what he wanted to do, and his answer was that he wanted to restore the nation.¡± ¡°Restore the nation?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Yes. He was only a child, but he knew that his father messed up so badly that everything became a mess. Your father, Alpha Bastien, did a great job at restoring what he could, but there are certain things that only Enzo can restore. Certain enemies, only he can take care of.¡± More tears welled in my eyes, and I knew that they were about to spill. ¡°Enzo told me that he could never be with a Vna¡­¡± I breathed, allowing a couple of tears to spring free. ¡°Because he knows being with you would put you in danger. Paul and the rest of his followers are after Vna¡¯s. None of us really knows what he truly wants, only that he wants to finish what ise had started. He also wants Enzo¡¯s pack. He was jealous and angry that Enzo became the Alpha and not him. But Paul was never strong enough and wouldn¡¯t be a good leader. However, he never epted that. Now he lurks around with his crew, waiting for Enzo to mess up.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been watching Enzo?¡± I asked, my voice sounding incredibly distant. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s relentless. He won¡¯t leave Enzo alone. If he knew that Enzo¡¯ mate was a Vna¡­¡± ¡°He would use me to get to him,¡± I breathed. ¡°And he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what he wanted with me.¡± A shiver coursed through my body; especially when Diana nodded her head, a grim look crossing her face. ¡°All the cruel thing he said to you¡­ all the times he pushed you away¡ª¡± ¡°He was trying to protect me¡­.¡± I said, tears freely falling down my cheeks. She gave me a small smile. ¡°Yes. He was always trying to protect you,¡± she said in return. Tears welled in her own eyes as she peered up at me from the hospital bed. ¡°He set out a mission to restore the order of our world¡­ he doesn¡¯t hate Vna wolves. He never has. He feels awful about how his father treated them. He feels terrible that they are still being hunted by his followers. He hates that the world isn¡¯t safe for them. He¡¯s been trying so hard to protect them.¡± ¡°Enzo wants to protect Vna wolves?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°He¡¯s never mentioned it before. Why should I believe that?¡± She was quiet for another moment. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it?¡± She asked. ¡°Or sense it, or smell it?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant, so I stayed quiet hoping she¡¯d borate. But instead, she reached her hand out for me to take. I did so, holding her soft hands in mine and feeling her warmth pulsating around my fingertips. It was like my abilities wereing alive in a close circuit. I saw the electricity in my fingers running across her hands, tickling her palms. I could practically smell her energy and it filled me with so much strength I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. At that moment, all my senses came alive, and I felt recharged, not even knowing I needed to be recharged. I looked her in the eyes, and she kept her eyes steadily on me. That¡¯s when I realized what was happening; I gasped, pulling my hands away from hers. I furrowed my brows together continuing to stare at her with shock. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± I breathed, hardly audible. But I knew she could hear me. ¡°You¡¯re a Vna wolf Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Enzos POV Felicity was at the nurse¡¯s station; I could pick up the scent of her excessive use of perfume miles away. The closer I got to her, the more fury I was feeling. She disrespected my mate and her future Luna. I wasn¡¯t okay with that, and I was going to make sure she knew exactly how I felt. When she spotted me walking toward her, I saw the color draining from her face. One look into my eyes and she knew she was in deep shit. ¡°Felicity,¡± I growled through my teeth, struggling to keep Max under control. ¡°Alpha¡­¡± she breathed, stepping around the nurse¡¯s station. The other nurses had run off, afraid of the fury that was evident in my eyes. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She asked, straightening her posture, and batting hershes at me. The nerve. ¡°We need to talk,¡± I said in a low and threatening tone, stopping only inches from her. I towered over her, so she had to look way up to meet my eyes. I saw the fear in them and the tremble in her body she desperately tried to hide. ¡°What you said to L was not okay. Did you not think I would hear about it?¡± ¡°I was only telling her the truth, Alpha. The pack deserves a better Luna. She can¡¯t be trusted¡ª¡± ¡°You will not speak about her like that,¡± I hissed. ¡°She is my mate, Felicity. My future wife and your future Luna. She has done nothing but help those in need; the rest of the pack adores her, and I suggest you get in line, or you¡¯ll find yourself without a pack.¡± The threat caused her eyes to widen in shock. ¡°You¡¯d make me a rogue?¡± She gasped. ¡°After all my family had done for you??¡± Her words struck a chord in my chest. It was Felicity¡¯s father who brought me out of the rogue territory and gave me the title of Alpha. Her father was a great and noble man. When my father died, he took over as Alpha, being the only one trusted for the job at the time. He never wanted to be Alpha though Categories Search¡­ and knew the title didn¡¯t rightfully belong to him. He was also one of the few who knew about my existence. The only one he trusted to be the true Alpha of the Calypso pack was me. So, he came to seek me out and brought me to the pack. He was the one who trained me and taught me how to be a leader. I was only 9 years old when I met him, and Felicity was 6 years old. He was a single father to her since his wife died of an incurable disease when Felicity was only 2 years old. Paul and his crew had fled after my father died. But when I turned 16, they returned. He was anything but happy and made many attempts to end my life and get me out of the way, so he could take over as Alpha. Felicity¡¯s father protected me and saved my life. But at the cost of his own. Before her father died, he made me promise to take care of Felicity and to make sure she didn¡¯t go down a dark path. I¡¯ve kept my word and cared for her like a sibling. I even allowed her to live in the packhouse; she has her own room on the second floor and works as a nurse in the pack hospital. She even asionally helps the maids around the packhouse. I never thought of her as someone who could be cruel. Until now. ¡°I will forever be in your father¡¯s debt; not yours,¡± I growled. ¡°I made him a promise that I would care for you. You were only 13 years old when he died, and you had no one. But now you are 20 years old and can care for yourself.¡± She looked taken aback by my statement. ¡°With all due respect, Alpha, but my father didn¡¯t bring you back from the rogue territory and make you This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. an Alpha, just for you to marry the very thing that nearly tore our pack apart the first time,¡± Felicity said, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°He always told me that I would make a great Luna if given the opportunity. He told me that my mate could very well be an Alpha. He wanted us to be together, Enzo. He wanted me to rule the pack by your side ¡° ¡°You are not my mate,¡± I said through gritted teeth; I was feeling that fury rising throughout me again, but this time, she stood her ground, pressing her lips together. ¡°I could be your chosen mate,¡± she said in return, meeting my eyes. My breathing became rash, and I knew if I didn¡¯t walk away, I would lose control of Max. I took a deep breath to calm my trembling body, closing my eyes as I did so. ¡°Alpha¡­¡± She began, but I brought my hand up, silencing her words. I opened my eyes and peered into her sharp gaze. ¡°You will not disrespect my mate again, Felicity. If you do, there will be hell to pay. You will bow to your knees in front of her and apologize for your cruelty. You will also apologize to that little girl¡¯s mother for the misunderstanding you nearly caused. You will show me respect as your Alpha. We will not have this conversation again. Understood?¡± Her eyes darkened and they looked zed over. She was still staring at me, but it was almost like I wasn¡¯t there. It was like I was invisible to her. I wasn¡¯t even sure if she was breathing. Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, she blinked a few times. She focused her eyes on my face, and they were no longer zed over. She looked confused for a moment but then she said, ¡°Understood, Alpha.¡± She turned away from me and went in the direction of my mother¡¯s room. I followed closely behind, watching as she made her way into the room. L sat at my mother¡¯s bedside, holding onto her hands and tears burning in her eyes. She looked startled to see Felicity barging into the room, but before L could say anything, Felicity fell to her knees in front of L and bowed her head low. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Luna. I was cruel to you earlier and I didn¡¯t mean any of the things I said. Please ept my sincerest apology.¡± L nced up at me for a moment before looking down at Felicity. It¡¯s okay¡­¡± she said in an uncertain and yet soft tone. ¡°I appreciate the apology. I ept. Thank you.¡± Felicity bowed again before standing to her feet and scurrying through the door without giving me a second nce. My mind was racing. I expected there to be more of a fight, but she more than willingly apologized to L without a second thought. It almost seemed like she was in some kind of trance. But I hadn¡¯t used my Alphamand on her. I thought about it, but I wanted to give her onest chance before I resorted to that. Forcing an Alphamand on my pack members would be painful for them, so I tried not to use it often. But this was a strange ordeal. L stared after her for a moment, tears still in her eyes. Though I knew those tears weren¡¯t for Felicity or her weird encounter. I furrowed my brows together as L looked up at me. I saw something sh in her eyes that caused me to take a step back. She was upset with me. I could feel her painful emotion. What happened when I was gone? I looked at my mother and saw that she also had tears in her eyes. She wasn¡¯t looking at me though; she was looking at L. I looked between the two of them with a heavy heart; I had left them alone so I could deal with the Felicity thing, not thinking that things coulde up during a conversation containing the two of them. There was no doubt in my mind as L took another look at me and then tears spilled from her eyes. No doubt when my mother wrapped her in her arms and gave her a reassuring yetforting hug. L knew the truth. She knew that my mother was a Vna. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 L¡¯s POV Felicity¡¯s apology took me off guard. I was already crying because of what I just found out about Enzo¡¯s mother, but then the apology pushed me over the edge It seemed sincere, though I didn¡¯t fully trust her. I wondered what made her decide to apologize. I wonder what Enzo had said to her. But as soon as she left the room and it was only the three of us again, the thought was quickly wiped from my mind and all I could think about was the fact that Enzo had lied to me. He kept the fact that his own mother was a Vna wolf. Did that mean Enzo also had Vna blood? He looked at me like he was struggling against his own thoughts, and I imagine I probably looked at him the same. ¡°How could you not tell me your mother was a Vna?¡± I asked in a broken whisper. The coloring of his face had left his features and he nced downward, unable to meet my eyes. ¡°I wanted to¡­¡± he finally said after a short pause. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said. Tears filled my eyes once again and I was unable to look away from him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with him, sweetheart,¡± Diana said, reaching for my arm. I felt her love and strength through her touch. It was the same feeling I got whenever I was embraced by my own mother. ¡°I asked him to keep my identity a secret.¡± I kept my eyes locked on Enzo who finally focused his eyes on mine. ¡°Did you not trust me?¡± I asked him, ashamed by how my words trembled. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust you, L¡­¡± he breathed. ¡°I wanted to protect you. That¡¯s all I ever wanted.¡± ¡°You made me believe you hated me,¡± I said, unable to contain my emotions. ¡°I thought you hated me because I was a Vna, Enzo.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°It was better that way,¡± he said grimly, his face darkening slightly as if a memory was surfacing in his mind. ¡°Better?¡± I scoffed. ¡°I thought my mate hated me. How is that better?¡± ¡°You saw what they did to my mother. If they found out that you are my mate, they would have done a lot worse to you. It doesn¡¯t matter who your parents are, they will find a way to take you. I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen¡­¡± My heart ached in my chest. The entire time I thought Enzo hated me and wanted nothing to do with me, it was actually the opposite. He was doing this because he loved me and wanted to protect me. I felt so stupid. Tears welled in my eyes, and I had to look away from him before they spilled across my features. ¡°Let me exin¡­¡± Diana said softly. ¡°Enzo had only ever wanted this world to be restored after his father died. He wanted to make it safe for Vnas all over the world so I could safely return to the pack with the others¡­¡± ¡°Others?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°Like other Vnas?¡± She nodded her head once. ¡°My hidden vige¡­¡± she started to say, but then realization struck me as I stole a nce from Enzo. ¡°The hidden rogue vige is filled with Vna wolves?¡± He met my eyes, and he didn¡¯t have to say anything to answer that question. ¡°We fled a long time ago,¡± Diana exined. ¡°Your mother wasn¡¯t the first one that ise targeted. I was.¡± My heart fell into my stomach as I looked back into Diana¡¯s swollen and tear-filled eyes. ¡°I was his true mate¡­¡± she continued, causing my heart to ache even more. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it until I was pregnant that he wanted to harvest my abilities and use them for his advantage. When I got pregnant¡­ he wanted to take Enzo¡¯s as well. I wasn¡¯t going to let him do that, so I went to a witch doctor and asked for them to remove my abilities.¡± ¡°You got your abilities removed?¡± I asked, raising my brows. I didn¡¯t even know that was possible. That exins why she doesn¡¯t look like a typical Vna wolf. She nodded her head and gave me a mournful look. ¡°When ise found out he was furious,¡± she continued, shaking her head at the memory. He thought that maybe when Enzo was born, he could still take his abilities. I refused to allow that to happen, so I fled.¡± ¡°And you went rogue after that?¡± I asked. Her silence told me otherwise and my heart grew even heavier. I knew this story was hard for her to speak about and I didn¡¯t want to push her too much to talk about. ¡°He found her,¡± Enzo continued for her, stepping beside me. ¡°My father found her. She was still very pregnant with me and for disobeying him, he had her beaten until she was barely alive. He had her beaten in front of the entire pack. Most of the pack thought she died.¡± His voice grew dark, as did his aura. I knew he was furious about what had happened to his mother, and I didn¡¯t me him. I was crushed and I just met her. I wondered if my parents knew about any of this. ¡°Then, he threw her in the Calypso pack holding cell in the basement of the packhouse,¡± Enzo continued as he shook his head in fury. ¡°A few weekster, she gave birth to me. But when I was born, it was obvious that I wasn¡¯t a Vna wolf, despite having half my mother¡¯s genes. My father¡¯s genes in that aspect were stronger. He was even more furious over that fact. He thought I wasn¡¯t his child because despite having his genes, I still looked more like my mother, and nothing like him.¡± ¡°So, he rejected and released you?¡± I asked, turning to Diana. She was still quiet, but she managed to meet my eyes and shook her head slowly. ¡°He rejected me as his mate and from his pack¡­¡± she exined in a weak tone. ¡°But he didn¡¯t release me. He was going to kill me and Enzo. I thought it was going to be over¡­¡± she said, ncing up at Enzo. ¡°It was Marvin who released me.¡± I looked up at Enzo with a frown. ¡°Who¡¯s Marvin?¡± I asked. He sighed and looked at me. ¡°Felicity¡¯s father,¡± he answered. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp. That mean she-wolf? Her father was the one who saved Enzo and his mother? ¡°He was always very kind to me,¡± Diana exined, this time, a fond smile yed on her lips. ¡°He released me from the holding cell and told me to go as far as I can. They never found out that he was the one who released me. But I traveled as a rogue with Enzo in my arms for a long time. ise and his warriors eventually stopped looking for me, assuming that I was dead. There was no way I could survive as a rogue on my own. Along my journey, I met other Vnas who had fled as well. That¡¯s when I found out that ise was on the hunt for them. He still very much wanted their powers. I took the ones I¡¯ve encountered to the witch doctor to get their powers removed. Deeming them useless to ise. We created our own vige and eventually, we met a witch who was able to hide our vige from outsiders.¡± My heart lifted slightly knowing that she found safety and a home. But I still felt so sad that she had to go through all that. I reached my hand toward her and touched her arm gently. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I whispered through my tears. ¡°We were hidden when everything went down with your parents,¡± Enzo exined, making me look up at him. ¡°Even when my mother and the others didn¡¯t have their abilities if in the same area, they could still be smelled and found out. If my father¡¯s crew found them, it would end badly. My father still wanted us dead. When my father died, thanks to your parents, his crew, including Paul, fled. They feared your parents would kill them too and didn¡¯t want to stick around for it. The pack voted for Marvin to take over as Alpha, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted. He waited a few years but then he came and retrieved me.¡± ¡°He knew where you were?¡± I asked, raising my brows. Enzo said nothing, but he looked at his mother, also curiously. She sighed and nodded. ¡°We kept inmunication,¡± she exined. ¡°Marvin always knew where I was hiding¡­¡± ¡°You must have trusted him a lot,¡± I said with a coy smile. She chuckled and nodded. ¡°I trusted him very much,¡± she confirmed, ncing up at Enzo. ¡°I was in love with him.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 188 Chapter 188 L¡¯s POV Telling from Enzo¡¯s face, he had no idea that his mother was in love with Felicity¡¯s father. My heart ached knowing that it was a love story that could never be. ¡°You loved him?¡± Enzo asked, his voice sounding hollow. Dianna blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes and slowly nodded. ¡°It happened suddenly,¡± she exined. ¡°He was the only one who was kind to me and the only one who wanted to help me. He loved me enough to let me go and I never forgot about him. I trusted him with you, so I let you go with him when he came for you. I knew with ise being gone and most of his men taking off in fear that Bastien would end their lives, that the Calypso Pack needed a strong leader. Marvin was strong, but not as strong as a true Alpha. You have true Alpha blood, along with some Vna blood. He understood that even though you were young, you were destined to be the strongest. He wanted to train you as early as he could, and I agreed to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I breathed, finally finding my voice. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go with him back to the pack?¡± ¡°Because Paul and his crew were still out there somewhere. I wouldn¡¯t be safe regardless of who was around to protect me. Plus, my vige is my home now. My vigers are relying on me to keep them safe. In a way, I am their leader as well. Without their powers, they are vulnerable to attacks. I couldn¡¯t risk their lives.¡± I looked up at Enzo with tears in my eyes. ¡°What about my father? He could help keep them safe. If he knew that ise¡¯s crew was still running around and causing issues like this¡ª¡± ¡°He knows,¡± Enzo stopped my words, meeting my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing he can do right now. Paul is very powerful and has dark witches on his side. His crew is growing stronger and doubling in size before our eyes. There¡¯s also no telling where they are all hiding but I do know one thing for sure¡­ Paul won¡¯t stop until he gets my pack and the powers of a Vna wolf.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°He wants to be strong because he spent so long feeling weak inparison to Baise,¡± Diana said, shaking her head with pity lingering in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a shame because he had the potential to do great things. But greed ruined him.¡± ¡°So, what exactly is the n? To allow Paul to terrorize Vnas and those around the kingdom? To keep your mother and the others outside the borders of the pack because it¡¯s too dangerous?¡± ¡°To continue training and building my reputation,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°I¡¯ve been making myself known around the wolf world and obtaining respect. I¡¯m building my own army to overpower Paul¡¯s. I¡¯m not just stopping at making the Calypso pack safe. I¡¯m trying to make the entire world safe.¡± My heart fluttered in my chest at his words. I knew he had big goals for his future, but I had no idea to what extent. ¡°Right now, there are a lot more against us than for us,¡± Diana continued to exin. ¡°I want my mom to be able to return to society with the others. I want you to feel safe outside of Elysium. I want men like Paul to pay the ultimate price for everything they have put you, my mom, and others like you, through. It¡¯s going to take some time, but I foresee a better future.¡± I couldn¡¯t keep them in anymore; tears fell from my eyes as I wrapped my arms around him, pulling myself close and nuzzling my face in his broad chest. I soaked him in; his scent, his warmth, everything he had to offer me at that moment. ¡°I¡¯ll be right by your side through it all,¡± I whispered to him, allowing my tears to freely fall down my features. He held me tightly, running his fingers through my hair. ¡°That¡¯s exactly where I want you,¡± he murmured against me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping all this from you.¡± I gazed up at him. ¡°I understand why you did,¡± I said with a fond smile. ¡°But now you don¡¯t have to go through any of this alone.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. He leaned down and kissed me gently; his lips tasted incredibly sweet and made my heart pound violently in my chest. Diana¡¯s tired yawn brought me back to reality and I turned to look at her. ¡°We should go so you can get some rest,¡± I told her gently. ¡°Thank you so much for talking with me and telling me everything. I¡¯m so d I was able to meet you.¡± She gave me a soft smile and reached for my hand; I took it without hesitation. ¡°I didn¡¯t get rid of my powers because I hated them. I wasn¡¯t ashamed of myself and where I came from. None of us were. I did it to protect my son and myself just as others did it to protect themselves and those they love. I hope you don¡¯t think less of me because of it.¡± ¡°I know exactly why you did it,¡± I said, lowering my tone. ¡°I think you were incredibly brave.¡± We stayed like that for a moment longer before I released her hand, allowing Enzo to approach her and kiss her gently on the forehead. ¡°I love you,¡± he whispered to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be backter to see you. I just want to make sure L gets back to school.¡± She nodded and watched as we left her hospital room. Enzo took my hand and pulled me alongside him. I leaned my head against his shoulder, suddenly feeling tired. But I knew I had to drive to the academy tonight, that way I could make it to my sses tomorrow. It wasn¡¯t a good look that I missed today, despite having permission from the school board. Just as we were leaving, I spotted Felicity from across the halls and an unsettled feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. There was something about the look she was giving me that told me this wasn¡¯t over between us. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV With everything going on between L and my mother, Ipletely forgot about my talk with Felicity earlier. That was until I spotted her at the nurse¡¯s station as we were leaving the hospital. The memory of my talk with her surfaced in my mind; it was a strange encounter. Her eyes darkened and it looked like she was in some kind of trance. I was prepared to use my Alphamand on her if she refused to apologize to L. But I didn¡¯t. However, it seemed as if she was still locked in some kind of trance that I had put her in. She gave me a voided look just before she went into my mom¡¯s room and knelt before L, offering her a sincere apology. It was out of character for someone who wasn¡¯t alphamanded. If she was Alphamanded, it would have made a lot more sense. My pack members can¡¯t refuse an Alphamand. It¡¯s often too painful for them to resist; I only use that Alpha ability when necessary. But in this case, she did this willingly. Looking at her now though, I¡¯m starting to doubt her apology was a willing action. Something else was at y and put her in a trance to obey me, without me using the Alphamand. But what? Chapter 189 Chapter 189 L¡¯s POV ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you,¡± I pouted, peering up at Enzo who stood at my car door. We had just finished putting my things in my car and I was getting ready to get to the academy. It would be sundown soon and the school has a curfew once it¡¯s past sundown. Plus, I was kind of excited to see my friends again. But I was going to miss Enzo terribly. ¡°I just got you¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you again,¡± I breathed, feeling tears fill my eyes. He cupped my face in his hands and brought my eyes to his; I saw genuine love andpassion in his eyes, and it made my heart beat incredibly fast against my ribcage. ¡°You will never lose me,¡± he said gently, giving me a small smile in return as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. ¡°Now, that you know the truth, I¡¯d rather be as close to you as I can. That¡¯s why I want you to spend your weekends with me. This weekend we will go to the Nova Pack and tell your parents everything. In the meantime, it¡¯s probably better if no one at school knows about this.¡± I nodded in agreement. As much as I loved him and wanted to shout that love from the rooftops. I didn¡¯t want anyone to think I¡¯d been sleeping with the professor this entire time. Especially considering part of Enzo¡¯s n was to better his reputation around the werewolf world so he could grow his army and defeat Paul and his crew. If word got out about our rtionship, it could ruin that for him. He didn¡¯t have to tell me not to say anything about this, I wasn¡¯t going to. ¡°I love you,¡± I breathed against his lips as I kissed him gently. ¡°I¡¯ll call you tonight.¡± ¡°You better,¡± he teased, winking as he stepped away from me. My face warmed from the way he was looking at me. Like he wanted to devour me on the spot. I cleared my throat and slid into the driver¡¯s seat of my car. I gave him onest wave before I drove away. Enzo stood in ce, watching me, as I got further away. He remained until I was gonepletely. Categories Search¡­ I already missed him, and Val was in distress the further we got from our mate. I had to take some deep breaths to calm her nerves. I kept assuring her that it was only temporary and that we would see him soon. It only took me about 30 minutes to reach the school. I parked the car and went inside the dorms. Both Rachel and Ba were curled up on the couch when I entered, and they seemed to be watching a movie. They both looked startled when I walked into the dorm but then they broke out into wide grins. Ba was the first to stand to her feet. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± She cooed excitedly. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Better, I said with a kind smile. ¡°How were your first days of ss?¡± ¡°Tough,¡± Ba admitted. ¡°Would have been better if you were here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to unpack,¡± I said, motioning for my suitcase. I went into my room and ced my bags on my bed. I went through everything and put everything in the drawers. Dee was kind enough to get everything washed for me before I returned. I had only been at school for a little bit, and I already missed Enzo. I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to make it through the rest of the school year. I shuddered at the very thought of not being able to be with him. ¡°Hey, L We still have an hour before curfew Brody wanted to meet up at the lounge. You want to come?¡± I smiled, taking a deep breath before opening the door. ¡±Sure!¡± ¡­ ¡°Wee back, L,¡± I heard a familiar voice as soon as we reached the student lounge. I beamed up at Brody. ¡°Hi, Brody,¡± I said to him. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve been well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fine. Missed you though.¡± I smiled as we went toward an empty table in the back of the lounge. It wasn¡¯t very crowded considering it was nearing curfew soon. ¡°So, L. We should tell you because you¡¯ll probably find out tomorrow anyway,¡± Rachel said, sitting across from me at the table. ¡°Scott is back.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I gasped, staring between my friends. I hadn¡¯t even thought about Scott in weeks Cassidy-Ann gave me thest few weeks off from work so she could redo her art studio and deal with thewsuit she has against Scott. ¡°When did he get out of jail?¡± I asked, wide-eyed. ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly sure. But he showed up yesterday like nothing happened,¡± Ba exined. ¡°He kept to himself for most of the day.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he said a single word to Sarah all day,¡± Rachel chimed in. ¡°Yeah, it was weird,¡± Brody said, shaking his head. ¡°He ate lunch alone too.¡± I rose my brows in surprise; maybe thiswsuit and Sarah¡¯s betrayal was a wake-up call for him. One could only hope. ¡°Oh, and the newbat and shifting professor, Xander, he¡¯s kind of an asshole,¡± Ba said with a timid frown. ¡°He¡¯s tough and has no sense of humor.¡± Ipletely forgot about that ss; I was going to need a new partner considering Enzo was no longer around. So, I couldn¡¯t use him as my partner; my cheeks flushed at the very thought. Ba, who sat beside me, leaned in closer to me. ¡°He was also not very happy you didn¡¯t show up for ss.¡± ¡°I called the board,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°I was excused.¡± ¡°He was muttering something about you being irresponsible,¡± she shrugged. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. You just have to wow him tomorrow.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. I swallowed the lump in my throat, but I nodded. I wondered what I was about to walk into. Thest thing I wanted was to get on his new professor¡¯s bad side. ¡°Oh, before I forget, I managed to collect your assignments for your sses,¡± Brody said with a broad smile, sliding a folder across the table. ¡°Ba texted and told me you returned so I brought them with me.¡± I smiled my thanks to him. ¡°Thanks, everyone. I¡¯m going to go to bed now though; I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day. I just wanted to say hi to Brody.¡± I said goodbye and then went back to my dorm. I left my phone on my bed and saw that I had a missed call from Branna. I made a mental note to call her back tomorrow, but for right now, I wanted to call Enzo and say goodnight to him. ¡°Hey beautiful,¡± he said sleepily. ¡°Hey,¡± I said in return, blushing at hispliment. ¡°Are you falling asleep?¡± ¡°Getting there,¡± he admitted. ¡°I was hoping to hear your voice before I went to bed.¡± It was odd leavingst semester unsure of him but going into this current year head over heels in love with him. My heart fluttered. ¡°I wish you were here,¡± I said softly. ¡°I hear the new shifting andbat professor is a hard ass.¡± ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do.¡± I had never been one to give up, but that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t still wish it was him teaching the ss and not Professor Xander. I didn¡¯t push the matter any further though because I knew he was staying away for a good reason. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get some sleep. Call me tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course. I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too,¡± I said and then I hung up the phone. ¡­ The next day. I got up early the next morning so I could review the worksheets and assignments Brody collected for me. I managed to get most of the homework done. I ate breakfast in the lounge and then went off to my first ss. Just as I neared the ssroom, I heard a familiar voice from behind me. ¡°Hey, L. Wait up a minute!¡± My heart fell into my stomach; I was hoping to avoid this today but that didn¡¯t look likely. I turned around slowly to see Scott walking toward me. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 L¡¯s POV ¡°When did you get out?¡± Was the first thing my lips could utter as Scott approached. ¡°A couple of days after you came to see me,¡± he said, rubbing his hand behind his neck. ¡°I just wanted to say I was sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Yeah, for¡­ erm¡­ everything,¡± he said, meeting my eyes. I was stunned by the sincere expression he was giving me. It was a look I had never seen from Scott before, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said, not sure what else to say. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Look¡­ about your election¡­¡± Scott said, stepping closer to me. ¡°You should be careful. There¡¯s no telling what kind of tricks Sarah has up her sleeve. She¡¯s capable of doing some pretty heinous crap. She¡¯ll do what it takes to win.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the election,¡± I said with a shrug. This was the truth; honestly, I hadn¡¯t even thought about the election. ¡°You should be,¡± Scott muttered. ¡°Knowing Sarah, she¡¯s not going to y fair.¡± ¡°My main concern right now is bettering the school and making sure that students have what they need. I¡¯m hosting a bake sale at the end of this week to raise money for future events. Regardless of who is president of the studentmittee, the students deserve nice events and better supplies, which costs money. Figured we might as well get started on raising that money. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Sarah¡¯s father is very rich and can buy anything,¡± Scott reminded me. I knew this already, but it wasn¡¯t the same as raising the money by students for students. For school events and stuff, everyone should be involved in the process. ¡°I¡¯m well aware,¡± was all I said though. Scott sighed and his shoulders sulked slowly. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to her in a while. I¡¯m keeping my distance because I don¡¯t want her to use her freaky abilities on me.¡± I rose my brows. ¡°There¡¯s still no actual proof she has abilities, Scott,¡± I told him. He looked shocked by my statement and stepped backward. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t believe me?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. Now it was my turn to sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but I can¡¯t use her of something without seeing actual proof of the usation. If what you are saying is true, then she could get into huge trouble from the board. But I can¡¯t go to them with this without actual proof to back up the im.¡± ¡°You can ask anyone she¡¯s around. She can get them to do things without them taking a second thought,¡± Scott argued. ¡°I¡¯d like to believe you because it would exin a lo¡ª¡± ¡°Then believe me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bete for ss, Scott,¡± I said, shutting my locker door and then proceeded to step around him. ¡°I¡¯m d you are out of jail. Try to stay out of trouble going forward.¡± I ced my hand on his shoulder when I said thatst part, and then I looked him in the eyes, giving him a small smile. I saw the sadness in his eyes, and it tugged at my heart. He said nothing as he watched me walk down the hallway and toward my next ss. Shifting and Combat with Professor Xander. My stomach formed a tight knot as I neared the arena. It was odd approaching the arena without picking up Enzo¡¯s scent and knowing Enzo wasn¡¯t going to be there. When I got to the arena, the familiar sense washed over me. The memories of my time here with Enzo flooded my brain. At the time, our fate was uncertain. Neither of us knew what we wanted from one another. I was having trouble seeing past his exterior and he was thinking about rejecting me after I graduated. It wasn¡¯t even that long ago and yet it felt like an eternity. My heart raced at the memory; it almost seemed funny now. If I were to be askedst year if I thought Enzo would eventually mark me, I wouldugh loudly. I reached to the back of my shoulder de and traced my mark with my fingertips, a faint smile ying on my lips. I had covered it with makeup this morning so nobody would see it, and I hated having to do that. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that Enzo was my goddess-given mate. But I knew I couldn¡¯t. For the sake of my reputation and Enzo¡¯s. I stepped into the arena and saw a few new faces that weren¡¯t in my ssst year, but a bunch of familiar faces. Ba wasn¡¯t among them, so I figured she was most likely in the locker room getting changed. From across the room, examining his clipboard, I saw Professor Xander standing in the spot that Enzo used to stand in. Xander was giant, withrge muscles. He had his shirt off, so I was able to see all the tattoos covering his entire torso. There was one spot on his arm though that was nk, which I found to be odd. He had dark hair that was cut short and eyes so dark they nearly looked ck. I got an uneasy feeling from being around him. I realized quickly that he was no longer staring at his clipboard, but he was staring at me. My heart fell into my stomach, and I found myself taking a step backward. His dark eyes poured into me like he was staring into my soul; Val was recoiling back into my mind, also feeling uneasy. His lips were pressed in a line, and I saw the indifference in his face. ¡°L!¡± I heard my name being called from the locker room, taking me out of the dark trance. I saw Ba standing in the doorway, waving me over to her. I clutched my gym bag firmly in my hands and scurried over to the locker room where a bunch of other girls were getting changed for ss. ¡°Are you ready for today¡¯s ss?¡± Ba asked as we went toward the changing rooms. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be. It¡¯s weird that Professor Enzo isn¡¯t here,¡± I said, biting my bottom lip to keep the emotions from being shown on my face. ¡°I know right,¡± Ba agreed. ¡°Have you heard from him at all?¡± I froze and I looked at her, puzzled by her question. ¡°Why would I have heard from him?¡± I asked, my voiceing out a little weaker than I nned. She frowned and stared around my face. ¡°Because your father basically uses him to protect you,¡± Ba said, furrowing her brows together. ¡°Plus, he¡¯s on the Alphamittee. Aren¡¯t they close?¡± Relief washed over me, and I gave her a lightugh. ¡°Oh, right,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll talk to him soon.¡± She nodded and said nothing as I went into the changing room. I took off my lightweight pink dress and slipped off my ts to put on a pair of yoga pants, a tank top, and a pair of sneakers. I tied my long hair into a ponytail. I stared into the mirror at my appearance and frowned at my reflection. I didn¡¯t feel any different than I didst year, but I felt a world of difference. I felt older and surer of myself. A smile painted my lips as I left the changing room. I went over to my locker to put the rest of my stuff inside. ¡°Well, look who decided to finally show up for ss,¡± Sarah sneered from her locker nearby. ¡°You¡¯re in for it. This new professor is not one to fuck with.¡± I nced at Sarah with a frown; she was pale. Almost sickly. She also had dark circles under her eyes like she hadn¡¯t slept. I wondered if it had anything to do with Scott. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± Ba whispered once Sarah was gone. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± I nodded and gave her a thankful smile. Together, we went into the arena and joined the other students that were gathering. ¡°I¡¯m not going to baby you. If you don¡¯t understand the basic concepts ofbat, then you don¡¯t belong in my ss. We will be focused on handbat today. You will not be using your wolves and if you do, you will sit the rest of ss out.¡± His voice was deep and firm; it was filled with authority. Everyone stayed silent as he spoke. ¡°You chose your partners yesterday and you will stick with them until the end. You will continue to fight until the other person can physically fight no more.¡± I looked around and saw that everyone was already evenly paired up. Even Ba stood beside a shorter girl with curly red hair and bright red lips. She didn¡¯t look like she could hurt a fly. There was no one left to partner with me. ¡°Get to it,¡± Professor Xander ordered. Everyone dispersed into different sections of the arena, but I kept my ground, unsure of what to do. Xander stared at me with a deepening frown. ¡°Oh yes¡­ the one who was too good to show up for ss yesterday. You are already a day behind everyone else. Considering you don¡¯t have a partner for this semester, it looks like you¡¯re stuck with me, sweet cheeks.¡± I swallowed hard as he walked closer to me. In a low and threatening tone, he added, ¡°Make no mistake, I¡¯m not your precious Enzo. I¡¯m not going to go easy on you.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 L¡¯s POV I was taken aback by Professor Xander¡¯s cruel words. I never expected him to go easy on me so for him to assume that¡¯s what I wanted was upsetting. If anything, I liked the challenge. I¡¯ve never been one to shy away from a good challenge and I wasn¡¯t going to start today. Xander smirked. ¡°I¡¯m changing the rules for you, Miss L,¡± Xander continued as he measured me with his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you. Ah. Yes. I¡¯ve heard everything about you and what you can do. I also heard about your incident with a studentst year. Let me be clear¡­ that won¡¯t be happening again this year.¡± I furrowed my brows together; was he talking about the incident with Ba? How did he even find out about that? It was supposed to be kept quiet. ¡°Your training will be different than the other students. Your training won¡¯t include your wolf. If you shift into your wolf, you will be penalized. All of yourbat will be done in human form.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t shift?!¡± I gasped, staring up at him in disbelief. He can¡¯t just take away my ability to use my wolf. This was abat ss, but this was also a shifting ss in a shifting academy. ¡°It¡¯s a shifting ss,¡± I spoke my thoughts out loud. ¡°How do you expect me to pass the ss and not shift?¡± ¡°Your lessons will be solely onbat. We will be using various weapons and handbat,¡± he exined, keeping his tone even. ¡°The usage of your wolf is forbidden. Am I understood?¡± I stared at him for a moment longer, Val grew incredibly uneasy at the sound of his words, but she kept quiet. I managed a head nod. ¡°Good,¡± he said, turning away from me and walking toward the back of the arena. I took that as my cue to follow him; he was my partner for the semester after all. Categories Search¡­ Once we were away from everyone else, he turned toward me and ced his hands behind his back. He stared at me with a nk expression. ¡°Hit me.¡± I rose my brows. ¡°What?¡± I asked, unsure if I heard him correctly. ¡°Hit me,¡± he said again. I stared at him for a moment longer, his expression unchanged and his body unmoved. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the method you use and your bodynguage. I haven¡¯t seen you fight before so I¡¯d like you to hit me.¡± ¡°I could hurt you,¡± I said to him. He was a tall and broad man who towered over me, but I¡¯ve taken down men his size before. I was confident that I could hurt him and the thought of hurting a professor left me feeling unsettled. ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± he said, sounding very sure of himself. For some reason, that made me want to hit him. I got into my usual fighting stance and lifted my clenched fists; he remained unmoved, and his eyes were on mine. I swung my fist in the direction of his face and just as I was about to make contact, my fist hit nothing but air. I nearly fell as he dodged the attack, quickly and with ease. Once I got my footing, I stared up at him. ¡°Again,¡± he ordered, taking his ce. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I repeated the same motion, attempting to hit the side of his face, but this time I actually fell to my face as he dodged the attack. Xander moved at lightning speed. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± I asked as I sat up on the ground. ¡°The first rule ofbat is knowing your opponent¡¯s next move. Yours are predictable. With your feet¡¯s cement and the movement of your body, I know exactly where you are aiming, and I can time when I to move out of the way. You are typical.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m¡­¡± I was going to tell him that I¡¯m usually fast, but before I could get a word out, he was grabbing my arm, twisting it, spinning me around, and burying my face into the ground. The motion was so fast, I didn¡¯t see iting and I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting it. I felt his knee digging into my back and his hand remained on the back of my head, keeping me pinned and unable to move. ¡°Ah!¡± I yelled as he put more pressure on my body. ¡°You are hurting me,¡± I whimpered. ¡°Never let your guard down,¡± he murmured against my ear, and I felt his hot breath on the side of my face, making my stomach turn. ¡°You were unprepared, and it showed in your bodynguage. Made it the perfect opportunity to attack you.¡± He grabbed my hair and yanked my head off the ground while keeping his knee dug into my back. Pain was instantly shooting through my body; Val was desperate to emerge and help me, but I kept pushing her further into my mind. If wasn¡¯t allowed to use her and if I did, I¡¯d get penalized. Xander was a professor; he couldn¡¯t seriously hurt me. I could handle this on my own; there was a lesson in here and I was going to learn it. ¡°Break free from me,¡± he ordered in a lowly tone. My body was trembling, but I used my hands to reach for his arm; I needed him to release my hair so I could have movement of the rest of my body. But just as I made contact with his arm, he applied even more pressure to my back, making it almost impossible to breathe. I gasped out as more pain traveled around my body. ¡°You might be a Vna, but you are weak,¡± he hissed against my ear. ¡°Your instructors have gone easy on you in the past but that ends now.¡± No. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. My father didn¡¯t go easy on me while training me growing up. But he also didn¡¯t make it impossible for me to move my body while inbat. ¡°Break free from me, little wolf,¡± Xander seethed, and I could hear the humor in his voice. He was enjoying this; he enjoyed the fact that I was struggling against him. He kept his hold on my arm so I wouldn¡¯t try to grab him again. I clenched my teeth and pulled with all my strength out of his grasp. To my surprise, I was able to break free of his hold and went to grab at him again. But just as quickly as I broke free from him, he was able to grab my other arm and twist it, then pinned it behind my back like he was a police officer, and I was a criminal. I was sure there were witnesses to this by now. The rest of the ss must have been hearing my screams, but Xander didn¡¯t stop. He used his other knee to pin my arm to the ground while applying even more pressure to my back. I used my free arm and reached out to grab him again, but his knee came into contact and with force and speed he managed to m my arm back to the ground and pin it beneath him. However, due to the amount of pressure applied to my arm and the speed of it smashing to the ground, I heard a loud snap. Iy frozen, not feeling anything at first. Then the pain hit me. Holy hell. He broke my arm. Chapter 192 Chapter 192 L¡¯s POV ¡°Get off her!¡± I heard Ba crying as she ran in our direction. ¡°I think her arm is broken.¡± I was still frozen, remaining on the ground, long after Professor Xander had gotten off me. Students were gathering around, gawking at the scene before them. Ba fell to the ground beside me and touched the side of my face gently. ¡°L? Can you hear me? Are you okay?¡± She asked, her voice trembling as she scanned the rest of my body. My breathing was shaky as I struggled to take greedy breaths of air. I hadn¡¯t realized I wasn¡¯t breathing until the pressure was off my body. I lifted my head slightly to see my arm lying limp beside me. He actually broke my arm. ¡°Get her to the nurse,¡± Xander ordered Ba like he was ordering her to take out the trash. ¡°Then come back to ss.¡± Ba didn¡¯t hesitate to stand to her feet. She took my good arm and helped me stand. Everybody was staring at me with wide and worried eyes. All except for Sarah and a couple of her friends who looked annoyed by my interruption. I ignored their hateful looks though and went with Ba, without even looking at Xander, out of the arena. . The walk to the nurse¡¯s office was quiet; I could tell Ba had a million things running through her mind. I was grateful that she was with me though; she kept her hold on my body so I wouldn¡¯t fall over. It was painful to walk, even when I could feel Val working on healing my injuries. I knew with an arm break; it was going to take her some time. ¡°Why would the professor do that to you?¡± Ba finally asked and I could tell she had tears in her eyes without even looking at her. ¡°You need to report that.¡± Categories Search¡­ I knew she was right; I couldn¡¯t let him get away with something like that. It seemed like he had some kind of vendetta against me. Was it because I was a Vna? ¡°Do you want me to go with you to the headmaster?¡± She asked, peering over at my face. I shook my head. ¡°No. You should get back to ss so he isn¡¯t angry with you,¡± I told her. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to do this to you too.¡± ¡°Was he mad at you? Is that why he did this?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I said in return. We reached the nurse¡¯s office momentster; thankfully there wasn¡¯t anybody there and when she saw me, she gasped and stood to her feet from her desk. ¡°L? Oh my goddess, what happened?¡± ¡°Broken arm¡­¡± I said, clenching my teeth as pain rose from my arm and throughout the rest of my body. Val was taking her time healing me. ¡°It happened during ourbat and shifting ss,¡± Ba further exined, helping the nurse bring me to one of the beds. ¡°Let me take a look,¡± she said softly, lifting my broken arm and making me wince. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± she said under her breath. ¡°Will her wolf heal her?¡± Ba asked with an eyeful of tears. ¡°Of course, but it might take a little bit. You should get back to ss, Ba. I can handle it from here,¡± the nurse said kindly, giving Ba a reassuring smile. Ba looked down at me and I could see the uncertainty in my eyes. I gave her a small and weak smile of my own, indicating that it was fine that she had left. She nodded, understanding my cue, and then left without another word. The nurse went over to the sink across the room and soaked a washcloth with warm water before C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org returning to me. She ced the cloth over my injured arm, soothing it. I sighed in relief. ¡°That feels nice,¡± I said to her. She nodded and went to grab something from one of her cabs. When she returned, she had a cup filled with a mysterious pink liquid. ¡°Your wolf will heal you soon enough. But drink this stuff and it¡¯ll help with the pain,¡± the nurse instructed. I took the cup from her and took a sip, expecting it to taste a lot worse than it did. But it tasted oddly sweet. I drank the rest and almost instantly I felt no pain. Actually, my entire body tingled and warmed up; it started to feel as if I was lying on a cloud. The thought of Enzo came into my mind suddenly and I remembered how I felt his pain when he got injured while fighting those rogues. Did that mean he could feel my pain as well? I didn¡¯t have my cell phone with me, and I wondered if he was blowing up my phone. ¡°He can¡¯t feel our pain,¡± Val assured me. ¡°We are too far. Just like he can¡¯t mindlink us.¡± That was a relief to hear. ¡°So, what exactly happened to you?¡± The nurse asked, staring at me intently. ¡°You said you came from combat and shifting?¡± I nodded, reliving the moment that Professor Xander attacked me and broke my arm. ¡°I wasbating and got injured.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t¡¯ the professor there to stop the situation before it escted?¡± She asked, confused. ¡°He wasn¡¯t around,¡± I told her. ¡°He went to the bathroom.¡± It was a lie, but I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. She looked at me with uncertainty for a moment before giving me a faint smile. ¡°Just get some rest. Once you are healed you can leave.¡± I nodded and watched as she went back to her desk to get some work done. Within the hour, I waspletely healed and was on my way to Tiffany Prescott¡¯s office. Her office was across campus in apletely different building. The headmaster and the board shared the same office building; it was also where the campus courtroom was as well. This was where we had the trial for Sarah last year before she was suspended for a month. Mrs. Prescott¡¯s office was on the top floor of the building and had a gorgeous view of the entire campus. ¡°Take a seat,¡± she said as soon as I stepped into her office. ¡°Is everything okay? Is it the election? It¡¯s a couple of weeks away. Have you thought about your campaign?¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually not why I¡¯m here,¡± I told her, meeting her eyes. Her frown deepened. ¡°Okay. Then, what¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, her voice soft and filled with understanding. She made me feelfortable. ¡°It¡¯s actually, Professor Xander¡­¡± I told her. ¡°My shifting andbat professor. I really don¡¯t like making comints about faculty members. But while in ss¡­.¡± I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. ¡°What happened, L?¡± She asked firmly, keeping her eyes on me. I took a deep breath. ¡°He broke my arm. I just got back from the nurse. My wolf healed me. But we werebatting, and he was so rough he broke my arm.¡± She was quiet for a moment as she processed what I had just said. ¡°We take faculty abuse very seriously,¡± she said, leaning back in her seat. ¡°I understand that in a shifting academy, injuries like this can take ce quite frequently. Thankfully, with the power of our wolves, we have the power to heal quickly. I see you are already making a recovery from the ident and¡ª¡± I nodded instantly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an ident. He was trying to hurt me,¡± I spoke with a little more force than I meant to. ¡°Were there witnesses to back up your im?¡± ¡°The entire ss saw it,¡± I told her. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t stop despite me asking him to and telling him he was hurting me.¡± She stared around my face for a moment longer before nodding. ¡°Okay. I will look into it and ask the witnesses for their side of the story. We will touch base with you later when we¡¯vee to a decision.¡± I nodded and stood to my feet. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to her. As I left the office, I thought about calling Enzo to tell him what had happened, but I really didn¡¯t want to involve him in this. Knowing him, he woulde to the school and kill Professor Xander. I took a deep breath as I went outside; the cold fall air filled my lungs with its brisk sharpness and then I exhaled, calming my body after such a stressful morning. I only had a couple of sses today, one of which was art with Miss Grace. After art ss, was Werewolf History. Then, I had the rest of the afternoon off. By the time it neared evening, I received a mindlink from the headmaster. ¡°L, would you mind seeing me in my office please.¡± The headmaster was able to mindlink all the students in the school, so it didn¡¯te as strange to me to hear her voice in my head. I went straight to Mrs. Prescott¡¯s office, but I froze when I saw Professor Xander sitting in one of the chairs. He met my eyes and to my utter dismay, he smirked. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Erased Memories L¡¯s POV ¡°Please, take a seat, L,¡± Mrs. Prescott said, motioning for the empty chair beside Xander. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and went to sit down. I kept my eyes from finding Xander¡¯s again and fixed my attention on the headmaster. ¡°I was just speaking to Professor Xander about the incident this morning to get to the bottom of everything,¡± she began as she pressed the palms of her hands together and entwined her fingers in front of her. ¡°He was just exining to me that breaking your arm was an unfortunate ident.¡± An ident? I stared at Mrs. Prescott in shock, unsure of what to say in response. My entire body was frozen. Was she letting him off the hook? ¡°I also spoke with some of the students, and they agreed that it seemed like an ident,¡± she continued. My heart sank deep into my stomach. ¡°What about Ba? She was the one who made him get off me,¡± I finally found my voice and I was thankful it didn¡¯te out as a soft whisper. Mrs. Prescott nodded, uncertainty on her face. ¡°Yes. Ba was the first student we spoke to. She doesn¡¯t remember much of anything.¡± What? I waspletely frozen; that couldn¡¯t be right. Ba saw the whole thing and even brought up the fact that I should report it. But I didn¡¯t say any of that out loud; I couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°The only thing she really remembers is bringing you to the nurse¡¯s office,¡± she said, a timid frown decorating her lips. ¡°May I speak?¡± Professor Xander asked her, his voice much softer than it was in ss. Categories Search¡­ This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. It was unfamiliar and gave me an uneasy feeling. Tiffany Prescott nodded to him, giving him a warm smile that caused my stomach to tighten painfully. Xander turned to me; I refused to meet his eyes though. I stared at my hands, still trying to form words but failing to do so. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you, L. It wasn¡¯t my intention. When I heard that you were skilled inbat and one of the best students at this school, I guess I overestimated your strength. I thought you¡¯d be able to handle a tougher battle. I should have done a proper assessment of your skills before I did any physical combat with you.¡± ¡°We appreciate the apology professor,¡± Tiffany Prescott spoke for me when it was clear I wasn¡¯t going to say anything. ¡°L, is there anything you¡¯d like to say to your professor?¡± She expected me to apologize to him? After he broke my arm?? I stared at her in disbelief for a moment before pulling my eyes from her to look at Xander. His expression was dark, and I almost saw a hint of humor in them. ¡°Thank you. I appreciate the apology.¡± I said to him as I stood to my feet. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, it¡¯s been a long day and I¡¯d like to get some rest.¡± I didn¡¯t wait for them to dismiss me or say anything. I left the office in a rush. My heart was heavy in my chest. I needed to speak with Ba and find out if they really did speak to her and if she really didn¡¯t remember anything. It wasn¡¯t making any sense. I had a feeling that Xander had done something to alter everyone¡¯s memories so he wouldn¡¯t appear to be in the wrong. As I got back to the dorms, I paused when I saw Sarah sitting on one of the couches with her face in her hands. It almost looked like she was crying. ¡°Sarah?¡± I asked, approaching her. She was alone, which was odd because she was usually with her crew. She nced up to see me approaching her; her icy gaze narrowed. She had dark circles under her eyes and her face looked much paler than usual. I found it odd that she wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup and it almost looked like she was struggling to breathe. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she snapped, standing to her feet. ¡°Mind your own business.¡± She turned away and went toward the stairs to the dorm rooms. ¡°I was just checking,¡± I muttered, watching as she disappeared up the stairs. I shook my head at the encounter and went upstairs to my shared room with Ba and Rachel. I wasn¡¯t expecting Rachel to be there because usually has mainly night courses. But I knew Ba was most likely studying or something. When I went inside, I saw her curled up on the couch with a book on herp and she was reading it intently. She didn¡¯t even notice me walking into the room. ¡°Ba¡­¡± I said, shutting the door behind me. She nced up, giving me a warm smile. ¡°Hi,¡± she said. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m healed,¡± I told her, sitting down beside her. ¡°Did Tiffany Prescott talk to you today?¡± She frowned, but she nodded her head once. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered out loud. ¡°It was odd. She was asking me a lot of strange questions, but I didn¡¯t remember anything. Most of the ss this morning has been a blur honestly.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t remember anything?¡± I asked, shaking my head at her words. ¡°You stopped him from hurting¡¯ me any further. He would have continued if you didn¡¯t intervene. You told me to report it¡­¡± She stared at me in shock. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t remember that¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much of anything other than you lying on the ground in pain. I took you to the nurse and went back to ss¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not making this up,¡± I said, standing to my feet quickly. My head was spinning, and I thought I was going to pass out. ¡°I believe you,¡± she said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a nk spot in my memory¡­ almost like¡­¡± ¡°Like someone erased them,¡± I finished for her. She fell silent and stared up at me. ¡°Do you think someone has the power to do that?¡± She asked in a low whisper. ¡°Professor Xander maybe?¡± I stared back at her. Someone definitely had the power to do that and I wasn¡¯t thinking it was Professor Xander. But I had a feeling I knew who it was. ¡­ Third Person POV ¡°You went in too hard, Xander. Now, getting her to trust you will be impossible!¡± Xander clutched the phone tightly in his hands as he leaned against the wall outside of the academic center. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. Now I understand that it¡¯s going to be more of a challenge than I thought. She is good at basicbat, but when ites to the serious stuff, she is unprepared,¡± Xander said in return. ¡°But I have a n. I¡¯m not going to let this step back stop me.¡± ¡°You better. I recruited you for a reason. Don¡¯t let me down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alpha,¡± Xander seethed. ¡°I¡¯m going to start doing private lessons for her. That way we won¡¯t be interrupted next time. Thankfully I have a student that was able to erase and alter the memories of everyone else.¡± ¡°Good. We can¡¯t let L or anyone know anything about this.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. I just need to get her to agree to these private lessons¡­ then, she will be mine.¡± Chapter 194 Chapter 194 L¡¯s POV ¡°How was ss this morning?¡± Enzo asked at the other end of the phone. I sat in my room, lying on my bed, trying to wrap my mind around everything that had happened this morning. Xander broke my arm and then somehow got everyone to forget about the incident. I couldn¡¯t help but think that Sarah had something to do with that. Suddenly Scott¡¯s warning about Sarah didn¡¯t seem far off. Of course, I didn¡¯t say any of this to Enzo. It would only cause him to worry, and he had enough to worry about. Xander was obviously looking for something, whether it was a fight or something else, he was looking for it. This was a battle I was going to have to face on my own. My heart ached though as I spoke to Enzo. It¡¯s been a little over a day since Ist heard his voice and two days since I felt his touch. I knew this distance was going to be hard, but I wasn¡¯t prepared for how hard it would be. Being marked by him only made our mate bond stronger. ¡°It was okay,¡± I murmured. ¡°I wish you were still thebat and shifting Professor though. I¡¯m not a fan of this new one.¡± ¡°You know why I can¡¯t be though¡­¡± he said, almost sadly. ¡°Do you miss it?¡± ¡°I miss you.¡± ¡°I mean, do you miss teaching,¡± I said, a smile tugging at my lips. ¡°My pack needs me right now,¡± he told me gently. ¡°Or else I¡¯d try to return and continue teaching. Being away from you is hard. But with Paul and his crew still out there, I don¡¯t want to take any chances. They¡¯ve terrorized my pack enough while I was at the academyst year.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I said to him. ¡°How¡¯s your mom?¡± ¡°Better,¡± he said. ¡°The doctors say she should be ready to return home in a couple of days.¡± Categories Search¡­ He sounded unsure though. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± ¡°Of course, it is. I just don¡¯t know how I feel about her returning to the rogue territory.¡± ¡°The only reason she got hurt was because she left her vige barrier,¡± I reminded him. ¡°I understand why she doesn¡¯t want to leave her home. Those wolves have been her family for a long time. She doesn¡¯t want to abandon them. Vna¡¯s don¡¯t abandon their families.¡± ¡°L?¡± I heard my name being called from outside my door. It was Rachel. ¡°We are going to the dining hall for dinner. You want toe?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute,¡± I called back. ¡°Dinner?¡± Enzo asked. ¡°Yeah. Can I call youter?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course,¡± he said in return. ¡°I love you.¡± I smiled at his words; I was never going to get used to this. ¡°I love you too,¡± I replied just before hanging up the phone. Rachel and Ba were waiting for me in the living room when I left my room. They both gave me soft smiles. I¡¯m assuming Ba caught Rachel up on everything. ¡°Ready?¡± Rachel asked. I nodded and together we left the room. When we got downstairs, it was flooded with other female students. Some of them were upying the couches and watching their favorite shows. Some were cooking dinner in the shared kitchen. Eating in the dining hall wasn¡¯t mandatory. We had the option to eat at our dorms as well. Each dormitory had a shared kitchen that was kept stalked at all times. Some students who were culinary majors would cook meals for themselves and their roommates. The kitchen always smelled delicious when I passed by. I caught a glimpse of Sarah with a couple of her friends. They were talking and most likely gossiping about other students. They were chuckling amongst themselves and applying makeup to one another. Sarah looked a little better than she did when I saw her earlier, but I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s because she¡¯s wearing a mound of makeup now. I managed to catch her eyes as I walked by her though and they narrowed at me. I got an icy chill down my spine as our eyes locked. I knew she did something to the other students to erase their memories. She did something to Ba. Scott was right about her; she had unexined powers. Her top lip curled up as she red at me. ¡°What the fuck are you looking at, freak?¡± She hissed, causing her friends to nce in my direction as well. They chuckled and turned away just as quickly. I just rolled my eyes and made my way out of our section of the dorm down the long spiral stairs and into the main hall. As we got outside, I saw a few students running, almost frantically, in the same direction. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ba asked, staring at the running students as well. ¡°Looks like everyone is gathering over there,¡± Rachel said, pointing in the direction of a bunch of students. ¡°They are making a circle I think.¡± ¡°Do you think someone¡¯s getting in a fight?¡± Ba asked. ¡°We should check it out,¡± I said quickly, an uneasy feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. I didn¡¯t wait for them to respond; I ran in the same direction as everyone else. They were chanting and riling up whatever was going on. It was definitely a fight. I shoved my way through the crowd until I reached the center. There were two girls screaming at each other. I recognized both of them from previous sses. ¡°You knew I liked him, and you stole him, you bitch!¡± One of them hissed. ¡°Obviously he didn¡¯t like you!¡± The other roared. ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t like your ugly snaggle tooth!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll show you exactly what this snaggle tooth can do!¡± Her wolf¡¯s canines appeared, and she growled loudly, shaking the ground under us and causing almost everyone to take a step back. She shifted into herrge ck wolf, another loud growl escaping her throat. The other one shifted soon after; her wolf was dark brown and equally as big. They began to walk in a circle around one another, waiting for the other to attack. Everybody was holding their breath as they watched the two wolves. A wolf attack, even with two simple she-wolves, could be dangerous for anyone around them. These tend to get incredibly violent. Before I could convince myself not to, I shifted into my wolf and sprung toward them. ¡°L!¡± I heard Ba yelling from behind me, but I pushed her voice out of my head and ran until I was in the middle of the two wolves. Val wasn¡¯t afraid to get in the middle of a wolf fight; in fact, she weed the challenge. Val¡¯s growl overpowered both their growls at once, making them both fall silent. ¡°Get the hell out of my way,¡± the ck wolf growled. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to go through you to get to that bitch.¡± ¡°Dito,¡± the brown wolf eximed, snarling as she red at her opponent. ¡°You both should be ashamed of yourselves. Fighting on school grounds over a guy who doesn¡¯t respect either of you. You are supposed to be friends. How dare you allow someone toe between you. You could both be expelled and for what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯d understand Miss Goody,¡± the ck one hissed, her eyes forming small slits as she now red at me. ¡°You have no idea what it¡¯s like to be in love,¡± the other one agreed in a low growl. ¡°I know that love doesn¡¯t make two friends fight like this. I know it¡¯s not supposed to hurt you on purpose. If he truly loved either of you, he wouldn¡¯t put you through this.¡± ¡°Get out of my way, L,¡± the brown one growled. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to fight her.¡± I growled loudly, echoing through the school grounds, and shaking the ground more fiercely than they had previously. ¡°Then you¡¯ll need to fight me first,¡± I said firmly, ring at her. I caught her eyes and held them. ¡°If you dare.¡± She fell silent as she stared at me. I felt Val¡¯s powers surfacing just as my emotions began to rise and I took a deep breath to steady them. The brown wolf kept her eyes on mine, and they were wide and alert. I knew my eyes were probably glowing as I looked at her. ¡°Calm yourself down,¡± I ordered. ¡°Go for a walk.¡± Her eyes softened and she took a step back. She bowed her head and turned away; to everyone¡¯s amazement, she did just as I asked. I turned back to the ck one. ¡°If he truly loved you, he wouldn¡¯t have hurt you like this. He will hurt her, just as he did to you,¡± I told her, voice lowering and my eyes locking onto hers. I saw the pain in her gaze. ¡°I turn 18 soon¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°I thought he could be my mate.¡± ¡°A friendship is more important than a man. Don¡¯t lose a friend over this,¡± I told her gently. ¡°Take a walk and calm yourself down.¡± She bowed her head to me and turned away; I watched as she disappeared through the silent and shocked crowd. I turned back to my friends who were staring at me with wide eyes; as was everybody else. ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± I heard someone breathe. ¡°She just got in the middle of a wolf fight.¡± ¡°L is truly a badass.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 L¡¯s POV ¡°You should have seen her, Brody! It was incredible!!¡± Rachel cooed as we sat in the dining hall. Brody listened to Rachel talk about how I stopped a fight between the two she-wolves. I kept getting the sense that everybody was staring at me the entire time we were eating though and it made me ufortable. Today¡¯s meal was spaghetti and meatballs, but I wasn¡¯t super hungry anymore. I stared down at my untouched te. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Brody said to Rachel as he nced in my direction. ¡°L has always been badass.¡± I smiled at him, appreciating thepliment. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe they backed down so easily,¡± Ba chimed in through her mouthful of food. I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but I knew the reason why they backed down so easily. It had nothing to do with my words and everything to do with my Vna abilities. I hadn¡¯t meant to use it on them, but when my emotions are high, I can¡¯t always control my abilities. I knew they were in my trance from the looks on their faces when they looked into my eyes. I was suddenly feeling incredibly tired and I had trouble focusing on the rest of their conversation. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the room,¡± I announced. ¡°You hardly ate,¡± Brody said, furrowing his brows together. ¡°You should finish your food first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it to go,¡± I said, giving him a kind smile. ¡°At least let me walk you back to your dorm,¡± he said. ¡°We haven¡¯t really had a chance to talk privately since you returned from vacation. I missed you.¡± His boyish and lopsided grin made it hard for me to resist him. I nodded in return. ¡°Sure,¡± I responded. Categories Search¡­ We waved goodbye and went on our way. I noticed it during my wee home party, but Brody appeared to be so much different. He had more muscles and maybe even taller. He allowed his facial hair to grow, but he kept it neatly trimmed and manageable. His dark hair was also growing much longer than it wasst year. He also had a different energy. He always appeared to be strong-minded and intelligent, but it was even more so now. I knew his 18(th) birthday was over the summer and that he had gotten his wolf. So, that probably had something to do with it. It was strange to think that Brody didn¡¯t have a wolfst year, but he still seemed so brave and sure of himself. I wouldn¡¯t have known he didn¡¯t have a wolf unless he told me. ¡°So, your trip was good?¡± He asked once we were away from everyone else. ¡°It was,¡± I said, peering up at him. ¡°How was your summer? I¡¯m sorry I missed your birthday. But we should go for a run sometime.¡± ¡°It was good; had a kickass party,¡± Brody said, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry though. I get that you had a job to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ¡° I said, frowning. ¡°I was just so busy, I barely had time for myself.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding,¡± I said kindly, giving him my best smile. ¡°Actually¡­I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about something¡­¡± My heart nearly stopped beating when I looked up at his very serious expression. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. Brody slowed down his steps and I could see the mixture of emotions on his face. I could see he was confused and hurt, maybe even a little mad. I wasn¡¯t sure where this flow of emotions came from, but it left me feeling unsettled. He opened his mouth to speak, but we were interrupted by a familiar voice. ¡°L, may we have a word?¡± Professor Xander asked, blocking the path with hisrge body. I met his eyes and I wanted to tell him no but didn¡¯t want him to think of me as a quivering pup. I knew Xander was up to something. He had everybody¡¯s mind wiped out in the ss; there¡¯s no way there wasn¡¯t an alternate motive behind this. I was determined to find out what he wanted and who he was working for. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org I said goodbye to Brody and went with Xander toward the nearby benches. ¡°I wanted to clear the air after our talk this morning. I know it seemed like I wasn¡¯t genuine, but I was,¡± he began as he sat down on the bench. I stayed on my feet until he motioned for me to sit with him. I looked at him for a moment, hesitant, but the firmness in his eyes sent a chill down my spine and I sat down right away. ¡°Breaking your arm wasn¡¯t intentional,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But it also allowed me to see your weakness and where youck restraint. You are a Vna, so you should be stronger than the others, even without the use of your wolf.¡± I knew this, but he had me pinned in impossible positions, making it hard for me to move or fight back. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about yourbat skills and I wanted to test you to the max. I can see how I took things a little too far. However, I see great potential in you. I¡¯d like to work with you. I think with some proper training, with someone who isn¡¯t afraid to hold back when it counts, will do you some good.¡± ¡°Proper training?¡± I asked, wanting tough out loud. My father had trained me my entire life in combat; I was already skilled. I didn¡¯t say that out loud, but from the look on his face, I knew that he knew exactly what I was thinking. ¡°Your true potential has been locked away,¡± he said, peering down at me. ¡°I want to unlock it.¡± ¡°So, you want to do private lessons?¡± I asked, still stunned by the suggestion. Thest thing I wanted was to be alone with him, especially duringbat. If Ba hadn¡¯t stopped him after he broke my arm, who knows what else he would have broken. The thought left me feeling uneasy, so I quickly brushed it from my mind. Then again, maybe spending a little extra time with him wouldn¡¯t be so bad. It might be easier to figure out what exactly he wants from me. Not to mention I could find proof that he got Sarah to erase and alter memories. ¡°I was thinking every Monday and Wednesday,¡± he went on to say. ¡°At 6 pm. That should give you enough time to eat dinner and get to the arena.¡± After a beat of silence, I finally nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, meeting his eyes. ¡°Private training sessions it is.¡± ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV L didn¡¯t have to tell me something was wrong for me to know that something was wrong. I could hear it in her voice and even though I wasn¡¯t in the radar of her to feel her emotions, I felt a tugging at my heart. It was taking everything I had not to go down to that school and scoop L into my arms. Whatever problem she was facing, I wanted to face it with her. I was in the car when I spoke to her, heading into the pack hospital to see my mother. She was doing much better than she was thesest few weeks and she was being released this evening. I¡¯m escorting her back to her territory, as much as I wish she would decide to stay with me in my pack. But I knew she wanted to get back to her kind. ¡°You didn¡¯t have toe all this way to bring me home,¡± she said with a faint smile as soon as I arrived at her room. She was packing her things in a small suitcase. I¡¯m not allowing you to go alone,¡± I said firmly. ¡°That¡¯s where I put my foot down.¡± She gave me another faint smile and then zipped her suitcase. ¡°And how is our L?¡± She asked, changing the subject and emphasizing ¡°our.¡± ¡°She¡¯s good. She¡¯s at school. But I¡¯ll have her back this weekend,¡± I answered. ¡°Will you be bringing her by to see me anytime soon?¡± I raised my brows. ¡°To the rogue territory?¡± I asked. ¡°My vige,¡± my mother answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d like to meet the others, and they¡¯d probably like to meet her as well. They have heard many great things about Bastien and Selene.¡± ¡°I can bring her by,¡± I agreed. She¡¯s right; L would like that. ¡°Good,¡± she said softly. ¡°I wanted to give you something.¡± She reached inside of her bag and pulled out what looked like a light purple handkerchief. I frowned as she handed it to me. ¡°Open it carefully,¡± she instructed. I unwrapped the handkerchief slowly, uncovering a beautiful silver band with an extremely rare pink diamond and smaller regr diamonds on both sides. ¡°It was mine from a long time ago. ise was a lot of awful things¡­ but he had great taste in jewelry. I kept it as a memory. A memory of a time when I was happy. A time when you were born and how much love I felt and still feel. That ring doesn¡¯t hold bad memories to me and it was something I cherished dear to my heart.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I breathed. ¡°But why are you giving this to me?¡± A smile twinkled in her eyes. ¡°Because I want you to give it to L on the day you decide to propose to her.¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 L¡¯s POV Xander was in the arena when I arrived Wednesday evening. I watched him from the doorway, without him noticing me, as he used a sword to attack a dummy he had set up. It didn¡¯t take long for the dummy to be a crumbled mess on the arena grounds. Xander paused and he turned to me. ¡°Stand over here,¡± he ordered, pointing to an unupied spot in the middle of the arena. I frowned, annoyed by the order, but I did as he asked. As I walked toward the center of the arena, I couldn¡¯t help but nce over at his belongings that were scattered across the ground in the corner. I knew that somewhere in there was the proof I needed to get rid of Xander once and for all. But my attention was brought back to him as his body blocked my view. He was rummaging through his backpack for a second before he came across what he was looking for. He pulled out a shaker bottle with a white liquid inside of it. It almost looked like milk. ¡°Drink this, ¡±He ordered, handing me the shaker. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°It¡¯s a protein shake that¡¯ll help make you stronger,¡± he answered. ¡°I have powder mix for you and you can keep this shaker. Two tablespoons and 16 oz of water every morning.¡± ¡°Are you making everybody in ss drink this?¡± I asked; I couldn¡¯t hide the confusion on my face. ¡°No,¡± he answered simply. ¡°Not everybody in the ss is personally training with me. If you want your reputation to perceive you then I suggest you do as I say and drink this.¡± I stared at his serious expression for a moment longer before taking the shaker from his hands. He watched me intently as I brought it to my lips. It didn¡¯t smell like anything I had ever smelled before. I didn¡¯t particrly like the scent, but he was watching me closely and persistent that I drink it. Categories Search¡­ So, I took a sip and instantly gagged on the vor alone. At least at first, it was just the vor that made me gag, but then I felt the burning sensation deep in my throat that made me nearly drop the shaker on the ground. I stumbled backward as it felt like my lips and throat were on fire. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic,¡± he muttered, rolling his eyes. ¡°Keep drinking it.¡± ¡®It burns,¡± Iined, shaking my head and attempting to hand it back to him. His lips pressed firmly in a thin line, and he red at me. ¡°Drink it.¡± My frown only deepened, and I brought it to my lips. As the liquid went down my throat, the burn sensation continued, but then it lightened and felt almost manageable. But I felt gross once the entire shaker was empty. ¡°We are going to be working on bodynguage today,¡± Xander said, taking a step away from me. ¡°When in a battle with a real opponent, you¡¯re going to need to be one step ahead of them so you can deflect their attacks. To be one step ahead of them, you¡¯ll base your judgment on their bodynguage.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± I said, a little uncertainty in my tone. ¡°Let me show you what I mean by that. Hit me.¡± I stared at him for a moment, unsure if should make a move or not, but his unmoving and waiting body told me to do it. I clenched my fists and went to hit him square in the face, but just as it did before, my fist hit nothing, but air, and I nearly tumbled to the ground. ¡°Your eyes are fixed on the spot you want to hit,¡± he exined, holding his hands behind his back. ¡°Your fists are clenched so I know what part of your body you¡¯re going to use. From the movement of your feet, I know exactly when you¡¯re going to attack. Dodging your attacks is easy.¡± ¡°So, how do I make it, so you don¡¯t know when and how I¡¯m going to attack?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes to him. I swear I thought I saw a hint of a smile decorating his lips. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Now, you are asking the right questions,¡± he said, analyzing me. ¡°You look your opponent in the eyes when you fight. You keep that eye contact until they are on the ground and unable to fight any longer. Never stick with the same attack. Switch it up and confuse them; use your feet once in a while.¡± I went to kick him but he swept my foot out from under me and I fell to the ground with a hard thud! Pain shot through my body as I stared up at him; he ced his foot on my stomach and applied a small amount of pressure, just enough to keep me pinned. ¡°Move my foot,¡± he ordered. I grabbed his ankle and attempted to move him, but he was too strong and for some reason, my body felt a bit weak. He smirked down at me as I struggled beneath him. ¡°You have a lot to learn,¡± he murmured, applying more pressure to my stomach and making me gasp as I struggled to breathe. He was insane; he was purposely trying to hurt me. I was sure of it now. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I asked, still trying and failing to get his foot off me. He lowered himself toward me and I saw the grin that appeared on his face. ¡°To prove that you are weak,¡± he said in a low and threatening tone that sent a chill throughout my body. Xander calling me weak was myst straw. I was furious and I was beginning g to see red. I growled through my teeth, feeling my wolf at the edge. She wanted to shift and tear him apart, but I wouldn¡¯t let her. I struggled again, and grabbed his ankle with even more force, trying everything I could to get him away from me. Just when I was about to scream out for him to get off me, the door of the arena swung open and he quickly took his foot off my body. I took a greedy breath of air, realizing I hadn¡¯t been breathing while his foot was on me. I was in a daze and my body hardly wanted to hold up my weight. Iy limp on the ground, attempting to catch my breath. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt anything. I¡¯ve been looking for L and¡ª¡± Brody¡¯s voice trailed off as he spotted me on the ground. ¡°Goddess¡­¡± Brody said, rushing toward me. ¡°L, are you okay?¡± I sat up, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. ¡°Brody?¡± I said, fixing my eyes on his concerned face. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was looking all over for you. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about something¡­ Rachel told me you were here. Why are you on the ground?¡± ¡°I was training and then¡­¡± my voice trailed off as I met Xanders¡¯ eyes. He squared his shoulders and turned away from me. ¡°Your lessons are finished for today. You are dismissed.¡± I furrowed my brows at him but Brody¡¯s hands on my arm, helping me to my feet, averted my attention. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll walk you back to your dorm,¡± Brody offered. I managed to give him a head nod as we turned toward the arena doors. But not before I stole another nce at Xander¡¯s belongings. ¡°Whatever answers I seek, I knew were somewhere in his things. I was determined more than anything to find what he was hiding. Brody kept his arm draped through mine until we got outside. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± He asked, giving me a concerned frown. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just fell,¡± I reassured him. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you since you¡¯ve returned. I¡¯m just not exactly sure how¡­¡± Brody said, he had stopped walking, and I froze at the worry in his tone. I frowned at him. ¡°You can talk to me about anything, Brody,¡± I said, giving him a kind smile. ¡°Whatever it is¡­ you can tell me.¡± I ced a hand on his arm and met his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but we were interrupted by Rachel who approached us suddenly. ¡°L! We were justing to grab you,¡± she said with a bright smile. I realized quickly she wasn¡¯t alone; Ba wasn¡¯t far behind her and behind Ba was Rachel¡¯s father. What was he doing on campus right now?¡± ¡°My father is back for a visit,¡± Rachel said kindly. ¡°He wants to take us to dinner this evening! You in?¡± Chapter 197 Chapter 197 L¡¯s POV ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I actually already have ns tonight,¡± I told them, all four pairs of eyes that were watching me. It wasn¡¯t the truth; I just didn¡¯t want to go anywhere with Rachel¡¯s father, Raymond. I didn¡¯t trust him. Raymond frowned at me. ¡°I was going to take you girls to an expensive restaurant in the middle of the city,¡± he said, almost pouting. ¡°Can¡¯t you cancel them?¡± Rachel asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°My dad drove like two hours to come here and treat us to a meal. You didn¡¯t tell me you had ns today.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me your dad wasing to take us to dinner,¡± I said in return. ¡°I didn¡¯t know until like an hour ago,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°It was a surprise.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m just supposed to clear my schedule because your father chose to surprise us?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°How is that fair to me?¡± She seemed taken aback by my harshness and I instantly felt bad. ¡°Actually, I already asked L to dinner,¡± Brody said quickly before either of us could say anything more. I stared up at him and he kept his eyes on Raymond¡¯s. ¡°Sorry but we have reservations somewhere and they can¡¯t be cancelled,¡± Brody continued. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse us.¡± Brody draped an arm through mine and pulled me away from a very stunned Rachel and Ba. I walked with Brody without fighting him and when we were far enough away, I pulled my arm out of his grip. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Sorry. But I could tell you were ufortable and wanted to get out of there,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°I was just thinking on my toes.¡± I stared at him for a moment longer before breaking out into a grin. ¡°That was clever,¡± I said, humor all over my face. ¡°I thought so too,¡± heughed, running his fingers through his ash blonde hair. ¡°So, do you really have ns tonight?¡± I thought about telling him yes and then going back to my dorm for the night. But I didn¡¯t want to lie to him like I lied to everyone else this evening. ¡°No,¡± I admitted. ¡°It was just an excuse to get out of going with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sensing there¡¯s a story with that guy?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°I got a weird vibe from him.¡± I nodded in agreement, staring back in their direction. They were now talking amongst themselves, and Rachel¡¯s father looked anything but pleased. ¡°Me too,¡± I said in return after a short pause. ¡°But if you don¡¯t actually have ns tonight. Maybe we can grab some food. I was thinking of the taco ce up the street? If you¡¯re up for it.¡± I frowned and looked up at him. ¡°I still wanted to talk to you about something¡± he reminded me. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, giving him another smile. ¡°Let me just change out of these gym clothes and then we can go.¡± He nodded in agreement and followed me back to my dorm. While I was in my room and grabbing a clean outfit, Brody sat on the couch, looking awkward. I wanted tough, but I didn¡¯t want to make him feel bad. I grabbed my cellphone which I mainly kept on my nightstand, charging, and frowned when I saw I had a couple of missed calls from Brianna and another missed call from Enzo. I made a mental note to call Brianna backter; I meant to call her this morning, but I got distracted and ran out of time. But I needed to at least call Enzo back. ¡°Hey,¡± he said on the other end of the phone. ¡°I was starting to worry.¡± ¡°Sorry. I was in training with Professor Xander and lost track of time,¡± I said, running my fingers through my hair. I told him about these private sessions on the phonest night and needless to say, he wasn¡¯t happy about it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just wanted to hear your voice. I¡¯m going to be working a lot tomorrow, but I was thinking we could go to dinner in the evening. What time will you be here?¡± ¡°Myst ss gets out at one, so I was nning on being there around two,¡± I answered. ¡°That sounds great.¡± ¡°You sound off,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Everything okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I lied. ¡°I¡¯m just tired. I¡¯m going to sleep early tonight. Probably as soon as I get home from dinner.¡± ¡°Are you going out?¡± ¡°Brody wants to take me to dinner tonight so we can talk,¡± I answered. He was quiet for a minute before responding and when he spoke, I could hear the anguish in his voice. ¡°Just the two of you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, frowning. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What does he want to talk to you about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. But he¡¯s been trying to say something for thest day or so, and I¡¯ve been so busy I haven¡¯t given him a lot of time. But I¡¯m going to speak with himter and find out what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I think I have a feeling I know what it is¡­¡± he said, his tone hardening. ¡°He¡¯s going to confess his feelings for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± I wanted tough out loud. ¡°Brody doesn¡¯t have that kind of feeling for me anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s naive thinking; of course, he does.¡± I blinked a couple of times. ¡°Did you just call me naive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Enzo sighed, and I knew from the tone of his voice, he was shaking his head. ¡°I just mean, Brody isn¡¯t going to stop liking you just because you don¡¯t show him interest. You haven¡¯t exactly told him you weren¡¯t interested so in his mind he still has a chance.¡± ¡°So, you are saying I lead him on,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which one is worse¡­¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°Then what are you saying?¡± I asked firmly. ¡°Because it sounds like you aren¡¯t trusting me. I¡¯m your mate. I belong to you¡­¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t know that which means he¡¯s going to try to get you.¡± ¡°He can try all he wants, but he¡¯s going to fail,¡± I said simply. ¡°Brody has been my friend since I started the studentmittee. He might have had a crush on me in the beginning, but I made it obvious that I only thought of him as a friend. He¡¯s not going to disrespect that boundary.¡± Enzo was quiet for a moment. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s not the reason he wants to talk to you, then what else could it be?¡± He finally asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m going to find out tonight,¡± I told him in return ¡°Once I do, I will call you.¡± He was quiet again, processing my words. ¡°I belong to you¡­¡± I said again. ¡°I have a hidden mark on my neck to prove it. I love you.¡± ¡°I love you,¡± he said softly. I hung up the phone without another word. I grabbed a button-down blouse and a ck skirt and quickly dressed. I took my hair out of my ponytail and brushed it out, allowing it to freely fall around my shoulders and down my back. Once I was done, I went to greet Brody in the living room who was sitting on the couch and frowning at me. ¡°Were you on the phone with someone?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I felt the color draining from my face; had he heard all of that? Oh, the goddess I hope not. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, deciding I didn¡¯t want to lie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you heard that¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything other than your muffled voice. But you sounded upset for a minute and then it softened.¡± I gave him a small smile. ¡°It was just a friend,¡± I said, motioning for him to stand. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡­ We went to a small restaurant near the school. I ordered an iced tea and Brody ordered a coke. He looked extremely nervous, and it was making the feeling in the pit of my stomach worsen. I couldn¡¯t get Enzo¡¯s words out of my head, and I hoped to the goddess that Brody wasn¡¯t confessing any type of feelings for me. I said nothing to him, waiting for him to speak first. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about something¡­¡± he began slowly; he was fidgeting with his fingers. ¡°Okay?¡± I urged, eyeing him carefully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who else to talk to¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to do¡­¡± Oh, goddess. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, forcing a kind smile. ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure we can get through it.¡± He looked at me for a moment, meeting my eyes, and then he took a deep breath. ¡°You know my birthday was over the summer?¡± He asked. I nodded. ¡°I turned 18 finally and¡­¡± he paused, unable to continue. I furrowed my brows together; this sounded less like a love confession. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said kindly. ¡°Just breathe¡­¡± He took another deep breath and nodded. ¡°I found my mate¡­¡± He finally spat out, making my eyes widen. Before I could say anything, his next words nearly knocked me out of my chair. ¡°It¡¯s Sarah.¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 198 Chapter 198 L¡¯s POV ¡°L?¡± Brody spoke in a low tone after a few minutes of us sitting in silence. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± I feltpletely numb. I couldn¡¯t have heard him correctly. This couldn¡¯t be real. Was Sarah actually Brody¡¯s mate? His goddess-given mate? ¡°I know it¡¯s a shock. It was a shock for me too. I¡¯ve kind of been keeping to myself because of it,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I finally found my voice after what felt like an eternity of silence. ¡°I hardly see you two together. Are you sure she¡¯s your mate?¡± He looked at me like I had a bunch of heads. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure,¡± he said, almost insulted by the usation. ¡°But she doesn¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean she doesn¡¯t know?¡± I asked. Sarah had her wolfst year which meant she should have been able to sense Brody as her mate just as Brody sensed her. ¡°I¡¯m not just a wolf¡­¡± he said, lowering his gaze and staring at his empty te. ¡°I have witches¡¯ blood too.¡± ¡°Witches blood?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°On my mom¡¯s side,¡± he exined. ¡°There are witches in my family.¡± ¡°So, you have magic?¡± I asked in disbelief. He nodded. How had I not known this about him? Did everybody know this about him? ¡°I haven¡¯t told anybody¡­¡± he answered my unspoken question. ¡°I don¡¯t want them to look at me differently.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Look at you differently?¡± I repeated, eyeing him carefully. ¡°Brody it¡¯s incredible that you have magic. This whole time I¡¯ve been feeling like an outcast for being a little different, all while you were different too.¡± He gave me a sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you sooner,¡± he said, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°You are my friend, and I shouldn¡¯t have kept something like that from you. I don¡¯t use my magic often. When I do, I try to use it for good.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°You¡¯ve always been very kind.¡± Soon, the waiter arrived with our meals. Once he was gone, I turned back to Brody with a frown. ¡°But wait, that doesn¡¯t answer my question. How has Sarah not sense you as her mate?¡± ¡°On my 18(th) birthday, my wolf sensed her right away and I knew she sensed me as well. We were going toward one another. She was looking everywhere, as was I. Neither of us knew where the other was. But I found her first. As soon as I saw her, I took off before she spotted me. I think I was in such shock; I wasn¡¯t sure what to do. So, I took a spell from my mom¡¯s book and cast it on myself.¡± I gasped, staring at him in disbelief. He didn¡¯t have to exin what kind of spell he used. I knew from the look on his face exactly what he did. ¡°You made it so she couldn¡¯t sense you,¡± I said in almost a whisper. He nodded his head once. ¡°It weakened my wolf too. I can¡¯t shift¡­Wan is furious with me.¡± ¡®Your wolf?¡± He nodded. ¡°I know she¡¯s not good news. I just don¡¯t know what to do about it. I don¡¯t want her as my mate¡­ but I don¡¯t know if I have the heart to reject her. I just needed to buy some time. I figured the one person who could help me was you¡­ but you¡¯ve been so busytely and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Brody,¡± I breathed, reaching my hand out to touch him. ¡°I should have been here for you. I had no idea you were going through something like this.¡± This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. He met my eyes and gave me a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. It¡¯s okay,¡± he said softly. ¡°So¡­ what do you think I should do?¡± I stared around his face for a moment and sighed. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing, I learned over the course ofst year and over the summer¡­you should listen to your wolf. He knows what he wants and fulfilling your wolf¡¯s needs is important. You¡¯ve already deprived him of his greatest strengths and shifting, don¡¯t deprive him of his mate too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust her though,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°She¡¯s bad news. I thought our mates were supposed to be good for us¡­ I doubt Sarah is good for me.¡± I thought about it for a moment as I ate some of my food and then I peered back over at him. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not about her being good for you¡­ maybe it¡¯s you being good for her,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe with your kindness and your love, you can change her and make her into a better she-wolf. Maybe she can make you into a stronger wolf. Don¡¯t ignore Wan because you are afraid of what could happen. What¡¯s waiting around the corner could be amazing.¡± He blinked a couple of times at me before leaning back in his seat. ¡°You are wise about this. I knew I came to the right person,¡± he said, grinning. I chuckled at hispliment. ¡°It seems like you also speak from experience,¡± he said, eyeing my face carefully. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to tell me in return?¡± Staring at his face, I knew exactly where he was getting at. ¡°You did hear my conversation earlier¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t if you didn¡¯t want me to,¡± he said, but I knew from his face that he did. I sighed. ¡°How much of it did you hear?¡± I asked, staring down at my te. ¡°Enough to know that you found your mate.¡± I nced up at him and nodded. ¡°Yes. I did¡­¡± I confessed. ¡°I found himst year¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why you are hiding it. Was it to spare my feelings? Did you not think I¡¯d be happy for you?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. But then he frowned. ¡°Wait¡­ you also mentioned hiding a mark. He marked you and you are hiding it?¡± I sighed and nodded slowly. ¡°Yes and no I¡¯m not just hiding it from you. I¡¯m hiding it from everyone. Nobody knows I found my mate and they can¡¯t know. At least not yet¡­¡± He rose his brows. ¡°Not even your roommates?¡± He asked. I shook my head. ¡°What about your parents?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell them over the weekend,¡± I answered. ¡°Why the secrecy though?¡± ¡°It¡¯splicated,¡± I said a little too quickly. ¡°Can¡¯t be moreplicated than my situation with Sarah,¡± he chuckled. This was it. I had to tell Brody the truth. He feltfortable enough to tell me the truth; I needed to repay the favor. ¡°It¡¯s Alpha Enzo¡­¡± The tter of his fork falling to his te startled me and I met his rmed eyes. ¡°Professor Enzo?!¡± He gasped. ¡°Like¡­ your formerbat and shifting professor? Alpha of the Calypso pack? The son of the wolf who divided our entire nation and tried to kill your family¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, Brody,¡± I said in a sharp whisper. ¡°Keep it down¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just in shock.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I was too¡­¡± I said, feeling my face warming. ¡°But yes. He¡¯s my mate¡­ and he¡¯s also nothing like his father. He¡¯s actually trying to undo everything his father did to this nation. There are a lot of people who don¡¯t know about Enzo. I was guilty of misjudging him as well and I won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡± ¡°So, this entire time¡­ allst year¡ª¡± ¡°Nothing happened until this summer. He went with me as my bodyguard to Monstro and we bonded¡­¡± I told him. ¡°He was going to reject me after graduation once my wolf was stronger. But things changed and he ended up marking me¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Brody breathed. ¡°So, I guess you really do knowplicated.¡± I stared at him for a moment and then we both burst outughing. ¡°Why us?¡± heughed, shaking his head. ¡°The moon goddess has a funny sense of humor,¡± Iughed in return. But then I got serious for a moment. ¡°Nobody can know about this, Brody.¡± He reached his hand out and touched mine. ¡°I promise, nobody will.¡± ¡­ The next evening, I packed a weekend bag and drove to the Calypso pack. I didn¡¯t have sses tomorrow, so I was nning on spending the next few days with Enzo. Except for when I have to do the bake sale with Dee in the afternoon. Once I got to the packhouse, I greeted Ethan who was passing by. ¡°Enzo isn¡¯t back yet, but he¡¯ll be here soon. You can put your things in his room and meet Dee in the kitchen. She¡¯s been waiting for you.¡± I thanked him before heading upstairs and towards Enzo¡¯s bedroom. I put my things beside his bed and was about to leave the room when something caught my eye. I paused for a moment, staring at the light purple handkerchief that upied his nightstand. Narrowing my eyes at it, I went closer toward it. It almost looked like something was wrapped in it by the way it was tied together. I lifted it and decided that something was definitely inside of it. I managed to get it untied and what fell out and into the palm of my hand was the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen in my entire life. I gasped at the pure beauty thaty in my hands. ¡°My goddess, L,¡± Val spoke after being quiet for most of the day. ¡°It¡¯s a wedding ring!¡± Chapter 199 Chapter 199 L¡¯s POV I quickly tied the ring back in the light purple fabric and put it back on his nightstand. My heart was racing rapidly. Enzo knew that I didn¡¯t want to get married until after I graduated so why did he have a wedding ring in his room? Val was instantly perked up at the sight of the ring and she was wiggling her long tail in my mind¡¯s eye. It was her first sign of life in thest couple of days. She¡¯s been so tiredtely; I¡¯ve hardly heard from her which I found unusual. She was cooing at the fact that our mate wanted to marry us. Ignoring her I left the room and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Dee was in the kitchen setting up baking supplies and she smiled kindly at me. ¡°Oh, hi L. Did you just get here? How was the drive?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got here a little while ago. It was fine. Have you seen Enzo around?¡± ¡°Last I heard there were some rogue sightings in the Northern region of our borders, and he went to check it out.¡± I frowned at her. ¡°Rogue sightings? Anyone in Paul¡¯s crew?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. He wouldn¡¯t tell me. But he said he wouldn¡¯t be long,¡± she assured me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be home soon. Have you eaten anything for lunch? I can whip you up something.¡± ¡°Oh, no it¡¯s okay, Dee,¡± I said, giving her a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not very hungry right now and plus, I¡¯m going out to eat with Enzoter. I should save my appetite.¡± Truth be told, I wasn¡¯t feeling too well. My body was feeling a little weaker than usual and I honestly just wanted to crawl into bed and fall asleep. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Are you okay sweetie?¡± Dee asked, eyeing me carefully. ¡°You seem tired? Did you eat anything at all today?¡± I thought about it for a moment; usually, I would try to eat something small for breakfast. However, thesest couple of mornings I haven¡¯t eaten much of anything other than that nasty protein shake that Professor Xander gave me. It didn¡¯t sting my throat anymore, but it filled me up for most of the day and kind of made me feel gross. But I wasn¡¯t going to tell Dee that I was skipping meals. ¡°I ate something small this morning,¡± I told her. ¡°Well, maybe you should have something else,¡± she said as she went toward her fridge. She opened the fridge and pulled out the reddest apple I had ever seen. ¡°Freshly grown,¡± she said with a twinkle in her eyes. She handed me the apple and I smiled my thanks to her. I sat at the counter, nibbling slowly on the apple while she ran around the kitchen and set up her supplies. ¡°I got all the things we need to make every food item on the list you gave me,¡± she said fondly. ¡°Your school is going to love everything. We will head to the school around 11 a.m. to set everything up.¡± ¡°Sounds great.¡± I nibbled on most of the apples by the time she finished spreading everything out. ¡°We will start with cookies. I¡¯ll start making the dough and you can cut them into shapes. We will need a lot of them,¡± she said, tossing me an apron. ¡°I can start making brownie mix while you do that,¡± I said, grabbing a bowl. ¡°Good idea.¡± We spent the next several hours creating a bunch of food and making aplete mess out of the kitchen. We listened to music, danced,ughed, and had a great time during the entire process. I almost forgot about the wedding ring I found in Enzo¡¯s room. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org That is until Enzo walked through the kitchen door. Upon seeing him, my heart skipped a beat; if possible, he got even more attractive. He had sweat and dirt on his features and he looked breathless. Whatever happened with those rogues must have taken a lot out of him. But his short sleeve and loose-fitted warriors t-shirt left no mystery of his incredible abs and arms. ¡°Enzo¡­¡± I breathed, rushing toward him. He held out his arms and allowed me to step into his warm and open embrace. Once his arms closed around me and he held me close to his chest, I felt like I was finally home. I breathed in his glorious scent and basked in his warmth. He ran his fingers through my hair, staring at it lovingly as it fell between his fingers. ¡°I missed you so much,¡± he whispered against me, his breath warming my features. I lifted my gaze up to his and that was when I realized I was crying. I wasn¡¯t even sure why I was crying, but tears were escaping my eyes and falling down my cheeks. His shirt had gotten a little wet due to them as well, which was embarrassing. He frowned, staring around my face with curiosity as he used his thumb to wipe the tears away. ¡°What is it, beautiful?¡± He asked gently with a timid frown. I sniffled and forced myself to pull out of his embrace. ¡°I just missed you,¡± I told him, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. ¡°It¡¯s been a long few days.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear about it,¡± he said, stepping closer to me and cing his hand on my shoulder. I peered up at him and met his eyes; I saw the love andpassion he felt for me in his eyes, and it warmed my heart. ¡°We were just finishing up for the bake sale tomorrow,¡± I told him. ¡°Then afterward I¡¯ll be all yours.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said, leaning down to kiss my lips. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower and then we can go to dinner.¡± He kissed me again, this time a little more passionately and hungrily. It took everything we had to pull apart and when we did, he left me breathless and red-faced. He left the kitchen, and I stared after him. ¡°Help me wrap these,¡± Dee called me over from the other side of the kitchen, I pulled my eyes off the door and joined her at the counter to wrap all the baked goods. The entire kitchen smelled delicious, and my mouth was watering. ¡°Distance is always hard on mates,¡± Dee said, a timid frown decorating her lips. ¡°That¡¯s why I assumed you¡¯d be staying here. I knew your wolves wouldn¡¯t want to be separated.¡± ¡°I want to finish school before I settle down here,¡± I exined. ¡°Enzo understands that.¡± ¡°Yes, but I assumed you¡¯dmute,¡± she exined with a shrug. ¡°No big deal. But I know the longer you are apart, the more painful it will be for both you and your wolves.¡± My face warmed. I didn¡¯t realize it was going to be painful; I certainly didn¡¯t want Enzo to be in pain because of this. When I didn¡¯t say anything, Dee gave me a soft smile and reached her hand out for me to grasp. ¡°Enzo loves you very much and only wants you to be happy. I don¡¯t mean to frighten you, but he¡¯s been like a son to me since he was 9 years old. I want him to be happy too,¡± she said, just before she released my hand and continued to wrap the baked goods without meeting my eyes. I wanted him to be happy too, but things were moving too fast. I haven¡¯t even told my parents about this yet. ¡°Dee¡­? I found myself saying, catching her attention. ¡°Has Enzo mentioned anything about a proposal tonight?¡± Dee stopped what she was doing to stare at me,pletely startled Chapter 200 Chapter 200 L¡¯s POV ¡°Why do you think he¡¯s going to propose today?¡± She asked, seemingly confused. I opened my mouth to tell her about the wedding ring I found, but then Enzo returned to the kitchen. ¡°Ready for dinner?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± I looked at him briefly before looking back at Dee. She was staring at me with concern and curiosity in her eyes. ¡°Thanks for your help, Dee,¡± I said softly. ¡°If I don¡¯t see you again tonight, I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡± She gave me a smile in return and nodded. I went with Enzo out of the kitchen and out of the packhouse. He kept his arm wrapped around mine and I walked closely beside him. He was giving my body strength and even Val was awake and alert. ¡°I have a surprise for youter,¡± he said as we got into his car. I tugged at my fingers nervously. ¡°A surprise?¡± I asked, peering over at him. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Do I need a reason to surprise you?¡± He asked, raising his right brow. I shook my head. ¡°No, of course not,¡± I said, hoping the nervousness didn¡¯t show through my voice. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the restaurant. When we were seated, he frowned at me. ¡°You seem off still,¡± he said, assessing my face. ¡°Thinner even. Are you eating?¡± I touched my face; I hadn¡¯t realized I lost enough weight for it to be noticeable. ¡°I¡¯m eating,¡± I told him. ¡°Maybe not as much as I used to.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°Are you dieting?¡± Categories Search¡­ C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Not exactly. Professor Xander gives me these protein shakes that fill me up for most of the day,¡± I admitted, knowing that I couldn¡¯t lie to him. His brows shot way too far up as he stared at me. ¡°What kind of shake?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s in it,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But he said it¡¯ll make me stronger.¡± ¡°You seem weaker,¡± he said, cocking his head to the side. ¡°Do you have any of the shake mix with you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in my stuff at the packhouse,¡± I answered. ¡°I have to drink it every morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to run a test on it to find out exactly what¡¯s in it. Don¡¯t drink any more of it.¡± Worry started to consume me. Would Xander go as far as to poison me? What was Enzo going to find in this shake mix? Professor Xander wouldn¡¯t try to harm me in that kind of way, would he?¡± ¡°He did break your arm,¡± Val said slowly. ¡°Max noticed my energy level is low. I have to agree with them; something doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± A knot formed in the pit of my stomach at the very thought of it. I wasn¡¯t going to argue with her or Enzo over this matter. Enzo was watching me carefully, reaching his hand out he grabbed onto mine and held it gently. My heart flipped in my chest, and I sucked in sharp breaths as tingles shot through my body just from his touch alone. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had the wedding ring with him right now. ¡°Oh, I never told you, I talked to Brody yesterday,¡± I said, meeting his eyes. ¡°He didn¡¯t confess to having feelings for me, but he did tell me something else.¡± Enzo rose his brows. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He found his mate over the summer,¡± I told him, much to his shock. ¡°It¡¯s Sarah.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Enzo said, his entire body tensing as my words processed in his mind. I nodded, trying to keep fromughing at his dumbfounded expression. ¡°Yeah, and she hasn¡¯t sensed it yet because he used his magic to block his scent from her wolf,¡± I continued. Enzo furrowed his brows at me. ¡°His magic?¡± He asked. I nodded. ¡°Brody is partly witch apparently. He doesn¡¯t want anyone knowing,¡± I told him. ¡°He¡¯s not sure what to do and needed my advice.¡± ¡°What did you tell him?¡± ¡°That he needs to listen to his wolf,¡± I answered. ¡°The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways,¡± I shrugged. ¡°That she does,¡± Enzo said in return, fighting a smile. ¡°He must have been losing his mind.¡± Iughed. ¡°You have no idea,¡± I said in return, shaking my head at the very thought of Brody and Sarah together. I couldn¡¯t even imagine it. Sarah was aplete monster; she was selfish, spoiled, and just straight-up rotten. ¡°Maybe they are the kind of opposites that will attract,¡± Enzo said, shrugging. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Moon Goddess makes mistakes when choosing mates.¡± I looked up at him and saw the love radiating off his features as he looked at me. I loved the way he looked at me. I felt my face warming under the intensity of his gaze. ¡°I told him about us,¡± I blurted before I could stop myself. His smile fell immediately. ¡°L¡ª¡± Before he could utter another word, we were interrupted by the waiter who brought the wine we ordered and then took our food orders. Once he was gone, Enzo stared back at me with the same rmed expression he had given me before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, biting my bottom lip nervously. ¡°I wanted him to know that he wasn¡¯t alone. Plus, he told me a secret, so I figured I owe him a secret.¡± ¡°What if he tells people?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not going to,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I promise. We can trust him.¡± Enzo looked at me for a moment longer before a smile formed on his lips; his body rxed, and he nodded. ¡°If you trust him, then I trust him.¡± I smiled in response, also rxing. ¡°Are we still going to see my family this weekend?¡± I asked; as nervous as I was, I was excited to tell them the news. I worried about their reaction though and I hoped it would be positive. But they deserved to know. I also was excited to meet up with Bri and catch up on everything. I definitely needed a girl¡¯s night with my oldest best friend. ¡°Yes,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°We will tell them everything, just as I promised.¡± I took a sip of the wine just as the waiter brought over our food. Without saying much more, we began to eat. I ordered a cob sd with grilled chicken and Enzo ordered a steak cooked rarely. He cut into the blood-soaked steak and his knife went in with ease. ¡°Are you all set for the Bakesale tomorrow? Do you need anything?¡± Enzo asked as he took a bite. ¡°Yes. Dee and I finished baking everything earlier today. We are going to go there tomorrow to set up.¡± ¡°Do you need my help?¡± He asked, taking another bite. ¡°It¡¯s probably better if you didn¡¯te to the sale. I don¡¯t want anyone to be suspicious,¡± I told him. He frowned as he thought about it. ¡°I have to go there tomorrow to pick up a couple of things anyway. So, it won¡¯t bepletely weird,¡± he said. I smiled. ¡°I like the loophole,¡± I chuckled. He winked at me, sending my heart into the gxy. I started to eat my sd and we both fell silent. I wasn¡¯t super hungry, but I knew he¡¯d be upset if I didn¡¯t eat. I had skipped a lot of mealstely because I was so full from that protein shake, but I stuffed my face until I could physically no longer eat. He wiped his face with his napkin and leaned back in his seat to take me in. I met his eyes, and he leaned forward, reaching his hand out for me to take. ¡°Remember when I said I had a surprise for you?¡± He said, lowering his tone so it was only me who heard him. His words were for me alone. I managed to nod my head once; I felt a tremble in my body and a nervousness forming. This was it¡­ he was going to propose. I just knew he was. ¡°I spent a lot of my life protecting those I love. I put them before myself because I thought it was the right thing to do. But I was selfish when it came to you. I pushed you away when I should have held you close. I thought by keeping my distance from you, you¡¯d be safe. But you were always in danger; I was just in denial over it. I hurt you worse than anyone and I won¡¯t forgive myself. I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me right now either, but I want to spend my entire life proving to you that I¡¯mplete, head over heels, in love with you. I wanted to make it up to you¡­¡± ¡°Wait, Enzo,¡± I said quickly, cutting into his words. ¡°Just let me talk for a minute.¡± He looked at me confused and when he didn¡¯t say anything, I continued. ¡°I love you so much and I want to spend my entire life with you. I already forgive you for how you treated me. I know you were only trying to protect me. It wasn¡¯t selfish¡­ it was noble and beautiful,¡± I said, touching his arm gently. ¡°I already know what you are going to say, and you don¡¯t need to continue.¡± He furrowed his brows together. ¡°You do?¡± He asked. I nodded my head once. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°And I already have an answer for you¡­¡± I told him. He looked even more confused by my words, but he remained silent as I continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Enzo. But my answer is no¡­I won¡¯t marry you right now.¡± Chapter 201 Chapter 201 L¡¯s POV ¡°Marry me?!¡± Enzo¡¯s shock was heavy in the air, and I instantly felt warm. Did I misunderstand him? No. I saw the ring. He was nning on proposing to me. He can¡¯t pretend that he wasn¡¯t. But he was looking at me like I had just grown another head. What was wrong? ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I said to him, lowering my gaze. Maybe he was just upset that I rejected his proposal. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to marry him; I would like nothing more. But I wanted to finish school first. I was only 18 and there were things I needed to finish before I became the Luna of his pack. I thought he knew and understood this. I suddenly felt very small in my chair. ¡°You thought I was going to propose to you?¡± He asked, still staring at me with such shock on his face. I met his eyes, confused by his statement. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you weren¡¯t going to. I saw the ring on your nightstand.¡± ¡°The ri¡ª¡± His voice trailed away as a memory shed through his eyes and then to my amazement, he laughed. My face instantly warmed as heughed at me. I pressed my lips firmly together; it was taking everything I had not to lose it on him. What the hell was heughing at? ¡°L, you misunderstood,¡± he chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°I misunderstood the wedding ring on your nightstand?¡± I asked, staring at him with a nk expression. He nodded as he continued to chuckle. It almost looked like a nervous reaction. Categories Search¡­ I had enough of this; I was angry and humiliated, and he wasughing at me. I stood up, grabbing myThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. purse in the process. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± I said in a low and annoyed tone. ¡°Wait no,¡± he said, suddenly very serious as he stood to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean tough. Please sit down.¡± I stood my ground, still very angry. ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean tough like that like, L. It was just a nervous tick¡­¡± he said with sincerity. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Please¡­¡± After a moment longer I sighed and lowered myself back into my seat. He did the same thing, keeping his eyes on mine. ¡°But there was a misunderstanding,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m not going to propose to you. At least not yet. We talked about this before, and I agreed to let you finish school before I make you my wife and the Luna of my pack. That hasn¡¯t changed and I¡¯d never force you to do otherwise.¡± I stared at him, fighting to keep my mouth from hanging open. ¡°Then why do you have a wedding ring?¡± I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. I can¡¯t imagine the reasoning behind the ring is good. Did it belong to a former girlfriend? He¡¯s never mentioned having a girlfriend he loved enough to propose to. In fact, I know he never wanted to settle down like that. What could his reasoning be? As my thoughts began to spiral, I could feel Val¡¯s tension growing as well. ¡°It belonged to my mother,¡± he exined. My eyes widened. ¡°Your mother?¡± ¡°Yes. It was a ring my father had given her many years ago. Back when she was happy and in love. Attached to the ring are happy memories despite all ise had done. The ring reminds her of a time when she was truly happy and in love. Then she found out she was pregnant with me. She never took this ring off, even during all the abuse she endured.¡± He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. ¡°When she looked at this ring, it reminded her that she was happy once and she will be happy again. Now when she sees this ring it reminds her that she is strong. It reminds her of all she has ovee and all she will ovee. It symbolizes strength and empowerment, not to mention love. It might have been a ring my father gave to her, but we came out on top, and this ring reminds her of that.¡± Tears formed in my eyes as he spoke about that ring and his mother. It was a beautiful story and I understood why it meant so much to her. I wanted to reach out and hug him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for almost walking away,¡± I said softly, feeling my face redden. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize,¡± he chuckled, giving me a loving smile. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have just left it out like that for you to find. It was a misunderstanding and I understand why you were scared.¡± I gave him a fond smile, not able to look away from him. ¡°But wait, why do you have the ring?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. Heughed and shook his head. ¡°You left a really good impression on my mom,¡± he answered. ¡°She gave me the ring to give to you someday. When the time is right, that¡¯ll be your ring.¡± ¡°She wants me to have it?¡± I asked, feeling my heart swelling at the very thought. He nods. ¡°She loves you like a daughter and that¡¯s her way of giving us her blessing,¡± he exined. ¡°As much as I want to make you my wife and Luna of my pack, I¡¯m not going to force you to marry me right now. I know there are things you want to do, and I respect that. I love you, L. I love all of you and I¡¯m willing to wait for you.¡± I loved him so much and I couldn¡¯t help but lean across the table and show him just how much I love him. As soon as our lips touched, I felt warm tingles coursing through my body. Just his touch alone was enough to make my body weak. Val was in sweet bliss, wiggling in delight. We pulled away and I had to stifle a whimper at the loss of contact. But not before long, the waiter returned with our food. We thanked him just before he walked away, and we both started eating. I took a few sips of my wine; sighing in delight as the cold liquid went down my throat. He seemed lost in thought for a short while, but then I remembered he wanted to tell me something earlier. ¡°What was it you wanted to say earlier?¡± I asked. ¡°Before I used you of proposing to me.¡± I gave him a nervousugh at the end of that sentence. ¡°Oh, right,¡± he said, putting his fork down. ¡°It¡¯s not as good as a proposal, but I know I¡¯ve deprived you of a chance to get to know my mother and the other Vna wolves because I kept them from you. They might not have their powers anymore, but I feel like you could benefit from them, and it might be nice for you to get to know them a bit.¡± I raised my brows. ¡°Okay?¡± I urged. ¡°So, I was going to ask if you¡¯d maybe want to go to my mother¡¯s vige with me and see them for yourself.¡± ¡°You want me to go to your mother¡¯s vige?¡± I asked with a quick-paced heart. ¡°To the rogue territory? Chapter 202 Chapter 202 L¡¯s POV ¡°I would understand if you don¡¯t want to. But I wanted to give you the option,¡± Enzo went on to say, staring around my stunned face. I could see why he would think it was something I wouldn¡¯t want. I¡¯ve been staring at him with my mouth hanging open for some time now,pletely in shock. This was something I was not expecting. He actually wanted me to go to his mother¡¯s vige and meet the other Vnas?! ¡°Of course, that¡¯s something I¡¯d want,¡± I said to him, resisting the urge to jump across the table and give him a big hug. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡± He nods his head, giving me a look of love and admiration. ¡°It was her idea,¡± he told me with a grin. ¡°I was reluctant at first because it¡¯s still a rogue territory, regardless of the barrier. But you deserve to see others that are like you. I deprived you of that and I¡¯d like to make it up to you.¡± ¡°When can we go?¡± I asked, hopeful and eager withrge eyes. Heughed. ¡°How about next week?¡± He asked; he began to eat his food. I nodded with arge smile spreading across my face. ¡°I love you,¡± I breathed, making him look at me. ¡°I love you too, L,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°More than anything.¡± My heart was so full I thought it was going to explode; I didn¡¯t know I could ever be this happy. Enzo was everything to me and Val; we loved our mates so much. Val was obsessing over Max just as I was obsessing over Enzo. When we finished our meals, Enzo paid the bill and then we left. I was exhausted after spending most of the evening cooking and the morning at school. I couldn¡¯t wait to sleep. I had to wake up early tomorrow to set up for the bake sale we are having on campus. Enzo wanted toe as well for Categories Search¡­ support but he¡¯s acting as if he needed to grab some things from his old office. I wondered how he was going to pull that off, but I didn¡¯t bother asking. I was just d he was going to be there. I needed to be around him. Spending the entire week without him was torture to both me and my wolf. I didn¡¯t want to spend another second away from him. The next morning, I woke up to Enzo not being beside me. I frowned as I looked around the dimly lit bedroom. I could feel my mate in the packhouse, and I couldn¡¯t help but pout. I felt cold when his arms weren¡¯t around me. I wore a thin nightgown, and my hair was thrown up in a messy bun before I fell asleep, so I had strands of hair loosely around my face. It was early enough that the sun hadn¡¯t fully risen yet, so the moon was still casting its strong rays upon the Calypso pack and beaming into the window, lighting up the room only slightly. I yawned, rubbing my eyes, as I slid out of bed. I went toward the bedroom door, but froze when I saw the doorknob turning, and in came my mate. I felt a flood of relief upon seeing him and my smile only grew wider when I saw he was holding a tter of food. ¡°Oh, good. You¡¯re awake,¡± he said in a low tone as if he was worried about waking someone up. He shut the door behind him and made his way over to the bed. ¡°I thought I¡¯d grab you some breakfast in bed.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this,¡± I chuckled, sitting down with him on the bed and crossing my legs Indian style. ¡°I wanted to,¡± he said with a twinkle of love in his eyes. He ced the tray of food in front of me and I couldn¡¯t help but smile at him. Breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, toast with strawberry jam, a small bowl of chopped mixed fruit, and a cup of coffee made exactly how I like it with cream and sugar. There was also a pink flower in a crystal vase on the tray as well and it smelled beautiful. ¡°The flower is a nice touch,¡± I teased, beaming at him. ¡°I thought so too,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°It was Dee¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°She always did have a nice taste,¡± I smiled. ¡°This is lovely. Thank you.¡± ¡°Once you are done eating, you can get dressed and we can load your car with all the baked goods. I¡¯ll let you drive down to the school with Dee, and I¡¯ll follow in my own car, so we don¡¯t make anybody suspicious.¡± I didn¡¯t like the secrecy, but I understood why it needed to happen. I nodded in response and motioned for him to kiss me. He did so without hesitation; once his lips touched mine, it felt like I was transported into another universe. My entire body was on fire and my lips tingled, sending chills to course through my entire body. When he pulled away, I had to keep myself from whimpering from the loss of contact by biting the inside of my cheek. He could see this on my face though and it made him chuckle. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± I asked, raising my brows once I noticed he didn¡¯t have food in front of him. ¡°I ate downstairs with Dee,¡± he answered as he stole a piece of fruit from my bowl, making meugh and shake my head at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to get dressed. You eat up.¡± He kissed me again before grabbing fresh clothes from his closet and disappearing into his closet. I slowly ate the food in front of me; it was delicious. I tried to eat most of what he gave me, but it was a lot of food and I found myself getting full. I put the tray of food aside just as he came out of the steam-filled bathroom. I gasped when I saw my mate; he waspletely naked with only a towel wrapped around his waist, covering his manhood. His hair was soaked, and he had beads of water dripping down his broad and incredibly sexy torso and arms. He looked very rxed from that shower, and he smelled so good. He paused when he saw me gawking at him and then a smug smirk appeared on his lips. ¡°Like what you see?¡± He teased. I pressed my lips together and narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°You brought your clothes in the bathroom with you.¡± He went toward a drawer and opened it. ¡°I forgot my boxers,¡± he replied, pulling his boxers out of the drawer, and then turning back to me. I knew my cheeks were probably very red. Before I knew what was happening, he was standing only inches in front of me. He got there so fast; I didn¡¯t even see him moving. I blinked up at him, still feeling how hot my face had gotten. I bit onto my bottom lip, keeping myself from whimpering at his very presence. He was so God-like and beautiful. I had never seen anyone quite as handsome, and I wasn¡¯t sure my heart was going to be able to handle it. He ran his fingers down the side of my face, sending warm chills to course through my body and goosebumps forming on my flesh. I wanted to kiss every inch of his body. ¡°Do you have any idea what you do to me?¡± He whispered in his voice husky and making my heartbeat even crazier. I opened my mouth to speak, but he ran his thumb across my bottom lip, keeping all and any words from leaving my mouth. He bent down and his lips brushed across mine gently and we remained like that for a moment longer before he pulled away to gaze into my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°How does seeing you almost naked still affect me like this? It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen you naked before¡­¡± He pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, matching his breath with mine. ¡°It¡¯s the mark¡­¡± he answered. ¡°It makes you feel your emotions toward me so much stronger.¡± Before I could respond, I heard his phone ringing on the night table. He audibly groaned and pulled away from me, leaving me cold again. When he nced at the phone screen, he frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, walking toward the door. I wanted to shout after him that he was still almost naked, but he was gone before I had the chance. What could be so important at this hour? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡­ Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha Enzo, it¡¯s Dr. Todrick,¡± the man on the other end of the phone said as soon as I answered it. I was expecting his call, just not this early. Dr. Todrick was the researcher who worked at the pack clinic. I knew he would be the right man to investigate that protein mix L was given. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, trying not to sound rude, but I was already impatient. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you so early. But this couldn¡¯t wait. I did some testing on the protein shake you sent me and¡ª¡± His voice trailed off. ¡°And what?¡± I urged. ¡°And I think you shoulde to the clinic and see it yourself.¡± Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Who was on the phone?¡± L asked with a small frown when I entered the room. Her face was still a little red which made a smile tug at the corner of my lips. I suppose I had myself to me for that. She looked gorgeous in her thin nightgown and her hair flowing messily around her face. ¡°It was Dr. Todrick from the pack clinic,¡± I answered. ¡°He might have found something in that protein mix Xander had given you.¡± Her face paled. ¡°What did he find?¡± She asked, her voice soft and nervous. ¡°I won¡¯t know until I go there,¡± I told her, trying to keep my voice calm to not rm her. ¡°I¡¯m going to head there once I¡¯m done getting dressed. I¡¯ll meet you at the schoolter.¡± When I finished getting dressed, L was finishing cleaning from breakfast and grabbing clothes for herself. When she saw me, her frown deepened. ¡°Do you think he¡¯s trying to poison me?¡± She asked, her voice cracking. I furrowed my brows at her. I was wary about what the shake was made of, but poison was not a thing I thought about. ¡°Why would he try to poison you?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. Was there a reason she thought he would be trying to poison her? She was quiet for a moment before answering. ¡°Well¡­when I drink it, my throat hurts and my lips burn¡­¡± she said, lowering her gaze. This was news to me, and my heart fell into my stomach. ¡°He said it¡¯s supposed to happen and that I¡¯ll get used to it. But Val doesn¡¯t like it either and told me not to drink it anymore. I only drank it twice and each time it makes me feel weird.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that before?¡± I asked, trying not to sound like I was scolding her. But I didn¡¯t like the fact that kept this from me. She shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to upset you,¡± she said, biting her bottom lip and chewing on it nervously. I sighed and sat beside her on the bed. ¡°If you feel like something isn¡¯t right about anything, you need to tell me about it, L. I need you to trust me,¡± I said softly, running my fingers down her face. She leaned into my touch, closing her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she breathed. ¡°He¡¯s a little tougher on me than most students.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, Max grew furious almost instantly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She was hesitant. ¡°He¡­¡± she stopped and took in a deep breath as she met my eyes. ¡°He broke my arm¡­¡± I stood to my feet quickly. ¡°What the hell do you mean he broke your arm?!¡± ¡°He ims it was idental,¡± she exined. ¡°He tackled me to the ground and kept telling me to push him off, but he was on my arm. When I moved it, he applied more pressure and then I heard it snap¡­¡± ¡°L¡­¡± I said, trying to maintain my temper, but it was hard. I knew the eyes of my wolf were probably evident to her. I could feel Max pushing to the front of my mind. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I healed quickly. I¡¯m a Vna so it¡¯s hard to hurt me,¡± she exined, trying to calm me. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?!¡± I asked through my teeth; I was trying very hard to keep my wolf under control. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be angry and do something stupid,¡± she admitted. ¡°Plus, I have a feeling he¡¯s after something. Like he has some kind of vendetta against me. So, I agreed to private lessons so I could figure out what it is he wants.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you anywhere near him,¡± I growled. I started walking toward the door as fury consumed me. I heard her getting up from the bed and I felt her worry, but it wasn¡¯t enough to calm me. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± she pleaded. But I hardly heard her. I ripped the door open and mmed it behind me. ¡­.. I got to the clinic soon after and Dr. Todrick was in his office. He was staring at hisputer with a deep frown. I was going to the school to beat the living shit out of Xander, but I knew without actual proof of foul y, it wouldn¡¯t end well for me. So, I decided to go to the clinic first and find out what Dr. Todrick found in that shake. ¡°What did you find?¡± I asked as soon as I barged into his office. ¡°You can see from this chart over here that there¡¯s some kind of chemical reaction but when I ran the report, it came up inconclusive,¡± he exined. I red at him. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t find anything??¡± I asked, feeling annoyed. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have this chemical reaction if there wasn¡¯t anything in it,¡± he exined, shaking his head. ¡°But none of my reports can figure out what it is. Whatever it¡¯s mixed with is masking it and messing with my testing.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± I asked through my teeth; this was getting ridiculous. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about proof,¡± Max whined. ¡°I want to rip his fucking head off.¡± I was starting to agree with my wolf, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t end well for me. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out. Once I figure out what¡¯s masking it, I could probably work around it. But, Alpha, tell me¡­ does L have any strange symptoms when she drinks this?¡± ¡°She told me when she drinks it she feels a bit weaker than she usually does. She also just informed me that it hurts her lips and throat,¡± I answered. ¡°Almost sounds like wolfbane,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°But that would have shown up on my tests.¡± ¡°Unless it¡¯s being masked by something,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°For Wolfbane to not show up on my testing, it would have to be masked by something very strong¡­¡± Dr. Todrick said, deep in thought. ¡°Like magic¡­¡± ¡°Magic?¡± I asked, staring at him in shock. ¡°Where would he have gotten magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Dr. Todrick said, shaking his head. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case then the only way to get rid of it would be a witch. Or an antidote.¡± I stayed quiet as I processed what he said. ¡°Do you know a witch that could potentially help us?¡± I nodded; I did know a witch. Well, kind of. My mother knows a witch; I¡¯m sure she could help us in this situation. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll reach out to her and see if she can help us.¡± ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ll do more testing and see if I can find out more information.¡± ¡­.. L¡¯s POV Dee and Beta Ethan came with me to the school to help set up the bake sale. Ethan even recruited a couple of gamma warriors to keep watch over us during the sale for extra protection. Once we got there, Ethan and the gammas got to work building the bake sale stand and cases while Dee and I made signs to ce everywhere. ¡°L!¡± I heard my name being called from nearby and when I turned to look, I was pleased to see Ba and Racheling toward me. ¡°Hey girls,¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°We came to help,¡± Ba exined. ¡°What can we do?¡± ¡°You can help make some signs,¡± I said, handing them each a marker. They sat on the ground beside me and started to help with the signs right away. We only had a couple of hours before the bake sale started. I already sent a memo to each student reminding them of the sale at 1:00 p.m. It only took Ethan and the gammas about 45 minutes to set up the stand and the disy cases. Once they were finished, they set up a few tables for seating. Only 10 minutes before 1:00 pm, I heard a familiar musical sound in the distance, causing me to freeze and frown at my friends who also heard the same familiar sound. I turned around and my mouth felt open when I saw an ice cream truck nearby. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little out of season for ice cream?¡± Rachel asked, her brows furrowed together. I nodded as the ice cream truck got closer and soon; it was parking close by. ¡°What¡¯s it doing here?¡± Ba asked, equally confused. I didn¡¯t have an answer. After a minute the doors of the truck swung open, and we soon got our answers. Sarah stepped out of the truck with a couple of her followers. Upon seeing her, my heart fell deep into the pit of my stomach and my mouth nearly fell to the floor. ¡°What the hell is she doing here?!¡± Rachel asked through her teeth, and I knew she was furious. Before I could say anything, one of Sarah¡¯s friends began sticking signs on the ice cream truck that read in big bold letters: Free Ice Cream. Is she serious?!Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 L¡¯s POV ¡°Sarah, what are you doing?¡± I asked, approaching her. ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing,¡± she asked in return, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°I¡¯m giving away free ice cream. I thought it would be a nice touch to your little bake sale.¡± ¡°It kind of takes away from it; don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Takes away from it?¡± She asked with wide eyes. ¡°Oh, gosh no. That was not my intention. I only wanted to help. Tiffany Prescott said that it was a great idea when I brought up the idea to her.¡± She gave me a fake pout that I could see through right away. ¡°Headmaster Prescott gave you permission?¡± I asked, raising my brows; I was finding that hard to believe. ¡°We are doing this to raise money for themittee; if you give away free ice cream, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to raise money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only thinking of students who can¡¯t afford your baked goods,¡± she said, batting her long and fake lashes at me. I pressed my lips together, folding my arms across my chest, I said, ¡°They can pay what you can. We don¡¯t have prices for that reason.¡± ¡°My father recently bought me this ice cream truck for my birthday. I wanted to put it to good use,¡± she shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s no crime in that.¡± ¡°Stop pretending you are doing this for the students, Sarah,¡± Rachel seethed stepping beside me. ¡°You are doing this to sabotage the bake sale.¡± ¡°Oh, believe. I don¡¯t need to try that hard to sabotage this stupid bake sale,¡± Sarah said, rolling her eyes. Her friends chuckled behind her. ¡°Your shitty baking will do that for me.¡± ¡°When was thest time you lifted a finger and baked anything?¡± Rachel asked in return, folding her arms across her chest, and tilting her head to the side. ¡°Your precious maids do that for you.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t act like you know me, bitch,¡± Sarah seethed in return. She then looked back at me and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you are much better than me. You are doing this for the same reason I am. To win.¡± ¡°You are selfish, Sarah,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on hers. ¡°You only care about yourself. I don¡¯t want to be president of the studentmittee so badly.¡± ¡°Same reason you do,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my reason.¡± ¡°L formed thismittee herself; it belongs to her. She has all the right to be the president of it,¡± Rachel hissed. Rachel wasn¡¯t usually temperamental; bears are typically calm because they aren¡¯t very powerful, so they try hard to not get into confrontations. But Sarah brought out Rachel¡¯s fury. ¡°And I have every right to run against her,¡± Sarah said in return, her tone darkening. ¡°And I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure Ie out on top.¡± I wanted to say something in return, but I heard Ba clearing her throat loudly from behind me, reminding me that there was an audience. I managed to pull my eyes away from Sarah and turn to face my friends who were staring at me with worrisome expressions. Brody was amongst them. He was staring at Sarah with a look of longing, and it tore at my heart. Not because I was jealous, but because I felt bad for him. Having Sarah as a mate was probably awful. But I also felt guilty for putting him in this position. It¡¯s obvious he still has that spell in ce because Sarah hasn¡¯t noticed him, but he and his wolf can feel her, and I knew it was taking everything he had not to run to her. ¡°Hey Brody,¡± I said, pulling his attention from Sarah to me. ¡°Hey,¡± he said, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and tried again. ¡°Hey, L. Figured I¡¯d come by and help.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with a bright smile. ¡°We could use the help.¡± Dee was putting some baked goods on tters, so we could walk them around campus for those who don¡¯t want toe here. ¡°Would you mind taking a tter and walking around campus? Students can pay what they can for anything they want. Take a jar to collect money too,¡± I said, cing a ss jar in the middle of the tter. The jar had the words ¡°pay what you can¡± on the side of it. ¡°Sure thing,¡± he said with a bright smile. He nced back in Sarah¡¯s direction before taking the tter from me. Just as Brody walked away, a familiar and wonderful scent filled my nose making Val perk up instantly. I couldn¡¯t help the smile that tugged at my lips that I desperately tried to stifle. It took everything I had not to run to him despite Val¡¯s eagerness. Nobody else noticed the look on my face, but Dee did, and she gave me a small smile, trying not to make it obvious that she knew. Enzo was on campus. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV As soon as I got to campus, I could smell L. The scent of honeysuckle filled my nose and calmed my every muscle and tension. Max was desperate to get to our mate, but there was something else I needed to do first. I didn¡¯t go to the bake sale right away, I knew there was no ss today but if I was lucky, Professor Xander would be training, and I¡¯d be able to talk to him. I didn¡¯t have the proof I needed, and I desperately wanted to kick his ass, but I couldn¡¯t. Not yet. The arena was empty when I arrived. It instantly filled me with a familiar sense; I spent a lot of time here last year. It had be a home away from home. My safe ce. I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t miss it. But L and my pack came first, and I couldn¡¯t be a professor and maintain both. As I walked further into the arena, I paused when I saw a backpack, along with a few other things, thrown in the corner of the room. I furrowed my brows together, knowing they must belong to Xander. The arena also reeked of him, so he was close. ¡°What do you think you are doing in here?¡± I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to find a tall and broad gentleman with a bunch of tattoos covering his arms and chest. A bit tacky for my taste, but I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. ¡°Professor Xander,¡± I greeted, keeping my tone even and unbothered. Just looking at him brought out the fur I felt, but I had to keep myself and Max under control. ¡°And who might you¡ª¡± his voice trailed off as realization crossed his eyes. ¡°Oh. You must be Alpha Enzo. Also known as the former professor. I was wondering when you¡¯d be making an appearance in my arena. What honor do I have for this visit?¡± A low growl emerged from my throat. His arena? ¡°Just wanted to see who has taken over my position,¡± I said, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°Do you have a campus pass?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°You can¡¯t be here without one.¡± ¡°I just stopped by to grab some things I left behind. Then decided to make a pit stop here,¡± I answered. ¡°I won¡¯t be here long.¡± ¡°Even still¡ª¡± ¡°What pack do youe from, professor?¡± I asked, cutting off his words. ¡°Excuse me?¡± He asked, his eyes squinting in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why that¡¯s relevant.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recognize any of the symbols shown on your tattoos,¡± I exined. ¡°Are you from around here?¡± ¡°My tattoos don¡¯t represent my pack,¡± he answered, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alpha. But where Ie from isn¡¯t your concern.¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°How much experience do you have inbat?¡± I found myself asking, narrowing my eyes at him. He pressed his already thinned lips together. ¡°Why do I get the feeling you are giving me the third degree?¡± He asked, ¡°I want to make sure these students are getting the best training they can,¡± I answered. ¡°You lost the right to know about these students and their education the minute you quit being a professor,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I quit because my pack needed me, not because I stopped caring,¡± I said in return. ¡°To the students, it¡¯s all the same.¡± ¡°They are smarter than that,¡± I said in return. ¡°You should give them a little more credit than that.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you again, Alpha. Without a pass, you don¡¯t have any right to be here.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t smell like an Alpha, but you reek of someone with authority. Not a beta¡­ perhaps a gamma?¡± I asked in a low and threatening tone. ¡°Who¡¯s your Alpha?¡± ¡°With all due respect, Alpha. I don¡¯t answer to you. Therefore, I don¡¯t need to answer any of your questions.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?¡± I heard the familiar voice of headmaster Tiffany Prescott behind me. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha Enzo? What are you doing here?¡± Tiffany asked as she stepped toward us. ¡°Good after, Headmaster Prescott,¡± I greeted, giving her my best smile. ¡°Sorry for the intrusion. One of your students is holding a bake sale on campus and a few of my wolves are helping her. She used my best cook, Deanna, and I allowed her to recruit some of my warriors as well. Considering they are here, I figured I should be as well.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. L¡¯s bake sale. She¡¯s a bright girl. I was just about to head there myself¡ª¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin why you are in the arena,¡± Xander said through his teeth, a sh of fury in his eyes. ¡°Yes. What are you doing in the arena, Alpha?¡± Tiffany went on to ask. I tried to keep the annoyance off my face. ¡°I thought I left something in here. I seemed to have misced a watch. But I guess I¡¯ve been mistaken,¡± I answered calmly. ¡°There¡¯s no watch here,¡± Xander hissed. ¡°I see that now,¡± I said, not looking at him. ¡°My mistake.¡± ¡°How about we head to the bake sale together? I¡¯ve been meaning to reach out to speak with you anyway, Alpha,¡± Tiffany said with a kind smile as she turned away from us. She began walking towards the doorway and I didn¡¯t hesitate to follow her, leaving Xander staring after us soaking in his anger. Once we were in the halls, we continued walking, but Tiffany slowed down her steps. ¡°I was sad to see you go so suddenly, Alpha,¡± she said, peering at me briefly. ¡°When I heard you were quitting, I was hoping you¡¯d change your mind.¡± ¡°There was pack business I needed to attend to. They need me more than the school does,¡± I exined, which wasn¡¯t a lie. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I understand that. You are busy. But the students really loved you,¡± she said, and I heard a hint of sadness in her tone. ¡°We reced you quickly, but the students are having difficulties adjusting. As their new headmaster, I want to make them happy and make sure they have the best education they can get.¡± ¡°Congrattions on the promotion by the way; you deserve it,¡± I said to her, ignoring her words. I truly meant that. She beamed at thepliment. Tiffany has been a part of the board for a long time and is always in the shadow of the leader. I always saw the potential in her to rise to the top and I¡¯m d it worked out in her favor. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a bright smile. ¡°Is that what you wanted to speak to me about?¡± I asked, ncing at her. ¡°To tell me the students miss me?¡± ¡°I wanted to convince you toe back,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I can¡¯t,¡± I sighed. ¡°My Alpha duties will alwayse first to me.¡± She was quiet for a moment, but then she nodded. ¡°My father is an Alpha,¡± she breathed, which oddly surprised me. We never spoke about personal matters before, and I don¡¯t know anything about her home life. I didn¡¯t know her father was an Alpha. ¡°Is that so?¡± She nods. ¡°He¡¯s the Alpha of the Redstone pack, just South of Hig,¡± she answered. ¡°So yes¡­ I understand that Alpha dutiese before everything¡­¡± she paused. ¡°And everybody.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. There was a ping of hurt in her voice. I knew of the Redstone pack; their Alpha was said to be fierce. It made sense that their daughter would be some kind of authority figure as well. She had Alpha blood and leadership qualities. I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear this. ¡°Thank you for understanding,¡± I said to her, giving her a nod. She gave me a small smile in return before squaring her shoulders. ¡°There are some things I need to take care of. Let L know I¡¯ll be at her bake sale in a few,¡± she told me, forcing a smile before walking in a different direction. I looked after her for only a moment but then turned away and went to go see my mate. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Student after student arrived at the bake sale. I couldn¡¯t believe how many students actually showed up and continue to show up. ¡°These brownies are delicious, L!¡± One girl cooed, taking a giant bite of the fudge brownie she had just bought. ¡°You¡¯ll have to send me the recipe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send it to your school email,¡± I chuckled, just as another student purchased a couple of the cookies. ¡°What¡¯s the cause?¡± The student asked, staring at the cookies with such hunger that it made a smile form on my lips. ¡°The cause is for students,¡± I said, motioning with my hands to the school. ¡°Themittee will use this money for fun events, gatherings, and items that students want and need. I thought it¡¯d be nice if we all contributed to those things.¡± ¡°I love that idea!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said with a smile. My thoughts were interrupted by Sarah¡¯s friends yelling from nearby. ¡°Free ice cream!! Get your free ice cream!!¡± Some students eagerly left my line to go get ice cream, making me scowl in Sarah¡¯s direction. That¡¯s when I noticed that a couple of her friends were holding clipboards and making students sign before they picked out their ice cream. What were they up to? ¡°What are they doing?¡± Rachel asked, mimicking my thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I answered. ¡°But I¡¯m going to find out.¡± I left the stand and approached the ice cream stand. ¡°You can¡¯t get ice cream until you sign this,¡± one of Sarah¡¯s friends told a student. ¡°What is it?¡± The student asked, a tremor in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s to assure us that we can count on your vote in the election,¡± she answered. My heart stopped beating and Ipletely froze. ¡°You¡¯re buying votes?¡± I hissed. getting Sarah¡¯s attention who had a smirk on her face. ¡°Oh, please. It¡¯s not much different than what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± I growled. ¡°I¡¯m raising money for the students, not buying their votes. I thought you wanted a fair election?¡± ¡°What I want, is to win, just like you. You might have everyone else here fooled by your nice act, but I see through you.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Sarah?¡± ¡°You have this entire school wrapped around your pathetic little fingers just because you have abilities,¡± she scoffed. ¡°News sh, Vna, you aren¡¯t the only one at this school with abilities. You aren¡¯t as special as you think, so get off your high horse, bitch.¡± I had never felt such anger before; I thought Val was going to break loose and rip her throat out with her ws. It took a lot of restraint to hold her back. What calmed me was the familiar and glorious scent of Enzo. It washed over me like the ocean breeze and made me stagger back from Sarah who took this as a sign of weakness. ¡°Alpha Enzo?¡± I heard Rachel saying from behind me. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Well, my cook, my beta, and my gamma are all here. It¡¯s only right that I be here too, don¡¯t you think?¡± Enzo asked a little humor in his tone. My eyes were still fixed on Sarah¡¯s smug face, but I could feel Enzo¡¯s eyes drilling a hole in the back of my head. ¡°Seems your professor¡¯s boyfriend came to pay you a visit,¡± Sarah sneered. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t keep him waiting.¡± Sarah¡¯s friends chuckled from behind her. ¡°Oh, my goddess. Are they dating??¡± ¡°L is dating the professor?! What a slut!!¡± Chapter 206 Chapter 206 L¡¯s POV ¡°Get a life, Sarah,¡± Rachel seethed, stepping beside me. ¡°You can buy all the votes you want, but you¡¯ll still lose.¡± I stood frozen as the girls continued tough; I felt my face warming, but I wasn¡¯t going to let them get the best of me. I forced myself tough. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, Sarah¡­ how¡¯s Scott? Haven¡¯t seen him since you left him rotting in jail. Heard he¡¯s back at school,¡± I said coolly, turning away from her. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could count on his vote.¡± I knew she was ring at me, but I couldn¡¯t care less. I walked toward Enzo having a conversation with Ethan, both looked very serious. I felt a knot forming in my stomach; I knew Enzo went to speak with Dr. Todrick before this and I wondered if they were talking about the protein shake. What did they find in it? I wanted to ask but now was not the time. I went toward Dee who continued selling baked goods to a line of students. We were getting busier; there wasn¡¯t any time to waste. The bake sale went on for a while, and soon, Headmaster Prescott arrived. ¡°L, what a beautiful setup you have here,¡± she said with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Thank you, headmaster,¡± I said, returning her smile. ¡°I can¡¯t take all the credit. I¡¯ve had a lot of help.¡± I gestured for my friends who were working hard. ¡°I see that,¡± she said with a fond smile. ¡°I¡¯m d you have their support.¡± I smiled in return; I was still a bit hurt that she permitted Sarah to have an ice cream truck during my bake sale, but I decided not to say anything. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Here, try one of my scones,¡± I said, handing her a scone I wrapped in a napkin. ¡°It¡¯s on me.¡± ¡°How thoughtful,¡± she beamed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I replied. ¡°How are the profits?¡± She asked, curiously, ncing at Ba who was given all the jars of money. I put her in charge of the profits because she was good at math and enjoyed ounting. ¡°We almost made our goal,¡± she announced proudly. ¡°We have about an hour left of the bake sale,¡± I said to Headmaster Prescott. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will make more than our goal by the time it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Prescott said proudly. ¡°Keep up the good work!¡± ¡°Thank you, Headmaster,¡± I said, bowing my head slightly at her. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± she said, nodding to me as she turned away. She walked toward Enzo and paused. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what we talked about, Alpha. Please think about it. I¡¯m willing to offer you more.¡± Val grew angry and a growl emerged from my throat; thankfully, nobody heard it. But Enzo met my eyes, feeling the tension of my wolf. What the hell was she talking to my mate about? I had to bite my tongue before saying something I¡¯d regret. The bake sale ended within the hour, and we sold everything. We made way more than our goal! The warriors and Ethan stayed to help clean with Dee. Sarah left with her ice cream truck just as Prescott arrived. She probably didn¡¯t want the headmaster to know she was buying votes. Once everything was cleaned, I said goodbye to my friends, hugging each of them. When I got to Brody, who had his arms open and ready for me to step into them, I heard a low and angry growl coming from Enzo¡¯s throat, making me freeze. Brody¡¯s face paled when he looked at Enzo and his arms instantly dropped. He was the only one who knew about Enzo and me so I knew he would understand. I wondered if anyone else heard Enzo besides Brody and me. It didn¡¯t seem as if anyone else was paying much attention. Then I noticed Ethan was staring at Enzo with an rmed face, so I imagine he heard him too. He grabbed Enzo by the shoulder as if he was restraining him. ¡°Thank you for the help, Brody,¡± I said quickly, giving him an apologetic smile. ¡°Anytime,¡± he said in return giving me a broad grin. ¡°I need to go, this spell to shield my scent is going to wear off soon and I need to reapply it.¡± My frown deepened as I looked up at him. ¡°You know, you shouldn¡¯t be hiding like this. You should tell Sarah the truth,¡± I told him, folding my arms across my chest. His brows knitted together. ¡°You saw her today, she¡¯s a major bitch, L. I don¡¯t want that as a mate.¡± ¡°Then reject her,¡± I said, my brow knitting together. ¡°But keeping yourself hidden like this is torture for your wolf and probably hers too.¡± He sighed. ¡°I know what rejection does to a wolf¡­¡± he said, his eyes meeting mine. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t wish it upon my worst enemy. But I know I can¡¯t be with her because of how awful she treats people¡­ I¡¯m torn and just need a little time to think.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t think too long. Your wolf is going to lose control if you don¡¯t figure something out,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡± I turned without another word and walked toward Enzo. It was only us left so I was able to walk away with Enzo close by. He red at Brody for a moment longer before pulling his eyes away from him and following me toward the back parking lot where he parked. ¡°Dee got a ride back to the pack with Ethan, so you can ride with me and leave your car here,¡± Enzo muttered as we walked through the lot. ¡°Are you angry?¡± I found myself asking as I peered up at him. He sighed and lowered his gaze, but only for a moment. ¡°I just don¡¯t like him,¡± he admitted. ¡°He¡¯s always following you; it¡¯s like he¡¯s obsessed with you.¡± I raised my brows. ¡°Brody had a crush forever ago but he¡¯s over it now. His mate is Sarah and he¡¯s confused about his feelings towards her. I was just telling him that he needs to tell her the truth,¡± I told him. ¡°Why won¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Because Sarah isn¡¯t exactly nice and approachable,¡± I said, rolling my eyes at the very thought of Sarah. I could only imagine what she¡¯d say once she found out Brody was her mate. She¡¯d eat him up alive and never let him live it down. It would be humiliating for him. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll take someone kind to melt her icy heart,¡± Enzo shrugged; I wanted to believe that, but Scott¡¯s warning kept reying in my head. Even Sarah told me earlier that I¡¯m not the only one with abilities. I wondered if she was talking about herself. I was certain Sarah was the reason everybody in ss didn¡¯t remember Professor Xander¡¯s cruelty. ¡°Did you find out what was in that protein mix that Professor Xander gave me?¡± I asked, peering up at him. I could tell from his face that he was struggling with his thoughts and his shoulders slumped slightly. ¡°Dr. Todrick thinks that whatever is in the mix, it¡¯s being masked by magic,¡± Enzo told me. My heart stopped beating. ¡°Magic?¡± I asked, my voice sounding distant. He nods. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered out loud. ¡°I¡¯m going to contact that witch in my mother¡¯s vige when we get home. She might be able to help us uncover what¡¯s being hidden.¡± We were getting closer to the truth; Professor Xander might be trying to poison me. I suddenly wasn¡¯t feeling so well. ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± I said, taking in a steady deep breath to calm my nerves; and home went Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Enzo¡¯s POV L sat with me on my bed as I called my mother. She answered on the second ring. ¡°Enzo? Hi, sweetheart,¡± she said on the other end of the phone. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t a casual phone call,¡± I told her gently. ¡°I¡¯m calling because I need a favor.¡± ¡°Of course, what can I do for you?¡± She asked, and I heard the concern in her voice. ¡°Your witch that keeps your vige protected; may I speak with her?¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Hazel?¡± She asked. ¡°She¡¯s in her home. I can go grab her though; it¡¯s not far.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mom,¡± I said as I met L¡¯s worried eyes. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± My mother asked and I heard her getting her shoes on to leave her house. ¡°What do you need her for?¡± ¡°L was given a protein shake by someone we don¡¯t trust. I sent it to my pack clinic for testing and the test results areing up strange,¡± I exined. ¡°The researcher thinks it¡¯s being masked by magic and only a with can uncover what it is.¡± My mother gasped. ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± she breathed. ¡°Did L drink any of it?¡± L, who was listening to the phone from me. ¡°Hi, Diana,¡± she said sweetly, making me smile. ¡°I did drink some of it, it hurt my throat and mouth. Enzo told me that the doctor thinks it¡¯s wolfbane, but we won¡¯t know for sure until we get rid of whatever is masking it.¡± ¡°Oh, you poor thing,¡± my mother breathed. ¡°I¡¯m almost at her house. Give me one minute.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. We really appreciate this,¡± she said, looking up at me. Categories Search¡­ She handed the phone to me, and I heard my mother knocking on a door, presumably the door to Hazel¡¯s house. Soon, I heard some muffled murmurs that I couldn¡¯t understand. After a few minutes, a new voice appeared on the other end. ¡°Hello¡­ this is Hazel?¡± Her voice was gentle and sounded a bit older. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to bother you, Hazel. Thank you for taking my phone call,¡± I began to say. ¡°Anything for Diana¡¯s son,¡± she said after a short pause. ¡°I know you don¡¯t remember much about me because I remained at home most of the time during your childhood, but I do care very much about you and this vige.¡± ¡°I appreciate that,¡± I said in return. ¡°We need your help with something.¡± ¡°Your mother mentioned something about a protein mix being poisoned with wolfsbane?¡± ¡°We only think it¡¯s wolfbane. We don¡¯t know for sure; but whatever it is, it¡¯s being masked with something, and the researcher thinks it¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± she said, and I knew from her tone that she was frowning. ¡°And you need a witch to uncover it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Is that something you¡¯d be able to do?¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t let many people see me,¡± she breathed. ¡°You see¡­ I¡¯ve been in hiding for a long time. It¡¯s part of why I don¡¯t leave my home. I¡¯ve been hunted for a very long time.¡± ¡°Hunted?¡± I asked; L¡¯s eyes widened for she too heard what I did. ¡°Why have you been hunted?¡± ¡°Because I have befriended Vna wolves. Those who are after Vna¡¯s, including many other witches, find me a threat. They think I might know something that could be useful to them. I have been taken before and tortured¡­¡± she stopped speaking as she gathered her thoughts. ¡°They did unspeakable things to me; they were asking me all sorts of questions about the Vnas I¡¯m inmunication with¡­ it was your mother and this vige that saved me and ever since then I refuse to allow that to happen to me again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you, Hazel¡­¡± I said, shaking my head. I had no idea that happened; I must have been so young that my mother kept it from me. I did always wonder how my mother came across a witch that she trusted enough to keep us protected though. I knew of the witch, and I knew where she lived, but I never saw her. She¡¯d only been for around a year before I was taken to the Calypso pack. Up until that point, we were unprotected and constantly in danger. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to just go to your pack and to allow anyone who isn¡¯t a Vna into our barrier I¡¯d have to release the barrier¡­¡± she exined. ¡°I can¡¯t risk that¡­¡± ¡°I understand your concerns, Hazel. I don¡¯t me you for being worried. But I can promise you that no danger wille to you in our pack,¡± I assured her. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to release the barrier because it¡¯s the only thing protecting my mother and others. But I can have my best warriors escort you to the pack and stay by your side the entire time.¡± She was quiet and I could sense her hesitation. ¡°This is important¡­¡± I said calmly. ¡°My mate, a Vna wolf, might be in danger and I need the proof before any action is taken. I don¡¯t know any other witches I can trust. You know how rare they are to come across.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°Good witches are a rarity these days,¡± she agreed. ¡°If anything happens to me, this vige will fall¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons why keeping you protected is so important to me. Not just for your wellbeing, but my mother¡¯s too. I know what¡¯s at stake and I can promise you¡­ I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡± She was quiet for a moment longer. ¡°Please, Hazel¡­¡± I pleaded. ¡°This is important.¡± She soon sighed. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she finally said. ¡°Have your warriors meet me outside in the morning. It¡¯s better to do this during the daylight. 9 am sharp.¡± ¡­.. Third person POV Starcove is known to be the home of many sorcerers, but humans also live there as well, and they have no idea of the darkness that lurks in each corner. Typically, a werewolf wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in such a town; it reeked of humans. Not to mention these witches weren¡¯t really known for their friendliness. However, Paul had made himself familiar with Starcove; more importantly, he made himself familiar with Jasmine, also known as Jazzy, a witch who specialized in dark magic and owned the witchery shop. Her dark long swirls of hair draped around her narrow features, almost covering her emerald eyes. She was a petite and very pretty woman who wore tight clothing and a lot of jewelry. Her rosy lips turned into a sly smile when Paul entered her shop, and she leaned across the counter like a cat stretching out her arms. She ced her hands under her chin and batted her longshes at him as he neared her. ¡°I hope you¡¯vee for some good news,¡± she purred. ¡°My army has gotten stronger, and they are hungry for blood,¡± Paul told her, stopping just short of the counter. ¡°I don¡¯t want us to wait any longer. We¡¯ve been preparing for years; we¡¯re more than ready for the takedown.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him, looking at him like she had just struck her in the face. ¡°But you haven¡¯t gotten what you set out to get?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Once I take him down, the rest will crumble, and I¡¯ll have all the power I¡ª¡± ¡°Are you out of your goddamn mind?!¡± She hissed, standing straight, and staring up at him. He could see the sh of her fury through her eyes as she stared at him. ¡°Do you honestly think you and your army of rogues are strong enough to take out that pathetic Alpha? ¡° ¡°You said it yourself, he¡¯s pathetic.¡± ¡°He might be¡­ but his army is strong. He has a lot of allies from various packs, not to mention Vna wolves on his side,¡± she seethed. ¡°No army is strong enough to take on the powers of a Vna. His own mother is a Vna. Regardless of whether she has powers or not, that stupid witch in her vige I¡¯m sure is hiding others.¡± ¡°Maybe if you hadn¡¯t let her escape we¡¯d know where the others are hiding¡± Paul seethed in return. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Your army was supposed to keep the perimeter guarded. It¡¯s just proof that you are all too weak to handle this without the powers of a Vna. But just wait until she leaves her precious barrier. I¡¯ll be able to sense her and then I¡¯ll get her back. This time, I won¡¯t let her out of my grasp.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been years since she left that barrier,¡± he growled. ¡°What makes you think she ever will?¡± ¡°If you find a Vna on your own, then I won¡¯t need that dumb witch,¡± Jazzy muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten you many Vnas throughout these years and none of them are good enough,¡± Paul argued. ¡°We¡¯ve hunted many Vnas and none of them were good enough, so we killed them per your orders.¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t need just any Vna,¡± she hissed. ¡°We need THE Vna. The strongest one amongst them all and until we find that Vna, all the others will never be good enough. We will never defeat that Alpha and his army without the powers of this strong Vna.¡± ¡°And we¡¯ll be able to harvest her abilities as easily as a regr Vna?¡± Paul asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this; you need to mark her¡­ once you do that, then, you¡¯ll be able to harvest her abilities.¡± ¡°And you she¡¯s definitely a female?¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Yes; that¡¯s about all I know about her¡± Jazzy answered. ¡°I also know she¡¯s a lot closer than she was previously. Which means we are a lot closer.¡± He sighed and nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± he finally said. ¡°Don¡¯t return until you find me that Vna; in the meantime, I¡¯ll keep holding out hope for that witch to leave that barrier. I know exactly how to capture her once she does.¡± He turned away and went towards the doorway without another word. He needed to find that Vna wolf. Wherever and whoever might be Chapter 208 Chapter 208 L¡¯s POV I woke up the next morning feeling a little uneasy. I had a bad feeling, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why. It had to be more than just my nerves; though, I knew what my nerves were trying to tell me, my gut felt like it was telling me something different. Enzo was gone for the morning getting some of his warriors ready to escort Miss Hazel to the pack clinic. I worried about her safety, but I trusted the Calypso gammas and I knew she¡¯d be in good hands. It was too bad we weren¡¯t going to be there when Hazel got here. Enzo and I had alternate ns for our afternoon and my nerves were starting to get the best of me. I took a steady breath as I finished getting dressed. I wore a casual white sundress and left my hair down, flowing around my shoulders, with only one side clipped out of my face. I wore light makeup, only to bring out my longshes and make my lips a bit rosier. But other than that, I aimed for a more natural look. Enzo appeared in the doorway of the bedroom and his eyes scanned my appearance. I turned to face him, my mouth nearly hanging open at his attractiveness. He wore a ck button-down shirt with his sleeves half rolled up, revealing his muscr arms. He wore a pair of jeans that showed off his incredible ass as well, making my face flush. He smirked when he noticed me checking him out. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± He asked, reaching his hand out for me to take. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± I said, taking his hand without hesitation. ¡°Are your warriors on their way to get Hazel?¡± ¡°Yes, they left a few minutes ago,¡± he answered. ¡°But don¡¯t think too much about it right now. We have something important to do.¡± I knew this, but I couldn¡¯t help but think about everything at once. But I nodded to him and allowed him to pull me out of the room. Soon, we were on our way to the Nova pack. Categories Search¡­ ¡­.. ¡°L?!¡± My mother said with shock as we stood in the front room of the packhouse. Others from the pack were walking around as well and greeted me as they normally would before going to do their daily chores. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wereing today.¡± She approached me with a worried look in her eyes as she reached her arms out, pulling me in for a hug. I stood frozen, terrified of what to say or how to approach this subject. It was very rare that I got nervous over things, but in this case, I couldn¡¯t help but be nervous. However, being embraced by her, I felt instantly rxed. ¡°L!!!¡± I heard the familiar voice of my sister, Corrine, running down the stairs. When I looked, I saw the large smile that spread across her face. It hasn¡¯t been long since I¡¯ve seen her, but she seemed much older for some reason. She wore bright purple sses and a matching purple dress that looked fairly new, and I knew she must have made it herself. She liked making her own dresses; a talent I wish I had at 13 years old. I opened my arms out to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Corrine asked at the same time as my mother. Ignoring both their questions, I asked a question of my own. ¡°Where¡¯s your brother?¡± She looked up at me and I could see the annoyance in her eyes. ¡°He ditched me to hang out with his dumb friends,¡± she muttered. ¡°He and his best friend, Justin, met these girls at school and they spend all their time with them.¡± ¡°Without you?¡± I asked, raising my brows. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. It was unusual for Flynn to uninclude Corrine; they might be growing older, and Flynn might annoy the crap out of Corrine, but they were always glued to the hip growing up. ¡°It¡¯s been like that for a few weeks,¡± my mother exined, cing a hand on Corrine¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But I tell Corrine that she should give some of the girls at school a chance. They¡¯ve been wanting to hang out with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy training with Uncle Don,¡± Corrine shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for meaningless friendships.¡± ¡°Friendships are never meaningless,¡± I tell her with a small frown. ¡°The right friends can make you stronger.¡± ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure Donovan wouldn¡¯t mind if you took a break once in a while,¡± my mother added, winking at her. ¡°Did you finish your homework?¡± ¡°Almost,¡± she said, stepping away from us. ¡°I just wanted to grab a snack.¡± ¡°Then how about you grab a snack and finish your homework,¡± my mother said to her. Corrine rolled her eyes but then gave me a small smile before going toward the kitchen; I chuckled as I watched her leave. Enzo soon walked through the door with Beta Aiden beside him. We saw Beta Aiden outside on our way in and they stopped talking for a bit while I went inside. ¡°Just let us know if you need anything. I¡¯m sure Donovan wouldn¡¯t mind spearing some gammas,¡± Aiden was telling them as they approached. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± My mother asked with a worried frown. ¡°Alpha Enzo was just informing me that he¡¯s having a witch from his mother¡¯s vigee to his pack this morning and he¡¯s worried Paul and his men are out there lurking around still. He has gammas escorting her, but Paul still can¡¯t be trusted,¡± Aiden exined. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t worried about it,¡± I said narrowing my eyes at Enzo. ¡°I don¡¯t like that Paul is still out there and my warriors can¡¯t find him,¡± Enzo exined. ¡°As long as he¡¯s still out there with his army of rogues, nobody is safe. Especially after what happened to my mother.¡± ¡°How is your mother, Alpha?¡± my mother asked, ncing at Enzo. ¡°She¡¯s better. She just returned to her territory the other day. But with Paul and his army still out there, I¡¯m worried for her safety.¡± My mother looked at Aiden. ¡°Speak with Donovan right away and see if we can get some warriors out there to patrol the area,¡± she ordered him. ¡°I know Alpha Enzo has his own gammas in the area as well, but ours are specifically trained to protect Vna wolves. If he¡¯s taking the witch from the vige for the morning, they could use the extra protection.¡± ¡°Thank you, Luna,¡± Enzo said, nodding his head. Then, my mother frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Is this why you came here, Alpha?¡± She asked, and then she nced at me. ¡°Did youe here with him?¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but only air came out. Aiden cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯ll go speak with Donovan now. Good to see you, Alpha,¡± Aiden said, nodding his head to Enzo before disappearing from the front room. My mother kept her eyes on me, and I felt my face warming intensely. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I finally said, trying to steady my rapid heartbeat. ¡°We came here together¡­ there¡¯s something I have to tell you¡­¡± She kept her eyes on me for only a moment longer and then she nced at Enzo who stood in his ce, not giving her any kind of expression. ¡°Should I get your father and we can sit in the living room?¡± She asked. I nodded, unable to speak. Enzo and I went into the living room while my mother went to get my father. I tugged my fingers as we sat together on the couch. I looked up at him and he gave me a gentle smile of reassurance. It felt like were sitting there for about an eternity before my mother strolled into the living room with my father right beside her. He gave me arge smile and held his arms out for me which I happily stood and stepped into them. ¡°L Bean. What a wonderful surprise,¡± he said, hugging me tightly. ¡°Hi, Dad,¡± I breathed. He released me and went to join my mother on the loveseat as I took my ce beside Enzo on the couch. They looked at both of us with small smiles and I remained silent, more nervous than before. ¡°L was saying that she had something to tell us,¡± my mother exined to my father, ncing at him. When I looked at them, it almost looked like they were exchanging knowing smiles, which confused me. My father looked at Enzo and my heart fell into my stomach when my father winked at him and then looked at me. What was that about? I looked at Enzo who was stifling a smile of his own. ¡°Go on, L,¡± my mother urged. ¡°Tell us your news.¡± I squinted my eyes at them, leaning back in my seat. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to,¡± I told them both, realization hitting me suddenly. ¡°Because you already know what I came here to tell you. Chapter 209 Chapter 209 L¡¯s POV My mother chuckled. ¡°It took a lot to not say anything,¡± my mother said; my father looked like he wanted tough as well but refrained from doing so. Instead, he looked at Enzo with a soft expression. ¡°I knew you were the right one to take care of her,¡± my father said to him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have picked a better Alpha for my daughter.¡± I stared at them both in disbelief; I¡¯d been so nervous about telling them and this entire time they knew? How was that even possible? We¡¯ve been so careful. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, shaking my head, stillpletely befuddled. ¡°You knew that Enzo was my mate?¡± My mother nodded and reached her hand out to grab mine. ¡°Did you really think you could hide something like that from us?¡± My mother asked, all signs of laughter gone. Now she waspletely serious. She cocked her head to the side slightly and peered into my eyes. ¡°L, I¡¯m your mother. There¡¯s nothing I don¡¯t know about you.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve been so careful¡­¡± I breathed, ncing at Enzo who didn¡¯t look the least bit surprised. ¡°Did you know?¡± Enzo raised his brows and nced back at me. ¡°No, of course not,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But I suspected as much. I mean, your father did ask me to go to Monstro with you as opposed to any of his gamma warriors. I thought that was strange.¡± I looked back at my parents who were both grinning from ear to ear. ¡°You were pushing us together?¡± I asked, staring between the two of them. ¡°We were hoping you¡¯de to terms with your feelings for one another,¡± my father exined. ¡°We understood that things were probably confusing considering Enzo was your professor.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Wait, you recruited Enzo to be a professor at this school. Was that the reason why??¡± I asked, shocked, now Enzo was looking at them tense and in confusion. ¡°We didn¡¯t know until you did,¡± my father assured me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have recruited him to work at the school if I had known. Dating a professor, regardless of if he¡¯s your mate or not, is against school policy. If the board found out, they¡¯d transfer him or you to a different location.¡± ¡°So, it was just a coincidence?¡± They both nodded. ¡°A weird coincidence, yes,¡± my mother answered. ¡°We just noticed the way you look at one another and we knew that look way too well. It¡¯s the same look I gave your father. Your aura changes as well; it turns pink for love and lust.¡± My face instantly warmed when she said ¡°lust.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. This only made herugh. ¡°Oh, L. Rx. It¡¯spletely normal,¡± she said. Enzo seemed to have rxed next to me and I met the eyes of my mother. ¡°You aren¡¯t mad?¡± I asked. ¡°Mad?¡± She asked, ncing at my father who returned her look before looking back at me. ¡°Why would we be mad?¡± ¡°Because I didn¡¯t tell you sooner,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°We knew you¡¯d tell us eventually,¡± my father answered for them both. ¡°We figured once you were ready to talk about it, you¡¯d tell us.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t want to force you,¡± my mother added. ¡°Plus, we knew that you both haven¡¯t talked about it C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org yet and you were stilling to terms with it. You are 18 years old now and need to learn these things on your own.¡± My heart swelled and I couldn¡¯t help therge smile that spread across my lips. Without warning, Enzo wrapped his arms around me. I knew he was holding himself back this entire time. He wanted to be as close to me as possible; he craved my touch just as I craved his. As soon as he made contact with me, I felt a small electric current pulsating throughout my body. It felt amazing. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have chosen a better Alpha for you myself,¡± my father said, ncing between the two of us with fondness all over his face. ¡°I¡¯m so very happy for you, L Bean.¡± I felt ted at his eptance. ¡°Thank you, Dad,¡± I said with tears forming in my eyes. ¡°Wee to the family, Alpha,¡± my mother said, holding her hand out for him to take. He used the hand that wasn¡¯t wrapped around me to grasp hers and he gave her a fond smile in return. ¡°Thank you, Luna Selene,¡± he said in return. ¡°It means a lot that we have both your approval.¡± After a beat of silence, my mother went on to ask, much to my horror and dismay, ¡°So, when can we expect a wedding?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± I scolded, horrified; but it only made her and Enzough. My father not so much. ¡°Not until after graduation, I hope,¡± he said, staring at Enzo firmly. ¡°Yes. I want to finish my schooling before we talk about marriage,¡± I told them, just as firmly. My father smiled at me. ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± he said, making my motherugh again and shake her head. ¡°Oh, fine. I¡¯ll hold off on wedding preparations for right now,¡± my mother said with a fake pout. ¡°Will you be staying here for a little while? I¡¯d like to make a big dinner tonight to celebrate.¡± I looked at Enzo who gave me a small head nod and I looked back at my mother. ¡°We packed an overnight bag. I was thinking we could stay for the night,¡± I said, peering between the two of them. ¡°Of course; you are always wee here,¡± my mother answered, pping her hands together. ¡°So, it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll make some phone calls and get others here as well. I¡¯ll start preparing a meal. We will have a big announcement.¡± ¡°Sounds great,¡± I said with a wide smile. ¡°Make sure Brianna and her mom are also here.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she chuckled. Just then, the living room door opened, and Corrine came in. ¡°What¡¯s themotion?¡± She asked. ¡°You guys are so loud I can hear you from upstairs.¡± Iughed and shook my head at her. ¡°We are celebrating tonight,¡± my father answered. ¡°Your mother is making a feast. Can you text your brother and tell him to be home by 5?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯ll have Justin¡¯s family over as well. They are the neighboring pack after all and his parents are very nice despite their troublemaker son.¡± Corrine groaned miserably but she nodded. ¡°Hey, he¡¯s your brother¡¯s best friend. Try to get along for the night,¡± my mother said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Corrine murmured. ¡°What¡¯s the asion?¡± She went on to ask. ¡°Your sister found her mate,¡± my mother answered happily. Corrine gaped and snapped a look at me. ¡°What?!¡± She gasped. ¡°Who is it??¡± I smiled at her and wrapped my arm through Enzo¡¯s, resting my head on his shoulder. Her eyes widened, which made me chuckle. ¡°Wait¡­ seriously?!¡± She cooed. ¡°Oh, my goddess. I knew it!!!¡± ¡°You too?¡± I asked, lifting my head off Enzo. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± Did everyone know? ¡°Only to those who know you,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you both. Flynn is going to lose his mind when I tell him. I need to grab my phone.¡± She ran out of the living room quickly. My mother smiled after her and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to prepare for tonight,¡± my mother said as she went toward the kitchen, leaving Enzo and me alone with my father. My father settled back down on the loveseat, and he looked between the two of us with a very serious expression. ¡°So, what¡¯s this I¡¯m hearing about a witch? May I ask what you need one for?¡± Chapter 210 Chapter 210 L¡¯s POV I looked at Enzo with a worried look, but he didn¡¯t appear as worried. ¡°How much do you know about the new professor at L¡¯s school? The one who took over for me?¡± Enzo asked in return. My father¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°The school board did the hiring of this one,¡± he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know much. Professor Xander, right?¡± Enzo nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Enzo confessed to my father. ¡°He¡¯s harder on L than the other students and I believe it¡¯s because she¡¯s a Vna. He gave L a protein shake that makes her feel unwell.¡± My father¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at me. ¡°Unwell how?¡± I took a deep breath to steady my rapid heartbeat before answering. I knew the look on my father¡¯s face well and whatever I said next wasn¡¯t going to sit well with him. ¡°When I drink it, it hurts my throat and mouth,¡± I told him. ¡°It also makes me feel a bit weak. My wolf doesn¡¯t like it either.¡± My father narrowed his eyes and then looked back at Enzo. ¡°Wolfsbane?¡± ¡°We are thinking so,¡± Enzo confirmed. ¡°I have my researcher testing it as we speak. The problem is it¡¯s laced with magic and only a witch can undo it.¡± My father leaned back in his seat as he listened to Enzo¡¯s words. ¡°Who is this witch that you are using? Do you trust them?¡± My father asked, eyeing Enzo carefully. Enzo nodded. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Yes. She¡¯s been keeping my mother¡¯s vige safe for many years. The other issue is that she¡¯s hunted by others because she¡¯s friendly with Vna wolves. They think she might know information about them and they find her useful. So, she¡¯s been in hiding for years. I have some warriors escorting her to my pack.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± my father said, thoughtfully. ¡°Is it wise to have her travel to your pack? Why not have the researcher go to her?¡± ¡°She has the barrier enchanted to only allow Vna¡¯s entrance. For anyone else, she would have to remove the barrier and that¡¯s not a risk either of us want to take.¡± My father nodded, understanding. ¡°Is she there now?¡± ¡°She should be arriving around now, yes,¡± Enzo answered. ¡°They will call me as soon as the results are in.¡± ¡°Keep me updated,¡± my father ordered. ¡°I have a couple of warriors on their way to the rogue territory just outside our mother¡¯s vige to make sure that barrier stays in ce while she¡¯s gone. They are trained to protect Vna¡¯s so they will be in good hands.¡± ¡°I really appreciate that,¡± Enzo said. ¡°I¡¯ll send out a memo to themittee as well,¡± my father said as he neared the living room door. He paused and looked back at me. ¡°With Paul and his warrior or rogues still out there, I¡¯m not taking chances. We need eyes everywhere.¡± My father then left the room, leaving us alone in silence. ¡°Do you think Paul and Professor Xander could be working together?¡± I asked, staring up at Enzo. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell. We won¡¯t know until we figure out what he did to that shake mix and why,¡± Enzo answered. He nced down at me, giving me a small smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it until you have to. I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to you and neither will your father.¡± I knew this, but I was still worried. I leaned against him, burying my face in the side of his body and allowing his warmth tofort and This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. soothe me. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. ¡°If Paul is behind this, our warriors are stronger than his. Not only do I have my gammas, but your father¡¯s as well. He¡¯s going to alert the Alpha Committee members too, so we will have them as well. We are undefeatable.¡± I still couldn¡¯t shake that nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I trusted Enzo and I trusted my father. I looked up at him, giving him a small smile. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I whispered. He leaned down and brushed his lips delicately across mine; a warm wave of electricity coursed between us, pulling me even closer to him. His touch, his kiss, his embrace, it was everything to me and I melted even further into him. His tongue slipped into my mouth, causing a smile to form on my lips. He deepened the kiss; his lips were soft with passion yet filled with lust and hunger. His hand went around my waist, and I was waiting for him to pull me onto hisp, but the soft sounds of footsteps outside the living room caused us to pull apart breathlessly. Corrine strolled into the living room but frowned when she saw us adjusting ourselves, her face glowed red. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± she said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I wanted to show L a new dress I made¡­¡± Enzo stood up and bowed to her politely. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see, Miss Corrine,¡± he said pleasantly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t say hello earlier. You have my permission to steal L away for a bit.¡± Corrine beamed at him before looking at me, making meugh as I stood up. ¡°Lead the way,¡± I said to her; I looked up at Enzo and kissed him gently on the cheek. ¡°We¡¯ll continue thister.¡± He winked at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to your father¡¯s office and help him with some stuff. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more to discuss,¡± he said. I nodded and turned to Corrine to follow her out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your room,¡± she said, peering up at me. ¡°Flynn is on his way back and he¡¯s probably going to bring Justin and those stupid girls over.¡± Flynn and Corrine shared a room, so it made sense as to why she didn¡¯t want to hang out in there. For the rest of the afternoon, we spent time in my room and Corrine showed off her pretty dress like a fashion show. We also did a lot of gossiping and catching up. Within an hour, I heard a knock on my door that brought me to my feet. When I opened the door, I was pleased to see Bri standing before me, but then my face fell when I saw her red and swollen eyes. She looked so broken; like she¡¯s been crying for days. ¡°Where the hell have you been?¡± She seethed, through her unshed tears. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to reach you for days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. But I just started school and¡ª¡± ¡°And she¡¯s been spending time with her mate,¡± Corrine said folding her arms across her chest. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to be by her phone 24/7.¡± I was surprised by Corrine¡¯s boldness in speaking to Bri because she was usually so soft-spoken. ¡°Cor, can you give us a minute?¡± I asked. Corrine nodded and stood to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dinner,¡± she said just before leaving the room. ¡°Bri, what¡¯ happened?¡± I asked, grabbing her arm, and pulling her toward the bed. ¡°Alex rejected me¡­¡± she said hoarsely. My eyes widened and my heart went straight into my stomach. ¡°What?!¡± I gasped. ¡°He rejected you?? I thought you were super happy.¡± ¡°I thought so too,¡± she breathed. ¡°But I guess he only wanted me because I was born to a family of warriors. But then he got the opportunity to be with the daughter of an Alpha and he left me¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Brianna, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I cried, wrapping my arms around her. ¡°I should have been here for you. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from my wolf in days¡­¡± she said as tears fell from her eyes. ¡°But I can still feel her¡­ she¡¯s so hurt, L¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay¡­¡± I breathed, holding her tighter. ¡°We are going to get through this, Bri. I promise.¡± I let her cry for a long while. We talked for a bit longer and I even got her to smile a little, though I knew nothing could take away her pain right now. But soon, my mother was calling us for dinner. We went downstairs with my hand firmly holding hers. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Alpha¡­¡± I heard the mindlink of my betaing through; he sounded strained. Selene had just informed us that dinner was ready and we were heading to the dining room. I let Bastien go ahead of me as soon as I heard Ethan¡¯s voice. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I just got word from the gammas that were sent to escort Miss Hazel¡­¡± he went on to say. ¡°They were attacked.¡± t My heart fell deep into my stomach. ¡°Attacked?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ethan Answered. ¡°Alpha¡­ Hazel was taken.¡± Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Third Person POV Jazzy looked herself over in the mirror that sat above her vanity. She brushed her slender fingers through her long, curly dark locks of hair, allowing it to fall back in ce around her narrow features. She¡¯s always been told she was pretty, and it wasn¡¯t until recently that she started to feel as if she truly was. Growing up she had always been told that shifters were the enemy. She didn¡¯t know how true that was until a shifter killed her parents. This shifter happened to be a Vna wolf. She was only 10 years old at the time and her sister was 20 years old. Since then, it¡¯s just been Jazzy and her sister. Until it wasn¡¯t. Her sister betrayed her trust and befriended a wolf; but not just any wolf¡­ a Vna wolf. The most powerful of the wolf n and the vein of Jazzy¡¯s existence. Jazzy hasn¡¯t seen eye-to-eye with her sister in a long time. But since her sister befriended the very breed that took their parents away, she despised her sister more than anything. She moved to Starcove and started a new life with witches and other sorcerers who understood her. She studied the art of dark magic and throughout the many centuries she¡¯s been alive, she became one of the best dark witches to ever exist. Her coven and all Starcove belong to her, and she will never allow anyone to take what is hers. Not again. A prophet hade to her from one of her elder witches stating that a Vna she-wolf will rise from the product of love and be the most powerful Vna to ever exist. She will be the rise of the Vna poption and restore the nation. The thought of a Vna wolf that powerful walking thesends royally pissed Jazzy off. They didn¡¯t deserve to live in this world after the torment they had caused throughout the centuries. Categories Search¡­ She needs to find out who this Vna is and put an end to her. But the only way to get rid of this wolf is to drain her of everything she is and then end her miserable little life. Jazzy met Paul when he came to her seeking a favor. Everybody in the world knows of the dark witch so she wasn¡¯t surprised when she was seeked out. But she was amazed that Paul, being a wolf, had enough balls toe to Starcove knowing that it¡¯s made of witches that don¡¯t particrly wee wolves with open arms. But Paul walked through like he owned the goddamn ce and found Jazzy in her witchery shop. ¡°You reek of mutt,¡± Jazzy pointed out, curling her top lip as she stared at Paul¡¯s disgusting dog-like face. Even in his human form, he looked like a dog. His stench alone made her want to throw up. ¡°Are you the dark witch, Jasmine?¡± Paul asked, ignoring her insult. She narrowed her emerald eyes at him. ¡°Who wants to know?¡± She asked, giving him no signs of emotions. ¡°The name is Paul; I was the Delta of the Calypso pack, just north of here,¡± he exined. Jazzy had heard of the Calypso pack and the fall of their leader; seeing the third inmand standing before her was surprising to her. ¡°I thought you would have been dead like the rest,¡± Jazzy said through her teeth. ¡°I fled with some others,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve been for the past year, waiting for things to calm down so I can return to take over as Alpha. That title belonged to me, but it was taken by someone who doesn¡¯t even belong to our pack. Someone who lived his life as a rogue. He¡¯s not even old enough to take over yet.¡± ¡°Then why not just take it?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Surely it can¡¯t be difficult if he¡¯s just a kid.¡± ¡°He has a lot of warriors on his side. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much of anything and I don¡¯t have a chance against them on my own,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been in hiding for so long that I don¡¯t have an army or anyone on my side.¡± ¡°And you still feel you deserve to be Alpha of that pack?¡± Jazzy asked, slightly amused now. ¡°After you fled for the past year? What makes you so deserving?¡± ¡°I did everything for that pack for years. I fled to save my own life. Our old Alpha was the reason for the fall, and I wasn¡¯t going to go down with him and his beta. I did what I could to survive, but I¡¯m back now¡­¡± he paused for a moment, and Jazzy waited for him to continue. ¡°I returned to the pack, and they banished me.¡± ¡°Banished you?¡± Jazzy asked, raising her perfectly trimmed brows. ¡°You¡¯re a rogue now?¡± Shame crossed Paul¡¯s face, but he nodded his head once. ¡°How delicious,¡± Jazzy smirked, leaning across her counter in a cat-like pose. ¡°So, tell me, Rogue. What do you want from me?¡± ¡°I want your help to get rid of this new Alpha and make them see me as their new Alpha,¡± he finally said in one breath. This made Jazzyugh. ¡°And why the hell would I help a wolf?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°I can give you whatever you want,¡± he said, bowing his head to her. ¡°I¡¯m yours tomand. Just tell me what you want and it¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have anything I want,¡± she said rolling her eyes. But then, she froze. ¡°Your former Alpha, his name was ise, correct?¡± She asked. He lifted his gaze to hers and nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± he answered. ¡°Who¡¯s this new Alpha?¡± His aura darkened and a growl escaped from his throat, showing just how pissed he was. ¡°His name is Enzo. ies¡¯s son,¡± he seethed. ¡°If I remember the stories correctly, ise was on the hunt for Vna wolves?¡± Paul nodded but this time, he added an eye roll. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°And get this¡­ Enzo¡¯s mother is a Vna wolf. But somehow the gene skipped him. ise banished her a long time ago after she got rid of her abilities. They¡¯ve been hiding somewhere in the rogue territory with other Vnas and now he¡¯s taking over the pack.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°There are others?¡± She asked. Enzo could be the ticket to finding the strongest Vna to ever exist. Or at least his mother might be. I need to keep them close¡­ ¡°Yes, a lot of them,¡± he answered. ¡°But they are in hiding. I hear they have some kind of witch barrier around their vige.¡± Jazzy¡¯s heart fell into her stomach, a witch barrier? She only knew of one witch who would be stupid enough to help the Vna wolves. Even more fury rose through her as she clenched her fists. Paul was her gateway to finding that Vna and ending them once and for all; once she ends that Vna, all the others will fall with it. Jazzy knew she wasn¡¯t powerful enough to defeat this Vna on her own, but maybe if Paul somehow obtained her abilities, they could work together to conquer this nation. Paul could get what he wants, and she would get what she wants. She looked up at Paul, a sly smile appearing on her lips. ¡°Maybe we can help each other after all,¡± she finally said. Back in the present moment, Jazzy finished dressing and gave herself onest look in the mirror before smiling with satisfaction and leaving her room. She went downstairs of her Coven house, ignoring those who greeted her on the way down. She made her way down to the basement where their dungeon was ced. She heard the screaming and agonizing pains of her captor. Someone who had once gotten away from her when she was so close to finding this Vna wolf; someone she knew had the information she sought. She opened the rooms to the dungeon and paused when she saw one of her guards shackling Hazel. Hazel struggled against the chains, but they burned her flesh being poisonous to sorcerers. Tears stained her face as she screamed for mercy, but mercy doesn¡¯t live here. Hazel¡¯s pale green eyes shifted upward as Jazzy stood over her and Jazzy swore Hazel stopped breathing. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting a long time to recapture you,¡± Jazzy said with a grin. ¡°I knew you¡¯d leave your barrier sooner orter.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Hazel gasped between sobs. ¡°Because I know you know the information I seek. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way,¡± Jazzy seethed, lowering herself so she was at eye level with Hazel. ¡°I¡¯ll never tell you anything!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, now, won¡¯t we?¡± Jazzy said with a chuckle. She stood to her feet and turned her back toward her, but just as she started to walk away, she paused. ¡°Wee back to hell¡­ my dearest sister.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Chapter 212 Chapter 212 L¡¯s POV ¡°Um, excuse me¡­ I was going to sit there,¡± a tall brte girl that I didn¡¯t recognize said, folding her arms across her busty chest and staring at Corrine like she was beneath her. Corrine looked puzzled. ¡°I always sit here,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at the girl. ¡°Flynn is my boyfriend and as my boyfriend, I get to sit next to him,¡± the girl hissed through her seemingly perfect teeth. It suddenly made sense as to who this girl was. Corrine¡¯s face reddened as the girl who sat beside Justin, chuckled. The girls must have been friends. Corrine nced at Flynn for some extra help, but he sighed and shook his head at her. ¡°Can¡¯t you just sit somewhere else for today, Cor?¡± He asked. I could practically hear her heart-shattering. What the hell was Flynn¡¯s problem? Why was he treating her so poorly?? I heard in a low whisper from nearby, ¡°Watch this¡­¡± It was Justin talking to his girlfriend as he scooped some mashed potatoes on his spoon; he was about to sling-shot it toward Corrine. I pressed my lips firmly together and before he released the potoes in her direction, I grabbed the spoon from him, startling everybody at the table. ¡°Future Alphas and Lunas lead by example,¡± I told all 4 of them. ¡°That level of disrespect won¡¯t be tolerated.¡± ¡°Justin, what is wrong with you?!¡± Luna Reilly Sinire, Justin¡¯s mother, scolded. ¡°We raised you better than this.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°You are 16 years old; you should know better than that,¡± his father, Alpha Lucas Sinire growled. ¡°Sit up straight and be a gentleman.¡± Justin pouted but he wouldn¡¯t dare argue with his father. Corrine looked like she wanted to burst into tears. ¡°Sorry about my son, Alpha,¡± Alpha Lucas said to my father. ¡°Boys will be boys,¡± my father said in return, then gave Flynn a stern look. I shook my head and walked toward Corrine, wrapping my arm through hers, I pulled her along with me. ¡°Come on, Cor. You can sit with me,¡± I told her. She seemed to have rxed as we found our seats at the table. Corrine sat on one side of me, and Brianna sat in front of me right beside her uncle Donovan, and on the other side of her was her mother and Donovan¡¯s sister, Anna. My father sat at the head of the table with my mother seated beside him. At the opposite end of the long dining room table, sat the Sinir¡¯s along with my brother and his girlfriend. There was an empty seat beside me for Enzo who hadn¡¯t shown up yet and on the other side of Enzo¡¯s seat sat Beta Aiden with his mate, Lucy, and their two small children. She was also expecting another child in a few months which everybody is very excited about. My mother had some of the packhouse kitchen staff serving the meal that she prepared just as Enzo walked into the dining room. I could tell almost right away from the look he was giving me that something was wrong. He pulled his eyes from me and went straight to my father, lowering himself to his ear and speaking in a low whisper so only my father could hear. My mother noticed this as well and was frowning as my father¡¯s body tensed. I swear, I thought I saw the color drain from his face. My father looked up at Enzo who also wore a serious expression, and then my father nodded to him. ¡°Please, enjoy your meals, everyone. Aiden and Donovan, can I see you for a minute?¡± My father said, standing to his feet. Aiden and Donavan gave one another identical concerned looks before standing to their feet; they knew better than to ask any questions about anything in front of everybody. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± My mother asked quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I know more information,¡± my father said to her, leaning down to kiss her gently. ¡°Enzo?¡± I asked before I could even stop myself. I felt everybody¡¯s eyes shifting to me, some in shock, some not so much. Enzo only gave me a warm smile, but I could tell something was bothering him and it gave me an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he assured me gently. He turned away with my father and the others and they left the dining room. I felt tears prickling the corner of my eyes before I could prevent them froming. I suddenly felt cold, and a shiver crept up my spine. ¡°Mom?¡± I asked, looking at her equally worried face. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± she breathed, and I wasn¡¯t sure if she was talking to me or reassuring herself. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat our food.¡± ¡°L, I didn¡¯t know you were that close to Alpha Enzo,¡± Anna said with a yful smile, trying to change the subject. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Bri murmured, clearly embarrassed by her mother¡¯s boldness. ¡°What? I¡¯m observant,¡± Anna chuckled. ¡°Is there a story there?¡± She proceeded to ask me. ¡°Yes, there is,¡± my mother answered for me, also eager to change the subject. ¡°We were hoping everyone would be together before we made this announcement though. It was the whole purpose of this dinner.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore,¡± I said, moving my food around on my te with my fork; I suddenly wasn¡¯t hungry anymore. In fact, I felt like I wanted to throw up. ¡°But it¡¯s true¡­ Enzo and I are very close now and that¡¯s because he¡¯s, my mate.¡± Everybody, except for a few who already knew, gasped at the news. ¡°Oh, my goddess!!¡± Anna cooed. ¡°Congrattions, L! This is definitely a good reason to celebrate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you dear,¡± Lucy breathed with a fond smile. ¡°When¡¯s the Luna ceremony?¡± Alpha Lucas asked, which caused a p to the arm from his wife. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude,¡± she murmured. ¡°It¡¯s not rude. It¡¯s a genuine question,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Not until after her graduation,¡± my mother answered. ¡°Enzo respects that she needs to finish her schooling before thinking about marriage.¡± ¡°Well, when the timees, you are going to be a great Luna, L,¡± Luna Reilly said kindly. ¡°Congrats, L,¡± Flynn said with a mouthful of food. But then he red at Corrine. ¡°Did you know?¡± ¡°I did,¡± she said without looking at him. ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± He seethed. I frowned at him, annoyed by his tone. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my ce,¡± she shrugged casually. ¡°Maybe if you hung out with her a little more often, she¡¯d tell you these things. But clearly, you¡¯re too busy for your twin nowadays,¡± I simply said as I nced at his girlfriend who sat smugly beside him. Flynn scowled at me, but I paid him no attention. ¡°Thank you, everyone,¡± I said with a chuckle; but my mind went right back to Enzo. I knew there was something wrong and I was fighting the urge to go to my mate and find out what it was. ¡°Maybe we should go to him,¡± Val suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t feel right, L. Something is seriously wrong.¡± I looked at my mother who sat silently in her seat and stared down at her te; she was feeling it too. Maybe having this strong intuition was a Vna thing too? ¡°L, Selene. Can youe to my office for a minute?¡± I heard the sound of my father at the doorway. Both my mother and I stood quickly and gave one another worried looks. ¡°Excuse us,¡± my mother said to the curious table as we scurried after my father. His office was down the hall from the dining room and when we got there, I was relieved to be reunited with Enzo. He wrapped me in his arms and held me close to him, breathing in my scent, just as I breathed his in. My wolf instantly calmed, but I still carried that nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach as I looked up at his worried face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± My mother asked, holding onto my father¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s Hazel¡­¡± Enzo was the first to speak, his eyes never leaving mine. My heart fell into my stomach; Hazel was the witch from Diana¡¯s vige. She was the one protecting the vige from outsiders. She was supposed to be escorted from that vige to Enzo¡¯s pack so she could uncover that secret ingredient in the protein mix Professor Xander had given me. ¡°Is she okay?¡± My mother asked before I had the chance to say anything. ¡°My warriors were attacked by a witch,¡± Enzo exined, looking from me to my mother. ¡°Hazel was taken away.¡± My entire body trembled at hearing this news; suddenly that nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach started making a lot more sense. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that Hazel had been taken; this went deeper than just Hazel. I knew what was wrong, and if we didn¡¯t do something, that entire vige was going to die. I staggered backward, out of Enzo¡¯s arms, and pressed myself against the wall, trying to calm my breathing. I heard a voice in my head and shes of fire kept crossing my vision. ¡°L?¡± Enzo asked, shaking me slightly. ¡°Are you with me?¡± The images were gone and all I saw was a very worried Enzo. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, staring into my eyes. ¡°We need to get to your mother¡¯s vige¡­¡± I breathed, hardly able to maintain my shaky breath and steady my rapid heartbeat. ¡°The shield has been broken. They are all in danger.¡± Chapter 213 Chapter 213 L¡¯s POV They were all staring at me like I had just grown an extra head; maybe I did. My head was pounding, and this feeling was too overwhelming. I couldn¡¯t exin it even if I wanted to. ¡°Are you sure?¡± My father asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just this feeling I have,¡± I said between my teeth. We didn¡¯t have a lot of time to waste; the vige was unprotected and Enzo¡¯s mother, along with her people, was soon going to die. We needed to get to them and quickly. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± my mother said from behind me. ¡°I can feel it too.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Enzo hissed through his teeth. ¡°Okay; Enzo and I will go, and you stay here with your mother,¡± my father said as he rushed toward the door. I was stunned. ¡°Let mee with you. I can help keep them protected,¡± I said, rushing after my father and mate. Enzo turned around to face me, his eyes pouring into me. ¡°L, I need you to stay here and out of the way. I need you to be safe.¡± ¡°When have I ever run away from a fight?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°I can protect myself and those Vna¡¯s, Enzo. You know I can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s far too dangerous,¡± My father snapped, ring at me through eyes of anger. ¡°Bastien, as much as I want L to remain safe as well¡­ I think she needs to go there,¡± my mother surprised me by saying. Both my father and Enzo stared at her in disbelief. ¡°She can help keep them safe while you hunt for Hazel. Besides, it¡¯s not like she will be alone. There will be warriors there too,¡± she said. Categories Search¡­ She nced over her shoulder at Aiden and Donovan who were readying their equipment to join the others. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to let anything happen to her,¡± my mother said, looking back at my father. ¡°Let her go to that vige. She needs to do this, and you can use all the help that you can get.¡± ¡°How can she help keep them safe?¡± My father asked, ncing at me. He didn¡¯t sound angry or skeptical, but he did sound worried. ¡°I can fight,¡± I said firmly. ¡°Your wolf is still weak from whatever shit was in that protein shake,¡± Enzo reminded me. I nced at my father, and he gave me a knowing look before I looked back at Enzo, squaring my shoulders I said, ¡°I don¡¯t need a strong wolf to fight.¡± Enzo stared at me for a moment longer before a small grin appeared on his lips. ¡°Also, I can shield myself and others from attacks, remember?¡± I said, peering up at him. ¡°I shielded you when you saved your mother from Paul¡¯syer. I can probably shield them too from whatever attacks come their way.¡± Enzo nced at my father and they both had identical looks before turning back to me. Finally, Enzo gave me a genuine smile before smiling and nodding. ¡°Okay,¡± he said after a brief pause. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to my mother¡¯s vige.¡± Relief flooded through me as I gave him arge smile. I turned to my mother and gave her arge hug. ¡°Be safe, L Bean,¡± she whispered against me. ¡°I will,¡± I assured her before pulling away. I turned to Enzo and my father. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­. The closer we got to the rogue territory, the more my insides began screaming at me that something was seriously wrong. The sounds of my heart thrumming invaded my hearing, and I took a steady deep breath to steady my trembling body. We didn¡¯t bother taking a car because we could move faster in wolf form. Because Val was still too weak, I couldn¡¯t shift and run myself, so I clung to Enzo¡¯s back as he ran through the forests. We crossed many different territories until we reached the Calypso pack. It only took Enzo¡¯s wolf, Max, roughly 15 minutes to reach the Calypso pack instead of the usual 30 minutes it would take in a car. The rogue territory that his mother resided in was just outside his borders. I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect when we got there and that¡¯s what worried me the most. But as we neared closer, I started to hear the screams and the frantic cries of women and children, and I knew they were in serious trouble. Enzo heard the screaming as well because he picked up speed and whipped through the forest with everything, he had inside of him. As I already knew, his mother¡¯s vige was out in the open and the fighting that went on was between rogues and the warriors stationed to keep the vige safe. I recognized some of them as Nova Pack warriors as well and I was relieved to see them helping. I slid off Enzo¡¯s back immediately and his wolf¡¯s eyes met mine. ¡°I need you to find my mother,¡± he said through a mindlink. I nodded to him, not bothering to respond any further as I ran through the ambush of vigers. My heart tugged as I watched houses of innocent people hiding and fearful of what was happening around them. The vicious rogues were growling loudly and attacking anyone who crossed their paths. There were some in their human forms using weapons made of sterling silver, a lethal weapon for wolves. As I ran through the crowd of people in search of Enzo¡¯s mother, I was grabbed by a rogue who had a dagger firmly in his grip. He swung the dagger in my direction, and I managed to dodge the attack while counterattacking andnding him on the ground. I grabbed the dagger from his grip and plunged it into his chest before pulling it out and running off Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. with it. At least now I had a weapon. More rogues in wolf form lunged at me; to dodge them I kicked myself into the air and flipped over them,nding on the ground behind them. I managed to jump on the back of one of them and twist his neck until it broke, I finished him off with a dagger in his throat. The other rogue stared at me with a terror clear in his eyes but before he could react, I threw the dagger in a perfect spiral and watched as it landed deep in his chest. He fell to the ground, and I climbed off the rogue I was still on and fetched the dagger I had thrown. I went to turn and run in another direction when I almost ran directly into a woman who was running in my direction. We both nearly fell to the ground. ¡°Diana?¡± I breathed. ¡°L?¡± She gasped. ¡°You came! You heard my cries for help!¡± Tears filled her frightened eyes. Without thinking I closed the small gap between us and hugged Enzo¡¯s mother with all my strength. She hugged me back but only for a moment; there was still war going on around us and we needed to remain focused. ¡°Is Enzo with you?¡± Diana asked, pulling away and staring at me with such worry in her gaze. I looked around for a moment, frowning. ¡°He was here, yes. But I¡¯m not sure where he is now,¡± I said, furrowing my brows together. From the corner of my eye, I saw a rogue lunging at Diana. Before I could grasp what was fully happening, I grabbed her and threw her to the ground and out of his reach. I threw the dagger with all my force in the direction of the rogue and heard him screaming out in agony as he fell to the ground. ¡°We need to the safe house,¡± Diana cried. ¡°There are women and children there. I need to make sure they are safe.¡± I nodded, helping her to her feet. ¡°Lead the way.¡± She nodded in return and started to run in that direction; I followed closely behind her, trying to shield all attacks that came at her. I got a quick glimpse of Enzo and my father fighting alongside one another with the other warriors. Enzo met my eyes, and I gave him an encouraging nod as I continued to follow Diana until we reached a small brick building. ¡°This is the safe house?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°This building leads to underground tunnels,¡± she exined. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been creating in case we need to evacuate quickly. But they aren¡¯t finished yet. They don¡¯t lead anywhere. But the ess points to the tunnels are hidden so the tunnels are a safe ce for right now.¡± I was relieved to hear that they had something like that here. Diana was incredibly smart; it was no wonder she felt she needed to stay here with the other Vnas. As we slid into the building, Diana went toward a hidden passageway and she was right, I wouldn¡¯t have seen it at first nce. It almost looked like a wall but dipped down into a small hole. We slid under the wall and were met with a steep hill that had tree trunks and branches as stairs. I wondered how she was able to create something like this but decided now was not the time to ask. By the time we reached the bottom, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tunnels, I heard frantic voices around the corner, and I knew that¡¯s where the women and children were hiding. Diana made her way around that corner, and we were met by a bunch of different people of different ages, huddled together and trying to calm one another down. The children were sobbing, and it was clear that everyone was terrified. ¡°Diana!¡± One of the cried. ¡°What¡¯s happening up there? We¡¯ve been down here for so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not looking good,¡± Diana said honestly as she went toward a couple of people who were curled up on the ground. I realized there was blood on their arms and legs. They were hurt¡­ ¡°There¡¯s too many of them,¡± Diana said, her voice breaking. ¡°Where¡¯s the first aid kit?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have one down here¡­¡± one of the injured ones said through gasps of breath. It was a young boy, maybe 16 or 17 years old. He must have been trying to fight alongside the men up there. My heart tugged painfully for them. Even from the tunnels, I could hear themotion of the fighting. There were some explosions too that made me wince and I wondered if Enzo or my father was hurt in any of those explosions. ¡°I¡¯d feel it if he was hurt,¡± Val reassured me. ¡°Regardless of how weak I am¡­ I will always feel if our mate is in trouble.¡± That was a relief to know. ¡°Shit,¡± Diana murmured. ¡°It might be in the infirmary and thest I saw it, it was on fire.¡± I heard the distress cries of everyone around me. I couldn¡¯t just stand here and do nothing; I wasn¡¯t going to hide. ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± I said quickly, staring at Diana who met my eyes. ¡°I can get into the infirmary. I¡¯ll get whatever supplies you need; just give me a list and I¡¯ll get it.¡± Chapter 214 Chapter 214 L¡¯s POV Diana quickly told me the stuff she was going to need from the infirmary and gave me a backpack that she took from one of the kids, now I just had to hope the supplies weren¡¯t destroyed. I made my way back up to the surface where the fighting grew louder. I ignored the rapid beating of my heart and made it back into the brick building. Without a second thought, I ran through the doors and back out into the battle. I kept the dagger in my grip as I made my way through the battle. As I ran, I dodged many attacks and did a few attacks of my own. I jumped over rogues and stabbed them in the chest with my dagger. I screamed out battle cries as I did so knowing that it would be the last thing they hear when they meet their fatal end. I caught a glimpse of Enzo again, but he was too preupied with fighting the ambush of rogues that happened to surround him to notice me. For a moment, my entire body froze. I wanted to shield him and use my abilities to help him fight that ambush, but I needed to save my strength to shield the entire vige when the time was right. Thankfully, my father wasn¡¯t too far away, and he jumped in to help Enzo along with a few other warriors. I allowed myself to breathe as I ran toward the long building that Diana had described to be the infirmary. As she said though it waspletely on fire and the wooden nks that made up the building were falling to the ground and burning immediately. It would be a miracle if anything in that building managed to survive, but I needed to check. I raised my hands around my body and imagined a calming and cooling shield of light to circle my body and protect me from any of the mes that were to scorch my skin. Soon, I felt the glow of my personal shield surrounding my body and I no longer felt the intense heat of the fire that lit up the building. I ran through the broken doors of the infirmary, thankful that my shield was working, and the fire wasn¡¯t negatively affecting me. However, it made it difficult to see anything through the dark smoke that covered my vision. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Categories Search¡­ A wooden nk fell from the ceiling, making me jump out of the way before it hit mepletely. Diana said there should be a first aid kit somewhere in here; she also needed a couple of blood bags, antibiotics, extra bandages, and possibly water if there was any in here. My heart sank when I saw that every bed that was once in this infirmary waspletely on fire and turning into ash before my eyes. I hoped to the goddess that nobody was in those beds when they caught on fire. I ran through the open mes, my shield only faltering slightly. I winced as the mes touched my flesh, but the shield returned and protected me from further damage. There was a desk on the far side of the room that the mes hadn¡¯t reached yet. They were close though, which meant I had to hurry to them. I quickly ran the rest of the way to the desk and frowned when I saw there was nothing. But there were drawers. I opened the drawers and a flood of relief washed over me when I saw some bandages. But that was about it. I frowned and stared around the desk; my eyes caught something underneath and when I bent down to check it out, I smiled when I saw the first aid kit. Now I needed blood bags and antibiotics. There was a door nearby that I assumed led into the bathroom. I pulled the door open, relieved to see that there was no fire in the bathroom. Everything looked intact for right now. I opened the cabs that sat above the sink and grabbed as many of the medicine bottles as I could, shoving everything in the bag that Diana had given me. I wasn¡¯t sure what any of these meds were, but anything was better than nothing. I didn¡¯t see any blood bags though and I¡¯m not even sure what this first aid contained, but another explosion sounded, shaking the entire building and soon wooden nks were caving in quickly. I had to get out of there before the entire building copsed. My shield was starting to falter again as well, I wasn¡¯t strong enough to keep it going. How was I going to be strong enough to shield this entire vige? Worry consumed me but I brushed it out of my mind; one task at a time, L. I told myself as I ran through the front doors of the infirmary, stepping into the lightly breezed air. But my relief for fresh air didn¡¯tst long; I was soon being attacked by more rogues. They were aiming to take the supplies I had gathered. The worst part was¡­I left my dagger somewhere. I had to fight them by hand. I punched one in the face and kicked another, grabbing one of the wolf¡¯s arms and shoving him to the ground like a wrestler. I used some of my strength to use my abilities and conquer the electricity that surged through my body, zapping him until he was paralyzed. The rogue that was with him didn¡¯t stick around to find out what I¡¯d do to him. ¡°L!¡± I heard my name being shouted by Enzo who was racing toward me. I was relieved to see him unharmed and I attempted to run toward him, but my body gave out and I fell to the ground. I used so much of my strength, I felt too weak now. He reached me quickly. ¡°Where are you hurt?¡± He asked, panic overwhelming him. ¡°I¡¯m just a little weak,¡± I breathed. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ your mother needs this stuff. She¡¯s in the underground tunnels,¡± I said, holding up the bag of supplies. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to her,¡± he said as he helped me onto his back. I smiled my gratefulness at him just before he leaped in the direction of his mother¡¯s safe house. War still went on around us and it didn¡¯t look like it was going to end anytime soon. I buried my face in the back of Enzo¡¯s wolf¡¯s neck, trying to shield myself from the battle going on around us. Innocent people were dying, and I was too weak to truly protect them. I sniffled as tears managed to escape my eyes and soak over my cheeks. Then a heavy breeze sent a chill across my body and brushed through my hair, making me lift my gaze just as I saw the blinding rays of the moonlight eliminating the night¡¯s sky. My eyes widened when I heard the zapping of electricity in the nearby forest and the screams of rogues who were caught in the crossfire. Other rogues had taken notice and were also staring in the direction of themotion; Enzo didn¡¯t seem phased though. He continued running through the stunned crowd. A familiar and warm presence consumed me; I was starting to feel a bit more energized and whole again. I closed my eyes, taking in the new aura that had surrounded the vige, listening as the cackling of electricity echoed through the air. As we ran, shadows floated from the grounds and began to shape into something unorganizable. I gawked at the shadows that morphed into one giant being. I heard rogues barking orders to one another, but they were also being consumed with terror. I didn¡¯t need to see her to know who was doing all of this; soon, my mother was breaking through the clearing with herrge white wolf howling in fury. She wasted no time to stand by my father who seemed to have been waiting for her very presence and fight along his side. ¡°Mom!¡± I breathed, tears burning in my eyes. Seeing both my parents in their fighting stance gave me strength and I smiled knowing we were going to win this battle. I held onto the shoulders of Enzo¡¯s wolf and lowered himself, giving him permission to go faster. He did so immediately, and we raced to the safehouse. Once we were inside, he shifted into his human form, grabbing a pair of pants that was left by one of the men inside the brick building, and together we went into the tunnels. Diana stood quickly and ran to me as I handed her the bag. ¡°Did you get everything?¡± She asked shock in her voice. ¡°Everything except blood,¡± I admitted, hating that I couldn¡¯t get that for her. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said, giving me a proud smile and touching my face gently. ¡°You did good.¡± I smiled in return. Her eyes flickered to Enzo and a sob escaped her lips as she ran to him. He hugged her immediately. ¡°I¡¯m so d you are okay,¡± she breathed. ¡°You too,¡± he said in return. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that the fighting above quieted until I felt a warm and inviting aura circling around all of us. Diana¡¯s eyes widened as she stared up at the dirt ceiling with a bright smile on her face. ¡°A shield has been ced,¡± she breathed. ¡°How is it possible?¡± ¡°My mother,¡± I said in return. ¡°She¡¯s here?¡± Diana asked with raised brows. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, leaning against Enzo for support. I was so tired after all of this, and I needed to rest for a minute. ¡°We are safe for right now¡­¡± I heard the relieved cries of those around us. Diana went to help those injured and I continued to lean on Enzo for physical support. But then his entire body tensed, and I nced up at him, seeing his eyes zed over. He was speaking with someone in a mindlink. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as he blinked a couple of times and looked at me. ¡°It was Ethan¡­ he found Hazel¡¯s location. She¡¯s in Starcove.¡± Chapter 215 Chapter 215 L¡¯s POV ¡°Starcove?¡± I asked as we made our way out of the tunnels to join my parents above the ground. ¡°It¡¯s a ce that isn¡¯t very weing to wolves,¡± Enzo said, his tone going dark as he got lost in thought. ¡°It¡¯s a poption of witches and humans.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Why would Hazel be there?¡± I asked. ¡°She was taken there; I¡¯m assuming by the Ravenw Coven Master.¡± ¡°Coven Master?¡± I asked, swallowing therge lump that formed in my throat. ¡°Her name is Jasmine. I¡¯ve never personally met her, but I¡¯ve certainly heard of her. She¡¯s the most powerful dark witch to ever exist.¡± A chill crossed my entire body and I shuddered at the thought of someone being that evil and that powerful. I didn¡¯t like the idea of it and I didn¡¯t like the idea of Hazel being brought there. Most importantly, if this Starcove ce didn¡¯t wee wolves, then how were we going to get her back? Enzo grabbed onto my hand, holding it firmly in his as we made our way out of the brick safehouse and into the open outdoors. I could see the light haze of the shield surrounding the entire vige. At least what was left of the vige; it didn¡¯t seem as if there was a lot left. My heart tugged painfully in my chest; how many times were they going to have to rebuild this vige? I was sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I could smell the copper scent of blood seeping into the forest ground around me and knew it belonged to the many dead bodies that had fallen in the battle. There were a lot of injured men and women who stayed to fight against the rogue attack. There were also a lot that were dead. My parents stood with one another with worried expressions on their faces and it was clear they were in the middle of a deep conversation. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Aiden, Donovan, and a few other warriors are already on their way to meet up with your Beta and warriors at Starcove,¡± my father said to Enzo as soon as we approached. ¡°We should get there too then,¡± Enzo said to him in return; my father nodded too. ¡°I need to stay here and keep this vige shielded and protected,¡± my mother said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they could use some healing as well.¡± ¡°There are injured wolves in the tunnels of the safe house,¡± I told her. ¡°My mother can handle those,¡± Enzo said, looking at my mother with serenity. ¡°Focus on the ones that are above ground. They need help more than anything. Find any survivors.¡± It was weird that he was barking orders to my mother, but it didn¡¯t seem to faze her; she nodded to him and went to do just that. ¡°I¡¯ming with you to Starcove,¡± I said before he could start barking orders at me. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous L and you were so weak only moments ago,¡± Enzo argued. I shook my head, staring up at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Being around my mother rejuvenated some of my powers. I can probably shift now too honestly. I feel fine. You need protection if you are going to a ce like Starcove.¡± He opened his mouth to argue again, but to my surprise, it was my father that spoke. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± he said quickly. ¡°We do need extra protection if we going to witches¡¯ territory. Jazzy is no joke.¡± ¡°Jazzy?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°Jasmine. She goes by Jazzy,¡± my father exined. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time to waste. We should go now.¡± I nodded and hid behind Enzo so I could strip off my clothing and shift into my wolf form. It felt good to finally be able to shift again; I¡¯m not sure why I was suddenly feeling strong and powerful again, but I wasn¡¯t going toin. Especially when Val came to life and howled into the night sky. ¡°It¡¯ feels so good to be free again!¡± She cooed as the cold air hit her soft white fur. My father and Enzo exchanged proud looks before shifting into their own wolves as well, joining me in the howl session. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste,¡± I announced. ¡°Let¡¯s get to Starcove!¡± ¡­.. Third Person POV ¡°Jazzy! Why are you doing this?? What is it that you want??¡± Hazel cried as she struggled against the binding ced on her to shield her magic. Blood dripped off her face from her recent building and she was fading in and out of consciousness. Jazzy had pumped her with so much wolfsbane, that she was amazed that her darling sister was still functioning enough to form words. ¡°I want what I¡¯ve always wanted,¡± Jazzy said, narrowing her icy emerald ice at Hazel. ¡°I want to wipe the entire Vna race off this earth and I¡¯ll stop at nothing until I get just that.¡± ¡°And what of that rogue wolf you are partnered with?¡± She asked between her teeth. ¡°He wants to be a Vna. Will you wipe him off this earth too?¡± A smile spread across Jazzy¡¯s lips. ¡°Of course not. He will be under my control and in my power. I will have full control over this Vna. He just doesn¡¯t know it yet. Stupid wolf¡­ he¡¯s nothing more than a vessel to me. A body at most.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± she whimpered. ¡°I am your sister¡­ don¡¯t do this to me¡­¡± She could hardly see Jazzy through her swollen eyes and her face was so bruised she was hardly unrecognizable. Witches typically had quick healing abilities like most magical beings, but the wolfbane was keeping her from healing at all. Which was exactly what Jazzy wanted. ¡°You are also a traitor,¡± Jazzy hissed. ¡°You know what those wolves did to us. They took everything from us, and they would do it again in a heartbeat. The fact that you fight alongside them and protect them is disgusting to me.¡± ¡°You are better than this¡­¡± Hazel said as she clenched her jaw. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± Jazzy growled. Electricity bolts shot through her fingertips as she reached her hands to her sister¡¯s neck and zapped her. She screamed out in pain and terror; her eyes began bleeding and it only made Jazzy smile as she stepped away. Her sister was still conscious, but she trembled in pain and fought to maintain her breath; it was clear she was losing grip on reality. She would die if Jazzy didn¡¯t ease up on her and she needed her sister alive for right now. At least until she told Jazzy what she wanted to know. ¡°Jazzy!!¡± She heard the sound of a majorly annoying voice from nearby. She couldn¡¯t help the groan that escaped her lips as she turned to face Paul running toward her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She said through her teeth. The fact that he was in her coven house was a major death wish for him even if he was working with her to capture the strongest Vna to ever exist. The others in her coven would still eat him alive. ¡°There was an attack that cost a lot of my men¡¯s lives,¡± he breathed as he reached her. ¡°It was the Nova pack¡¯s Luna, Selene who was working with Enzo and eliminated a lot of the rogues. I think they are on their way there to get her¡­¡± He nced at Hazel who had a glimmer of humor in her bloody eyes and a small chuckle escaped her lips without her meaning it to. This infuriated Jazzy. She marched over to Hazel and grabbed her by the throat, cutting off her air supply. As Hazle struggled for breath, Jazzy tightened her grip and peered deep into her red eyes. ¡°Why the hell would these wolves be searching for a nobody like you if you truly don¡¯t know anything?¡± Jazzy asked through her teeth. Hazel couldn¡¯t speak; she could only gasp for breath and focus on not dying. After another second, Jazzy released her throat and stepped away, turning back to Paul. ¡°Get the rest of your men together and go the borders of Starcove. Do not let them pass.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Paul asked, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to protect my coven,¡± she hissed. ¡°Now get lost and do as I ask.¡± ¡°Are we sure it¡¯s not Selene the prophet was talking about? She¡¯s a very strong Vna and I know it was her that took out most of my men.¡± Jazzy scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s not her,¡± Jazzy said, shaking her head. ¡°But I know that this bitch knows who it is. I¡¯m going to get it out of her if it¡¯s thest thing I do.¡± Paul nodded and turned, leaving Jazzy alone, once again, with her sister. After a long and torturous session, Hazel passed out from pain and exhaustion. She had enough of the torture and Jazzy was growing infuriated by her sister¡¯s stubborn silence. Her heartbeat was now faint, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before her sister perished. It was clear she wasn¡¯t going to get any answers from her. She grabbed a dagger from one of her many weaponry shelves and was about to plunge it into her sister¡¯s heart, ending her miserable life but just as she lifted the dagger into the air, an overwhelming sense washed over her and she found herself staggering backward. She heard the screaming of others in her coven as they too felt this incredible surge of power that had just entered the town of Starcove. It wasn¡¯t their power¡­ it was someone else. Someone much more powerful. She waved her hand in front of her, chanting a small spell until the image of the outside appeared in front of her. She saw, in her wavy spell-casted window, Paul and a few other wolves standing outside the borders of the town and those wretched wolves, Alpha Enzo and Alpha Bastien stood in front of him. There were a few other warrior-looking men as well that remained in their wolf form. Then, Jazzy saw it. The girl that stood near the wolves. She had just shifted into her human form and put on some clothing. She almost looked like Selene, but much younger. Her aura shined brightly, and it was obvious she was a Vna wolf. But the power that radiated around her was almost too much for Jazzy to handle; staring at her, even though the spell cast window, was overwhelming. ¡°That¡¯s the Vna¡­¡± Jazzy whispered to herself. ¡°The one we were looking for. That¡¯s the strongest Vna to ever exist.¡± With one quick motion, Paul lunged at her, unknowing that she was the one they wanted. Jazzy screamed through the spell-cast window, shattering it around her feet. But not before she saw the girl lift her arm to him and with one quick motion, plunge a dagger into his chest and killing Paul instantly. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 L¡¯s POV As soon as we neared Starcove, I could feel the power of the witches. I knew of a witch once when I was only a little girl. She helped my mother when she discovered she was a Vna wolf and taught her how to use her powers and how to control them. Sadly, she died, and I never really got the chance to know her for myself. But I knew she was very powerful as well. I wonder if she knew this Jazzy person; it seems my father was familiar with her. ¡°There are no gates?¡± I asked as we continued down a narrow road; in the distance, I saw houses, and beyond that, I wasn¡¯t really sure what I saw. It was arge building made of stone and it didn¡¯t seem it belonged in such a quiet town. But there was hardly anybody walking around the streets; there was no humming of cars. There didn¡¯t even seem to be that many businesses. Maybe a few stores but they didn¡¯t even look open. It was aplete ghost town besides this strong sense of power radiating around the brisk air. The temperature had dropped significantly; it was nearing autumn, but here it felt like it was mid tote autumn. Most of our packs have gates that separate our packs from rogue territory. Though the forests don¡¯t usually have gates, we double on our patrol in those areas to keep rogues away. Starcove didn¡¯t seem to have any security, which was amazing to me. ¡°It¡¯s a human and witchmunity,¡± Enzo exined from beside me. ¡°They don¡¯t need the same security measures as we do. Nobody would dare invade a town full of witches.¡± ¡°We are,¡± I reminded him, my voice grim. He was quiet for a moment. ¡°They took something of ours,¡± he said, just as grimly. ¡°We need to shift,¡± my father said from the front. Categories Search¡­ Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. We all slowed to a stop to look up at my father¡¯srge and dark wolf who had turned to face the rest of us. We were all in our wolf forms still; Donovan and Aiden stood on either side of him, and Ethan stood on the other side of Enzo. There were three warriors from each of our packs, the Nova and Calypso pack, that were scattered around us. My father was first to shift, and he immediately put on the clothes his wolf kept tucked away. The others did the same. I waited for Enzo to shift first and put on his clothes before I hid behind him and did the same thing. I tied my hair into a ponytail and took the dagger that Enzo had given me. ¡°It¡¯s for protection,¡± he said. ¡°Your job is to shield us if anything happens.¡± ¡°We areing in peace,¡± My father announced to us. ¡°We won¡¯t start anything unless they start something first. But getting into a battle with witches is not something we want.¡± Everybody agreed to this. On that note, my father turned and began to walk toward the cobblestone pathway. We didn¡¯t get much further when the stench of rogue invaded my nose. I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed the smell; Enzo froze, stopping me with him. ¡°Rogues,¡± he announced. Everybody froze and soon, we were surrounded by rogues that were in their wolf forms. My first thought was, ¡°Why are they protecting the witches?¡± But then I saw a familiar man who stepped around the cluster of wolves; he was in his human form and his icy blue eyes poured into me. ¡°Paul,¡± Enzo said through his teeth. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Paul¡¯s attention went from me to Enzo in a heartbeat. ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± Paul said, his tone dark. ¡°We came to speak to a witch known as Jasmine,¡± my father said, his tone firm and strong. Paul looked at my father and I saw a glimmer of humor in his eyes. ¡°Alpha Bastien,¡± Paul said in a greeting. ¡°Paul,¡± my father said in return. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you since you were running away with the others.¡± Anger shed through Paul¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was weaker then, but I¡¯ve grown and be stronger on my journey,¡± Paul said through his teeth. ¡°Your journey of being a rogue?¡± My father asked, raising his brows. ¡°Is that really the life you wanted for yourself?¡± ¡°You left me no other choice,¡± Paul growled. ¡°You always had a choice. You just chose wrong.¡± ¡°Enough of this,¡± Paul growled. ¡°You are the ones who killed my men earlier; are you not?¡± ¡°So, they were your rogues that invaded my mother¡¯s pack after all,¡± Enzo said, stepping forward. ¡°Your mother and her kind shouldn¡¯t exist,¡± Paul seethed. ¡°I¡¯m finishing your father¡¯s job. She was supposed to die long ago. As should you.¡± The rogues surrounding us were lowering themselves and their slit eyes were fixed on Enzo. A nervous feeling bubbled in the pit of my stomach. I wasn¡¯t liking this exchange, and I had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. However, my father and the others on our team, including Enzo, appeared to be so calm. They weren¡¯t as worried as I was so that meant I needed to remain calm as well. ¡°You were never going to be strong enough to be an Alpha, Paul,¡± Enzo said. ¡°Maybe not yet,¡± Paul said, a sly smile spreading across his thin lips. Then, his eyes met mine. ¡°But soon¡­I will be.¡± Before I knew what was happening, Paul was shifting into his wolf form and lunging quickly in my direction. My father and the others began to shift as well just as the rogues went to attack them and block them from stopping Paul in whatever he was nning on doing. By the time Enzo had shifted and lunged toward Paul, it was toote. Paul was fast and moved past him with such a quick speed I hardly saw him until he was only seconds away from diving his teeth into my flesh. With the dagger, I did the only thing I could think of doing at that moment. I faced the de in Paul¡¯s direction and plunged it straight into his chest. His teeth snapped shut before they actually reached me, and I heard the scream of his pain as he fell to the ground. All the rogues had stopped what they were doing to watch their leader fall. ¡°L!¡± Enzo¡¯s voice rang through my head as he ran in my direction. I dropped the blood-soaked dagger on the ground and my entire body trembled as I watched life drain from Paul¡¯s eyes. Enzo was shifting back into his human form, and he ran to me, wrapping me in his arms. I hadn¡¯t realized I was crying until he held my face with both his hands and looked into my eyes. ¡°Were you bitten?¡± He asked, staring around my face and shoulders. I shook my head. ¡°No¡­¡± I said, gasping for the breath that had been taken from me. ¡°But I almost was¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t believe how close I was to being bitten; I don¡¯t know what would have happened if he had managed to get me. ¡°Storm the Coven House!¡± My father ordered everybody else. I realized the other rogues, the ones that survived that is, fled the scene as soon as Paul had died. ¡°Enzo, get her out of here,¡± my father ordered. Enzo nodded, but I grabbed his arm, stopping him from shifting. ¡°No, I want to stay and protect them,¡± I said, proud that my voice was much stronger than I felt. Enzo narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°L¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Enzo,¡± I said quickly, staring up at him through my tear-filled eyes. ¡°Let me protect my father and our warriors.¡± He looked at me for a moment longer and then he gave me a small smile along with a head nod. My father looked between us for a moment, but he didn¡¯t argue. He turned away and went to join the others who were already heading towards the Coven house. I took a deep breath and lifted my hands above my head, I thought of arge and purified shield surrounding my father and the others. I thought of it as protecting them from all dangers. I kept my eyes closed and my arms raised; I wished I knew what was going on, but Enzo¡¯s presence and protection from beside me kept me feeling calm. After what felt like an eternity, I heard my father¡¯s voice in my head. ¡°Great job, L. Thank you. You can release the shield. We got her in our possession.¡± I sighed and lowered my hands; as I opened my eyes, my vision was clouded with unshed tears. ¡°Aiden and Ethan are taking Hazel to the Calypso Pack hospital,¡± my father continued to speak in my mind. ¡°Jazzy has cuffs on, and we are taking her to the Calypso holding cell. She told the other witches to stand down, so they wouldn¡¯t hurt us. All is well for right now.¡± I was relieved to hear that; he spoke to Enzo too because he gave me a long and steady smile as he wrapped me in his arms. All was well¡­. For right now. Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Third Person POV Two oues were told by a prophet. The rise of the Vna poption or the fall of the Vna poption. If the strongest Vna in the world continues to exist as she does, there will be a rise. However, if she ceased to exist, then there would be a fall. Jonathan had known who the strongest was and he¡¯d kept his eyes on her for some time. Typically, he wouldn¡¯t have cared for her existence; it¡¯s not like Vna¡¯s had ever done anything to him and he was the richest man in the wolf poption, so he had everything he ever wanted. He rather liked Selene and he didn¡¯t mind Alpha Bastien that much. It bothered him that Bastien was the one in charge of the Alpha Committee though, but Alpha Jonathan owned basically everything, so he couldn¡¯t be too angry. He even owned the very school that both their daughters attended. Jonathan had a prophet in his family; his great grandmother who had sadly passed many years ago. But she had told him of a prophet that the strongest Vna wolf would rise from the product of true love between a Vna and an Alpha. If this Vna exists, the rise of the Vna poption will be among us. But if she were to perish, then there would be a fall. As soon as Jonathan met L during one of the Alphamittee meetings, he knew that she was the one that his great-grandmother had spoken of. His great-grandmother also told him that she was going to be the one who cured Sarah of this curse. The only way to cure Sarah of this curse was for Sarah to be the strongest Vna. Since meeting L, Alpha Jonathan has had his eyes on her for some time. He knows that he¡¯s not the only one who has had their eyes on her though. However, if his great-grandmother¡¯s prophet was true, then all other attempts would fail and only his would seed. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Categories Search¡­ He¡¯s been ying the long game and he¡¯s been patient. He¡¯s had eyes and ears all over the ce. He¡¯s had men posing as rogues to gather information. He has allies in other packs, watching and waiting. He even has an ally of a different species. ¡°Why did you let that stupid rogue do all of that?¡± Raymond, a lowly bear, and the father of L¡¯s good friend Rachel, asked. ¡°You should have just killed him when you had the chance.¡± ¡°I knew he ¡®d fail,¡± Jonathan answered simply. ¡°His attempt was stupid. Plus, he posed as a good distraction. I¡¯ve stayed under the radar for some time now, waiting and watching. It¡¯s almost time for me to make my move¡­¡± ¡°I hope you know what you are doing,¡± Raymond said, shaking his head. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget about our deal. I help you get that L girl, and you give mend and fortune.¡± Jonathan only scoffed at his words; bears were so easily bought. Give them a little money andnd and they will do whatever you want. Simple creatures. ¡°I never go back on my word,¡± Alpha Jonathan assured him. That conversation happenedst night, around the time that word had gotten back that Paul, that rogue that was once a part of the Calypso pack, had died from L¡¯s hands. He wasn¡¯t surprised. He knew how tough she was even without her abilities; this was what made her such a dangerous weapon and the strongest Vna to ever exist. With whom her parents were, it made sense. ¡°Do I have to go to school today?¡± Sarah asked as she struggled to get out of bed. Jonathan knew she was in a lot of pain, and she was feeling incredibly weak. The weekend was over, and Sarah couldn¡¯t afford to miss any more school. Especially if she wants to win this uing election. Losing was not an option, not in their household. The only reason she wasn¡¯t feeling well was because she kept using her goddess-given abilities. He told her to ease up on the use of that, but did she listen? Nope. ¡°If you had listened to me, you wouldn¡¯t be feeling like this,¡± Jonathan said with limited emotions in his voice. He was hard on his daughter, but he did love her very much. He wouldn¡¯t be doing what he was doing if he didn¡¯t love her. She was the only thing he had that was truly his. Since his wife died during childbirth, herst wish for him was to do whatever it took to protect their daughter. He kept his word, and he wasn¡¯t nning on letting this ¡°gift¡± kill her. It was his fault that this was happening to her in the first ce. If he hadn¡¯t pissed off that one witch many years ago, she wouldn¡¯t have put a curse on his daughter¡¯s gift. Now every time she used her abilities, she grew sicker. There was no cure to this curse, but there were medications that made her feel a little better and stronger. But it won¡¯t fix her, and it won¡¯t break the curse that¡¯s been ced on her. There was only one way to break this curse, she had to be a Vna wolf, just as his greatgrandmother had told him. ¡°How do I turn her into a Vna wolf?¡± He had asked his great-grandmother while shey on her deathbed. Her eyes were closed when she spoke, and her voice was raspy. He had to lean in close to hear her; at this point, Sarah was only 6 years old, and he was terrified he was going to lose her. ¡°You need a witch that you can trust to do the job. She will need a Vna sacrifice¡­. But not just any Vna. The strongest Vna to ever exist. The product of true love between a Vna wolf and an Alpha. Once you have that wolf, a witch will perform the ceremony and the blood of the Vna will run through Sarah¡¯s veins, curing her of the curse.¡± ¡°Who is this Vna wolf? How can I find her?¡± ¡°She will cross your path in the future. For now, she is too young, until she obtains her wolf, she will be useless to you.¡± ¡°How long will I have to wait? Will Sarah survive that long?¡± Jonathan asked, holding onto his greatgrandmother¡¯s hands tightly. She was his only living family left besides Sarah and he hated that he was losing her. The thought of losing his daughter destroyed him. She took a shaky breath and let out a painful cough; he could hear the mucus in her lungs. ¡°Keep her from using her abilities¡­¡± she said in a barely audible tone. ¡°She will be fine for a while.¡± That conversation continues to haunt Jonathan as he thinks about his great-grandmother on her deathbed. He swallowed hard and looked down at his daughter who had lost a significant amount of weight and grew paler by the second. ¡°Take your medicine and get ready for school,¡± he told her, turning away and walking toward the door of her room. He paused when reached the doorway and turned back to her groaning body. ¡°Why were you using your abilities so much? It can¡¯t be because of this election. We don¡¯t cheat¡­ you can win without using them.¡± She was silent, staring up at her ceiling. She wasn¡¯t going to speak. He clenched his fists. ¡°You¡¯ve gone this long without using them and now you are throwing away your life and for what? To show up that girl? Have some self-respect,¡± he murmured, and, on that note, he turned and mmed her door as he left her room. ¡­.. Sarah stared at her closed door for some time before she turned toward her nightstand and took the medication her father had left for her. She swallowed the pills and took a long and steady sip of the water before sitting up in bed. She knew she would feel as good as new in about 30 minutes when the medication kicked in, but it wouldn¡¯tst long. It never did. Her father was right; cheating was above her. But something about that stupid L brought it out of her. Before L arrived at this school, she was the queen. She had everything and everybody in the palm of her hands and he didn¡¯t even need her abilities to do it. Everybody had forgotten about her, including her long-time crush, Scott. Scott was almost hers until L came into the picture and took him away. Even her own friends were mesmerized by L¡¯s beauty and talent. It was infuriating; Sarah had no other choice but to use her abilities. She hasn¡¯t used them since she was 6 so she didn¡¯t really think much of it. She figured if she used them just a little then they wouldn¡¯t really affect her that much. She didn¡¯t understand why the moon goddess would give her such an amazing gift but limited it in such a way. Her father never exined to her why she got sick whenever she used them, but she knew he was working on finding a way to fix it. But until then, he had always told her to not use the ability. So, she didn¡¯t¡­ not until L came into the picture and started losing everything, she worked so hard to get. The only thing was, the stronger the mind and the bigger the group, the more power she had to use and the sicker she became. She limited the use of her abilities to one person at a time and she stuck with those with weak minds. Scott was easy as was her friends. Most students were ipetent and easy to manipte without using too much power. Faculty, she refrained from it because it would take too much from her. She was doing fine until she met Professor Xander, and he caught her in the act of manipting a student¡¯s mind into voting for her during the election. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t tell anybody¡­¡± she pleaded him, panic consuming her. She got in huge troublest year and got herself suspended, if she got in trouble again, she could get expelled. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anybody¡­ but I need a favor from you first,¡± he said, a glimmer of humor in his eyes. This was borderline ckmail; a strange thing for a professor to do, but she agreed to do whatever he wanted. ¡°Your abilities will be useful to me. I might need you to alter some memories during ss from time to time.¡± She gasped at his request and shook her head; she had to exin to him that her abilities were limited and when she used them too much, she got sicker. Someday, her abilities will be the cause of her death. This seemed to have piqued his interest and he smiled. ¡°No need to worry,¡± he said to her. ¡°I can help you with that. I can make sure you don¡¯t die. But first, you need to help me.¡± Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Enzo¡¯s POV Jazzy was put in the holding cell, just underneath the Calypso packhouse, until further notice. We kept her shackled with cuffs that kept her powers locked away and to our surprise, she told her coven to let her go. It made me think she had other things nned and it worried me. There were guards keeping their eyes on her 24/7; she wasn¡¯t to be alone. Not even for a second. When we first brought her to the holding cell, Alpha Bastien and I took turns asking her a series of questions. ¡°Why were you working with Paul?¡± ¡°How did you meet Paul?¡± ¡°What was it that Paul was after?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fight us when we took you away from your coven?¡± She only sat there and stared at us with an expression that could only be described as amusement. She liked watching us squirm for answers and it was seriously pissing me off. ¡°Why does it matter?¡± She said, staring between the two of us. ¡°You have me in your custody and Paul is dead. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡± ¡°Why did you take Hazel?¡± Bastien asked, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°What issues do you have with her?¡± This made herugh, and herugh sent a chill down my spine. ¡°She¡¯s a traitor to her kind. She deserved everything that came to her,¡± Jazzy said and there wasn¡¯t an ounce of pity in her voice. ¡°How is she a traitor?¡± Bastien asked, ncing at me briefly before looking back at Jazzy who only rolled her eyes. ¡°How is she not?!¡± Jazzy spat. ¡°She¡¯s on the side of those wretched Vna wolves.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°Is that why you were siding with Paul?¡± I asked, stepping toward her cell. ¡°Because you wanted to get rid of them.¡± ¡°That pathetic rogue wanted to be one,¡± she said, rolling her eyes again. ¡°It was quite sad. He was obsessed. He thought if he became one, he¡¯d be the strongest being to ever exist. I went along with it because I had him under myplete control. Whether he knew it or not. I was going to use him to take out the rest of the Vna poption.¡± ¡°We would never let that happen,¡± Bastien said, shaking his head at her with disgust written all over his face. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have had a choice,¡± she said, a smile appearing on her lips. ¡°He was going to turn himself into a Vna?¡± I asked, confused by the statement. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°You need a witch and a Vna sacrifice,¡± she said, shrugging. ¡°Of course, he wants to be the strongest, so a simple Vna wouldn¡¯t work. He needed the strongest Vna to ever exist if he wanted to harvest the strongest power.¡± My heart fell into my stomach; the strongest Vna to ever exist? I could tell Bastien was equally confused because he had a void look in his eyes as he nced at me. ¡°Who is the strongest Vna?¡± I found myself asking. I feared I already knew the answer. But how could it be possible? How had we not known? She just learned how to control her abilities. It wasn¡¯t possible that L was the strongest Vna to ever exist. There was no hint of any indication that Jazzy was talking about Paul, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that L was indeed different than the others even if she was young. Jazzy kept her eyes locked on mine and I saw the answers written in them. ¡°I¡¯m bored of this conversation, Alphas,¡± she said, looking away from me. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you anything more.¡± ¡°Tell me who the strongest Vna is!¡± I growled. Bastien held his hand up to keep from going any closer. ¡°Oh, but Alpha. You already know,¡± she said, that humor back in her eyes. ¡°We need to get her away from here,¡± Bastien said to me in a low tone. ¡°Now.¡± I nodded and turned away and as we started walking, I heard Jazzy¡¯s chilling words from her cell. ¡°The product of true love between a Vna wolf and an Alpha will be the strongest Vna to ever exist. As long as she survives¡­ the Vna poption with rise. If she ceases to exist, the poption will fall.¡± I only froze for a moment; Bastien grabbed my arm and pulled me further away. Jazzy¡¯s words completed and only the echoes of herughter could be heard. Bastien was right; we had to get L out of here. ¡­ L¡¯s POV Enzo wouldn¡¯t let me see Jazzy for myself, despite the fact that I had questions as well. I felt useless staying in the kitchen with Dee while the men were downstairs questioning their new prisoner. ¡°Have you heard from your mother?¡± Dee asked after I finished filling her in on everything that had happened. I nodded, taking a cookie off the te on the counter. ¡°She¡¯s still with Diana in her vige. The shield is still intact and there are a lot more survivors than they initially thought. They are in the process of healing and things are looking okay,¡± I answered, taking a bite of the warm chocte chip cookie. Dee made the best cookies; I realized I hadn¡¯t eaten all day, and it was almost nightfall. ¡°Are they going to be able to repair the vige?¡± Dee asked and I could hear the worry behind her words. ¡°I hope so,¡± I said in return. ¡°I wish I could have seen it before it was destroyed. From what I saw, it was beautiful.¡± ¡°It was,¡± Dee said, a faint smile on her lips. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve visited in the past with some baked goods,¡± she admitted. ¡°I tried to keep in touch with Diana while Enzo was growing up, so she¡¯d know he was.¡± I frowned, confused. ¡°I thought only Vna wolves could ess that vige while the shield was up?¡± ¡°Hazel was able to grant certain wolves ess to the vige; she did it with very limited people, but I was lucky enough to be granted that ess. Considering I was the one taking care of Enzo and all. She didn¡¯t know Enzo well, but she knew Diana would want to make sure her son was well while she couldn¡¯t be there,¡± Dee exined. I took another big bite of the cookie. ¡°I get it,¡± I said. ¡°These are so good by the way.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I put a little cinnamon in it as a secret ingredient,¡± she told me proudly. ¡°How is Hazel by the way? Enzo told me she was in the hospital.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± I admitted. ¡°I hope I¡¯ll know more information soon though.¡± ¡°Keep me updated if you find out anything before, I do. I kind of want to pay her a visit for myself.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°We could go together,¡± I said and before she could respond, the kitchen door opened. Enzo and my father came into the kitchen and they both had identical worried expressions. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, shoving thest of the cookie into my mouth. ¡°Everything okay?¡± ¡°I need you to go back to the school,¡± Enzo said, his voice grim. I frowned at him. ¡°Now?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, for starters you have ss tomorrow. It¡¯s Monday,¡± my father answered him. ¡°Secondly, it¡¯s safer for you there than it is here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ why isn¡¯t it safe for me here?¡± I asked, standing to my feet. Enzo came over to me and I saw thepassion lingering in his eyes as he ced his hands on my shoulders. ¡°Because there¡¯s a witch here and we are suspicious of her. We don¡¯t know what she¡¯s nning but capturing her was way too easy. Especially considering she is the strongest dark witch to ever exist,¡± Enzo exined. ¡°I don¡¯t want you both in the same area.¡± ¡°But she has shackles that keep her powers locked away,¡± I told them. ¡°It¡¯s still dangerous. Those aren¡¯t guaranteed.¡± I pouted at him. ¡°But what about you? Are you going to be safe here?¡± I asked. Enzo gave me a small smile and leaned down to kiss me gently on the lips. I knew he was only being gentle because my father and Dee were watching us, but the strength of our mate bond was making me want him so much at that moment and I knew he felt the same way. ¡°I¡¯ll be safe,¡± he breathed against my lips. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back to the school myself though considering your car is there.¡± I nodded and kissed him again. When we parted, I went to my father to hug him. ¡°Keep me updated on Hazel and Mom, okay?¡± I asked him. ¡°Of course, L Bean. Just focus on staying safe¡­ and your studies.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I said, pulling away from him. I hugged Dee next. ¡°Be safe too,¡± I whispered to her. She nodded and grabbed some Tupperware. ¡°Take some cookies to go,¡± she ordered, winking at me as she piled the entire te of cookies in the Tupperware. Iughed. ¡°I won¡¯t argue with that,¡± I chuckled. ¡­ Third Person POV ¡°Alpha¡­ they took the dark witch,¡± one of Jonahan¡¯s spies had said through a mindlink. ¡°That witch is the one you wanted right? The one who was helping Paul?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Jonathan answered. ¡°You did well by staying by his side and keeping watching over him. You can return here to your home.¡± ¡°Thank you, Alpha¡­ but what are you nning next? Alpha Bastien and Alpha Enzo have the witch now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. They won¡¯t have her for long¡­ Chapter 219 Chapter 219 L¡¯s POV ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing more I can do to help?¡± I asked; we were almost at the school, and I didn¡¯t like leaving the Calypso pack with everything going on. Enzo reached over and took hold of my hand. ¡°The only thing I want you to do is focus on school,¡± he said softly. ¡°Your father and I have everything handled.¡± I sighed, but I didn¡¯t argue with him. I trusted Enzo and I trusted my father more than anything. I knew they would be okay. We finally reached the school and Enzo parked the car. It waste in the evening and I¡¯m sure by now most students were in bed. Curfew was in ce, and I waste getting back; if I got caught outside my dorm area past curfew, I would get in trouble. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Enzo asked, peering over at me. ¡°I might get in trouble foring back sote,¡± I told him, trying to remain serious and not smile. He reached over and touched my face gently. Then, he leaned closer and kissed me. This time, the kiss wasn¡¯t sweet and simple like it had been in front of my father and Dee. This kiss was filled with hunger and lust; I could feel his desire for me, and it made my heart skip a beat. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I felt it growing loose until the strands were released from the ponytail holder and fell around my shoulderszily. I smiled into his kiss, feeling the softness of his tongue circle around mine and exploring me curiously. His teeth grazed at my bottom lip and then he captured it between his teeth, pulling on it possessively. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me onto hisp, allowing me to straddle him as he deepened the kiss. His hardness only stiffened and grew underneath me causing my entire body to grow hot with desire. I knew he would smell my desires because his eyes darkened and his kiss grew hungrier. A low growl escaped from his throat, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Categories Search¡­ He broke his kiss from my lips as he trailed his lips down the nape of my neck until he reached the sweet spot that he had marked. His mark wasn¡¯t covered with makeup, and it hasn¡¯t been all weakened. I forgot to cover it when we left the packhouse, but thankfully my hair was long enough to cover it. I hated having to hide such an amazing mark, but it was for the best; at least for right now. Once I graduated, I¡¯d be able to wear this mark loud and proud. But until then, nobody could know that Enzo was my mate. His kiss sent a warmth throughout my body and goosebumps formed on my flesh. I knew the longer we remained here, the more trouble I was going to get into. But I didn¡¯t care right now; it felt like an eternity since I was touched by my mate like this, and I was going to soak in every second of it. It wasn¡¯t until a pair of bright lights shining through the window, nearly blinding me, that we froze. I turned around to see a caring in our direction and I hurried off Enzo with a racing heart. Who was pulling into the school at thiste hour? Did they see Enzo and me? ¡°They won¡¯t be able to see us; it¡¯s too dark,¡± Enzo assured me, breathlessly. I nodded, relieved to hear that. But then my heart stopped when the door opened, and Sarah walked out of the car. Her father also walked out of the car, looking tall and prouder than ever. Alpha Jonathan: the richest wolf to ever exist. He was born into a rich family initially, but his early investments in life doubled as he grew older. He was also a great businessman and practically owned everything, including this school. My father might be in charge of the Alpha Committee, but Alpha Jonathan signed the paychecks. ¡°I¡¯m going to go inside,¡± I said quickly, turning to Enzo and giving him a loving smile. ¡°I want to talk to Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Sarah.¡± He nodded and kissed me gently on the lips. ¡°I love you,¡± he said against my mouth; I smiled into him. I was never going to get used to hearing him say that. ¡°I love you,¡± I said in return just before shoving the door open and leaving his car. I waited until he was driving away before I ran after Sarah and her father who was trailing behind her. ¡°Sarah!¡± I said, watching as she froze and turned in my direction. Her eyes widened. ¡°What the hell are you doing out here?¡± She asked, folding her arms across her chest. When I got closer, I noticed how pale Sarah looked. She was a lot thinner than she had been when I last saw her. Which was only a couple of days ago at the bake sale. ¡°I just got back too,¡± I answered, stopping in front of her. ¡°Sarah, is that any way to speak to a fellow ssmate?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked, staring at his daughter with a look of disapproval. Her face flushed. ¡°She¡¯s thepetition, Dad,¡± she muttered through her teeth. ¡°She¡¯s an equal,¡± her father corrected, then he looked at me and I saw the smile that spread across his lips. Her father always gave me an uneasy feeling and I never really knew why. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, L,¡± he said, kindly. ¡°You as well, Alpha,¡± I said, bowing my head slightly to him as I was taught to do to Alpha¡¯s that I don¡¯t consider family. ¡°I received a mindlink from your father yesterday calling for an Emergency Alpha meeting tomorrow afternoon. Do you happen to know what that¡¯s about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. It wasn¡¯t aplete lie; I¡¯m really not sure what my father would like to speak to them about. But I had a feeling it was because of everything going on, he wanted all Alphas and their packs to remain safe. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll find out tomorrow,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°You are getting back awfullyte.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I guess I lost track of time,¡± I told him. ¡°Did your father drop you off?¡± He asked, staring off in the direction Enzo¡¯s car went. I¡¯m d he didn¡¯t recognize the car. ¡°No, my uncle did,¡± I lied, giving him my best innocent smile. ¡°I see,¡± he said, ncing back at me. ¡°How about I take you, girls, inside? I didn¡¯t want Sarah to get in trouble for arrivingte, so I was going to speak to your dorm advisor.¡± ¡°Thank you, that would be great,¡± I said, beaming at him. I turned with them, and we started to head inside. ¡°Oh, Sarah¡­ I wanted to apologize for the other day. I lost my cool and I shouldn¡¯t have,¡± I told her, peering at her side profile, trying not to notice how washed away she looked. She nced at me, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°I crashed your bake sale with an ice cream truck.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I should have remembered that it was all for the student. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten mad at you for being there. It wasn¡¯t right of me.¡± She stared at me for a moment longer with an expression I couldn¡¯t read, but then she turned away and muttered, ¡°Whatever.¡± I was hoping we could start fresh, but I didn¡¯t really see that happening. ¡°Whoever wins this election, I hope we can put our differences behind us and remember that it¡¯s the students that matter the most. Not ourselves,¡± I said to her when it was clear she wasn¡¯t going to say anything more. ¡°That¡¯s very wise of you, L,¡± Alpha Jonathan said from behind me. ¡°Your father must be very proud.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything and neither did Sarah. When we got to our section of the dorm, Eileen Carter, a middle-aged plump woman with curly blonde hair and bright purple sses, stood before us with her hands on her hips. She was also the dorm advisor. Eileen was the kind of woman that changed her sses so frequently, I never knew what color she was going to wear. It usually matched her clothes but, in this case, she wore a yellow floral nightgown that dropped down to her ankles. ¡°Curfew was over an hour ago,¡± she seethed, staring between the two of us. ¡°All students, except vampires, were expected to be in their dorms and resting before sses tomorrow.¡± Vampires had inverted days and nights. They take night sses because the sun hurts them. Regr students are allowed to leave their dorms at 6 a.m. and are expected to return for the night at 9 p.m. Vampires were allowed to their dorms at 6 pm, which is when the sun usually sets, and are expected to return for the day at 7 am, which is when the sun rises. We do have some ovep but only for a couple of hours and then we don¡¯t usually see them for the rest of the day. On Friday and Saturday nights our curfew is lifted because most students go home, but on Sunday curfew is back in ce and it was almost 10:30 pm when we arrived at our section of the dorm. Eileen Carter, our dorm advisor, was anything but happy. ¡°What do you have to say for yourselves?¡± Eileen hissed, still staring between us. ¡°My apologies, Miss Carter. I¡¯m afraid it was my fault. I was supposed to drive the girls here and I got pulled into a meeting that took a bit longer than nned. Then I treated them to dinner before we came back,¡± Alpha Jonathan said, giving her a genuine smile. I was amazed that he was able to lie so easily. l It was clear she didn¡¯t realize he was there, and she was startled to see him. ¡°Oh, Alpha!¡± She said, bowing her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize¡­. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all. You are only doing your job; I can¡¯t fault you for that.¡± She blushed and nodded before looking at me and then Sarah. ¡°Off to your dorms,¡± she ordered. ¡°Hurry now.¡± ¡°Good night,¡± I said to her before making my way toward the stairway that led to the dorms. ¡°Have a good night, L¡­¡± I heard the darkening tone of Alpha Jonathan behind me, and I turned to see his dark eyes pouring into mine. Something about him gave me such a creepy vibe, but I smiled anyway. ¡°You too, Alpha.¡± Then, I turned and went to my dorm Chapter 220 Chapter 220 L¡¯s POV ¡°Hello, L. How was your weekend?¡± ¡°Oh, hey, Miss Emily,¡± I said as I approached the art room. Miss Emily stood outside the door wearing a beautiful, dotted dress that rested just above her knees and a pair of knee-high boots. Her short curly brown hair was pinned out of her face and rested just above her shoulders. She also wore very light makeup; I liked Miss Emily because she always had such a natural andforting look. She was very beautiful. Last year, I remembered she had an obvious crush on Enzo. He never paid much attention to her though and I knew it upset her. She was young, maybe in her mid-twenties. She was also mate-less. I know she will find her mate soon though; she¡¯s way too kind-hearted and sweet to go without a mate for much longer. The moon goddess will bless her; I¡¯m sure of it. But in the meantime, regardless of whatever crush she had on my mate, Miss Emily will always be my favorite art professor. ¡°It was nice; I spent time with family,¡± I told her some of the truth, but obviously not all of it. ¡°How are your parents doing?¡± ¡°They are doing good. They say hi,¡± I lied, but she didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°Well, tell them I said hello,¡± she said in return with a pleasant smile. ¡°Would you like to have lunch together this evening? I¡¯d like to hear about your summer as well. We didn¡¯t get a chance to talk much.¡± ¡°I would like that,¡± I said in return. ¡°Oh, good,¡± she said, her smile widening. I went into the art room and found my easel; we didn¡¯t really have any assigned seating. But I liked a particr section in the ssroom; mainly because I could see the front perfectly and yet I wasn¡¯t too close. It was also a little bit away from everyone else, so I didn¡¯t feel smothered. Categories Search¡­ Most students in the ss had a particr easel they enjoyed the most and this one happened to be mine. When I sat down on the stool, I began to organize my brushes from smallest to biggest. Miss Emily already got the paint set up in their rightful ces, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about that. Usually, if I got here early enough, I would set up the paint for her. But it seemed she had gotten here way earlier. The ss filled up soon after and I said hello to some familiar faces as they found their own seats. Miss Emily soon joined, standing in front of the ss near her own easel, which happened to be facing the ss for our viewing. ¡°I know some of us already excel in this, but we are going to be doing portrait paintings today. Everybody is going to be painting a picture of me. It doesn¡¯t have to be exact; you can be as creative as Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. you¡¯d like. Just make sure it¡¯s appropriate.¡± She sat down on her stool and did a little pose with a smile, making some of us chuckle. I got started on mixing some of the paint to make her exact skin color. Portrait painting was my strongest suit;st year I painted a portrait of Enzo, and it got featured in Cassidy-Ann¡¯s art studio. Speaking of Cassidy-Ann, I needed to call her. I know she¡¯s been busy since we¡¯ve returned to redoing her art studio. She took the opportunity, while she needed to fix it anyway, to redo the entire studio and make it even better looking. It¡¯s scheduled to reopen next month; but for right now, she halted business and hasn¡¯t needed an assistant. But I can¡¯t help but wonder if there¡¯s more, I can do for her right now. I felt helpless and I have to admit, I missed her and the studio, even though I spent the entire summer with her. ¡°How did you do that??¡± I heard someone asking; I turned to see the girl sitting on a stool behind me and she was staring wide-eyed at my pallet. ¡°Do what?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°Mix the paint to be her exact skin tone,¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s easy,¡± I said with a faint smile. ¡°Here, let me show you.¡± I slid off my stool to join her at her easel, and I picked up the paint I used to create a new color on her pallet. She gasped as the color transformed and turned into Miss Emily¡¯s skin tone. ¡°If you make it too dark, you can always add white to lighten it,¡± I exined as I continued to mix the paint. I didn¡¯t realize others were watching as well; apparently, everyone was struggling with the same thing because a nearby boy asked, ¡°Can you do mine too?¡± I smiled at him and nodded. ¡°Me too!¡± Someone else said. ¡°Can you help me as well, L?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I chuckled. ¡°I can help everyone. Give me a second.¡± Miss Emily watched me with wonder as I traveled around the room and showed everyone how to mix the paint to make her exact skin tone. She slid off her own stool and came to examine the color herself and her eyes widened. ¡°Wow; I could use this as foundation,¡± she said, poking it with her finger and holding it up for all to see just how simr the color was to her actual skin tone. We allughed, and she chuckled as well. ¡°Nice job, L,¡± she said as she went back to her stool. Once everyone had her skin tone painted color, we all got to work on creating her. Everybody in the ss was very talented. Nobody did Miss Emily in the clothing she was wearing; the girl who sat behind me painted Miss Emily wearing a cat costume. Someone else made her wear a wedding gown. There was another one that made Miss Emily in a purple princess gown with a Tiara. I made Miss Emily in exactly what she was wearing and exactly where she was sitting. I painted the easel that sat beside her and on the easel, I painted the entire ss. I had to use a very small brush to do that one. By the time I finished, it looked like a legit photograph. ¡°Wow, these are incredible,¡± Miss Emily said by the time was ending. She froze when she got to mine. ¡°You painted the entire ss on that mini easel?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, ncing up at her. Soon, I was surrounded by the other students all trying to glimpse themselves. ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess! I look so cute!¡± ¡°That¡¯s really amazing!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to them, feeling my face warm. ¡°You all have great paintings,¡± I added. ¡°I agree; every one of you did great,¡± Miss Emily said with a big smile. ¡°Maybe if I get permission from the board we can put one or two of these paintings up in the school art gallery that just opened.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s painting?¡± Some asked. ¡°Definitely L¡¯s,¡± someone else said. I frowned and looked up at Miss Emily. ¡°How about we all do one big painting for the school? Goddess knows this school could use some more color,¡± I suggested. I heard excited whispers from all around me. Miss Emily looked around at all the students. ¡°Like a mural?¡± She asked, ncing at me. ¡°Yes!¡± I said excitedly. ¡°We could all contribute to it; that way no one is left out. I could gather meaningful pictures from each student around the school and we could paint them as a ss. Everybody here is talented enough to do that.¡± ¡°I love that idea! L could help us mix the colors for everyone¡¯s skin tone,¡± someone else chimed in. ¡°It would be huge! Everybody in school would see it!¡± Another said excitedly. I looked back up at Miss Emily who had a smile on her face. ¡°Let me speak with the school board and see what we can do,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Everybody cheered happily and as we began to pack our things to leave for our next sses, some walked by me and told me they loved my ideas and that I did a great job. I felt my face blushing as I smiled at them. Just before I left, Miss Emily said, ¡°Come by my office at lunch and we can eat together and talk.¡± ¡°Sounds great,¡± I said with a beaming smile. On that note, I turned and left for my next ss, Werewolf History. History wasn¡¯t as fun as art ss, but I was good at most subjects, so it was a breeze to get by. We read the first couple of chapters in our history books and then took a pop quiz. Mr. Edwards typically graded pop quizzes before ss was over and it wasn¡¯t a surprise to me that I got an A+. I heard a couple of others groaning from nearby and I looked over a girl and a couple of boys that were staring at their papers with upset expressions. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I failed,¡± one of the boys muttered. ¡°I thought for sure I¡¯d pass this time.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t pass the next quiz, they will kick me off the football team and I might lose my schrship,¡± the other boy said. ¡°I got a C, but to my parents, that¡¯s practically failing. They are paying a lot of money to have me attend this school and they expect perfect grades. What am I going to do if I don¡¯t understand the history of my own species?¡± The girl said through her teeth. ¡°I can tutor you,¡± I said, staring between them all. They all looked at me with shocked expressions. ¡°What?¡± The girl asked. ¡°I can tutor you,¡± I repeated. ¡°I have some time around 4 pm. We can go to the library and study before dinner.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± The football yer asked, raising his brows. ¡°Hey, wait¡­ aren¡¯t you Brody¡¯s friend?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I answer. ¡°And yes, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯d like to help you however I can.¡± They all looked around at each other before looking at me with wide smiles. ¡°4 pm in the library it is,¡± the girl answered for all three of them. I smiled in return and packed up my things to head to my next ss, which was math. After Math was English and After English was lunch. Usually, I would go to the cafeteria and eat with my friends, but Miss Emily wanted to eat together. So, I grabbed my lunch hand and went straight to her office which was evidently on the top floor of the cafeteria building. Miss Emily sat at her desk, eating a sd, when I arrived. ¡°Oh, good! You are here,¡± she said with a kind smile. ¡°Sit down.¡± I nodded, shutting the door behind me, and sat in the seat in front of her. ¡°I feel like we haven¡¯t really spoken in a while. I wanted to hear all about your trip and your new job with Miss Cassidy-Ann. But mainly, I wanted to hear about your trip to Monstro. Did you and Alpha Enzo have a nice time?¡± Crash! Chapter 221 Chapter 221 L¡¯s POV ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± Miss Emily eximed as she jumped to her feet. My entire lunch slipped out of my hands and sttered to the ground; it also got on my clothing. I jumped to my feet as well, my heart racing. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I breathed, feeling my brain rattling. Miss Emily rushed toward me with napkins. I bent down and tried my best to clean my lunch off the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll grab a towel,¡± she said as she walked over to one of her closets on the far side of the room. When she returned, we were able to clean up the rest of my mess. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I said again, feeling all sorts of embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, L,¡± she said in return. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have abruptly said that.¡± My face warmed as I looked at her; she didn¡¯t look angry or shocked. She just looked like her normal, compassionate, and genuine self. She motioned for the seat in front of her desk as she went back to her chair. ¡°Want half my sandwich?¡± She asked, sitting down. I shook my head, sitting down as well. ¡°I¡¯m not very hungry anymore,¡± I said, keeping my eyes on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, frowning. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to upset you. I know that wasn¡¯t an appropriate statement.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ how did you¡ª¡± ¡°Know that you and Alpha Enzo are mates?¡± She asked, raising her gaze to mine. My eyes widened even more. ¡°I knew sincest year,¡± she exined. ¡°I had a vision about you¡­¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°You¡¯re a¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI¡¯m a prophet, yeah,¡± she said brightly. ¡°It runs in my family. But I¡¯m a different kind of prophet¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to exin it.¡± ¡°Can you try?¡± I asked, feeling my eyes pleading. She smiled and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s when I touch people,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s like I can see into their soul and look at the world through their eyes. I feel their emotions, pain, and even fears. I can get glimpses of their past and futures. I can get some insight into what they are thinking about and the choices they will need to make in the future. I can see their life paths and the different routes they may take,¡± she exined. I stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that before¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°I think my mother had taught me about that kind of prophet. They are called Seer, right?¡± She smiled, her cheeks growing a bit red, but she nodded. ¡°Yes. I am a Seer. My abilities didn¡¯t start untilst year. They developed after Enzo turned me down¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, intrigued. ¡°He apologized for turning me down and I put my hand on his shoulder, and when I did, I got a glimpse of him finding out that you were his mate. You were in the infirmary, and he ran inside and spotted you,¡± she exined, a smile tugging at her lips. ¡°So, you knew for most ofst year?¡± I asked in wonder. ¡°But how did you know I went to Monstro with him?¡± Sheughed lightly. ¡°I touched your back earlier when I was looking at your painting and I saw a glimpse of you seeing him on the airne,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m assuming him going with you wasn¡¯t nned.¡± Iughed. ¡°Not at all,¡± I said, and we both continuedughing. But then we stopped and took a breath. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell the board¡­ are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why I¡¯d have to,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°Neither of you has crossed a line in my presence. I shouldn¡¯t even know this information.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said; I felt calmer now. ¡°Now, tell me about your vacation,¡± she said as she took a bite of her sandwich. We spent the rest of lunch talking and catching up. I told her about my vacation and about how Enzo marked me, and she told me about her summer painting ss. When lunch ended, I thanked her for the conversation and headed to my next ss, Werewolf Sociology. By the end of ss, I was exhausted, but I still had one more ss and this was the ss I was dreading the most. Combat and Shifting with Professor Xander. I haven¡¯t seen him sincest week; he had given me a protein mix and told me to mix it with a cup of water and drink it every morning. I drank it allst week and it made me feel incredibly weak. It made Val feel weak as well and I nearly lost her from the exhaustion she felt. As far as Xander knows, I¡¯m still drinking that stuff. But in reality, Enzo took it and is having it tested. The only thing is, there seems to be some magic tied to it and it¡¯s blocking what¡¯s actually in it. The only witch Enzo trusted to help has been beaten so badly that she still hasn¡¯t woken. So, the mystery protein mix remains just that¡­ a mystery. Ba waved at me when I entered and I waved back, but my eyes never left Professor Xander. He stood in the front of the arena in the very spot that Enzo used to stand in and his eyes were fixed on the clipboard he held. Per usual, he had no shirt on which revealed his body of tattoos and pure muscle. A shift crept up my spine. I decided to run into the locker room so I could take a breath but as soon as I stepped inside, I immediately regretted my decision. Sarah sat on one of the wooden benches with her head held downward and she was breathing heavily. It looked as if she was trying not to throw up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Do you need to go to the nurse?¡± Sarah nced up at me and that¡¯s how I noticed how red her eyes were; they were filled with unshed tears, and I was shocked to see this kind of emotioning from her. Typically, Sarah didn¡¯t show any real emotions. She always wore a hardened look and walked with her head held high. As annoying and mean as she is, I did admire that part about her But looking at her now, the pained look on her face, the tears in her eyes, hunched over like she might vomit, it was a sad sight to see. ¡°What do you care?¡± She muttered, turning away from me. Despite how pained she looked, she still sounded like her normal bitchy self. ¡°You just look like you¡¯re going to throw up¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, cutting off my words. She stood up and for a moment, I thought she was going to fall over. She grabbed the locker in front of her before she fellpletely forehead. Her head swooped downward again, and she took a steady deep breath. I didn¡¯t bother saying anything this time, I just watched as she struggled to recover herself. Once she finally managed to get her footing on the ground, she stood straight up, squared her shoulders, and turned to me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± she said, and it didn¡¯t sound like a demand, but a plead. Her eyes were locked on mine, and they were still filled with unshed tears. She didn¡¯t look angry or anything, but she did look desperate, and it made me want to ask more about what was happening to her. But I refrained from doing so knowing she wouldn¡¯t tell me anyway. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I finally agreed. She said nothing as she turned and left the locker room. I stood there for a few more minutes before leaving the locker room myself and joining the cluster of students that stood in front of Xander. ` He exined what today¡¯s lesson was going to be which I knew didn¡¯t include me because their lessons consisted of shifting. Xander didn¡¯t like it when I shifted. Our morning training session started with typical workouts, such as running 5ps, sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups. Stuff that I could do easily and in my sleep. Then we got into the realbat training. As usual, he went semi-easy on me during ss. Though he wouldn¡¯t let me shift, I was able to get a few strikes in and evennded him on the ground. Of course, I fell way more than he did. But in front of the ss, it appeared to be an equal match. But during our private session after ss, it was a whole new game. He made me run around thergest track outside for what felt like hours. My lungs were on fire and my face was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. After about 100ps, I felt my stomach beginning to betray me. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to hold the little food I had eaten earlier down much longer. I hunched my body over and released the contents of my stomach all over the ground. Thank goddess we were outside. Because of the shameful mess I made, he made me drop and give him 50 pushups. My arms felt like they were going to fall off. The worst part was that he told me it was only a warmup. We soon went back inside so we could practice realbat training and I lost track of how many times he mmed me on the ground. Everything ached so bad that I couldn¡¯t get any punches in like I did earlier. I could hardly even move my body. I was punched, kicked, smacked, body mmed, and ridiculed. By the time he was finished with me, I was a bruised mess. Professor Xander left me on the ground to recover on my own. He went into the locker room to shower and change. I could feel my wolf healing me already and I was thankful to her for that. I lifted my head once I finally found enough strength to move and I noticed that he left most of his stuff in the corner of the room, scattered across the ground. Enzo used to leave his things in the same spot and at one point I even snooped through his things. I got to my feet and went over to the locker room where I could hear the light sounds of water. I took a deep breath; I had a little bit of time before he came out of here. I¡¯d like to be gone before he returns. I quickly went toward his things and knelt in front of them. Okay, Professor Xander. It¡¯s time to figure out what the hell you want. There were a few different pieces of paper that were falling out of his bag along with a lunchbox, a water bottle, and a notebook. I frowned at the notebook; it was most likely his lessons for each day, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a peek anyway. I opened it, seeing his handwriting scrawled out in neat cursive. I was right for the most part, it seemed to be lessons for each day. As I flipped through the notebook, I wasn¡¯t sure what I was looking for. Then, the word Vna appeared in neat cursive toward the back of the book and my heart fell deep into my stomach. Weaken the Vna and weaken her odds. What the hell did that mean? There was more writing underneath it that I was about to read until I heard a low and threatening voice behind me. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± Chapter 222 Chapter 222 L¡¯s POV I spun around quickly to see Professor Xander standing over me with a deep frown. He was shirtless and he was now wearing a pair of jeans as opposed to thebat pants he wore before his shower. He had beads of water still dripping down his neck and across his tattooed torso. I still held onto his notebook, but my eyes never left his. ¡°I asked you a question,¡± he said through his teeth. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I stammeredmely. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Then why¡­ might I ask¡­ are you reading my notebook?¡± I finally pulled my gaze from his and looked down at the notebook, closing it before I was able to read anything more. I had no excuses for him, I was caught red-handed, and I waspletely mortified. Before I could say anything, he grabbed the notebook from my hand and ripped it away. My hands fell to myp and my gaze remained on the ground, ashamed to even look at him. ¡°Have you been taught no manners?¡± He growled. I said nothing, which only seemed to piss him off that much more. Before I knew what was happening, he grabbed hold of my ponytail and yanked my head back so I was looking up at him. I¡¯m sure he could see the pure terror in my eyes as he red at me; he was breathing heavily and oddly reminded me of a bull. ¡°Have you been drinking the protein shake I¡¯ve given you?¡± He asked through his teeth. I nodded my head once, which was aplete lie, but he didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Shit. Categories Search¡­ This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°I¡­¡± I tried to say, but he gripped my hair even tighter and yanked my head again. Pain shot through my spine at the quick motion. ¡°I don¡¯t need your excuses,¡± he hissed. ¡°You¡¯re a little shit who will get yourself killed by being so stupid. You had no idea I was even behind you, and it¡¯s shit like that that¡¯ll be the death of you. Have I taught you nothing?¡± I tried to speak but the way he was gripping my hair made it impossible for me to think of much of anything else. ¡°You need to learn your lesson,¡± he hissed. ¡°You need to learn what¡¯ll happen to a little shit that doesn¡¯t pay attention to surrounding areas and gets caught red-handed.¡± He finally released me, and I found myself falling backward on the ground. My breathing was shaky to match my rapid heartbeat and all I could think was, ¡°What¡¯s he going to do to me?¡± I hated how trembly my body had be; I hated how weak I appeared. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes; I wished Enzo was in range so I could mindlink him. I had a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach that something terrible was about to happen. He was rummaging in his bag until he came across what he was looking for and then he turned back to me. He gave me a humorless smile as he knelt in front of me; he was inches from my face, and I could smell his disgusting breath hitting my features. Despite his breath being hot, it sent a cold chill down my spine and my body trembled once again. ¡°You need to learn how to escape the impossible once you get caught, because with your stupidity¡­ you will get caught,¡± he seethed. Before I could ask what, he meant by that, I felt a sharp pain in my neck and soon it was like my entire body had gone on fire. I screamed out in agony, feeling the fiery embers coursing through my veins. He mped a hand over my mouth, muffling my screams and holding me in ce as I squirmed in pure agony. Tears ran down my face and my vision started to be blurry. Specks of darkness clouded my eyes as I struggled to figure out what was going on and what he shot me with. ¡°Fighting it will only make it worse,¡± he hissed in my ear, though he sounded so distant. ¡°Take it in¡­ embrace it¡­ own it.¡± Take it in. Embrace it. Own it. His final words and the only thing stuck in my mind as everything finally went ck. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Are you out of your mind?! You¡¯re holding a dark witch in contempt??¡± Alpha Joseph sneered, mming his hands on the table. We sat in the meeting house in Elysium with the other members of themittee around a long table. Alpha Bastien, of course, sat at the head, and I sat beside him. We had just finished exining what had happened in the Calypso pack containing Paul and about my mother¡¯s vige. Needless to say, they are reacting how I expected them to react. ¡°We have safety measures in ce,¡± Bastien exined. ¡°Nobody is in danger.¡± ¡°As long as that witch is in the wolf territory, we are all in danger,¡± Alpha Joseph said through his teeth. ¡°Bringing her anywhere near our kind was a mistake.¡± ¡°Witches are not our enemy,¡± Bastien said to him, narrowing his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s a dark witch!¡± ¡°He¡¯s right; dark witches are no friend of ours,¡± Alpha Henry said, shaking his head. ¡°Having her in your pack is a mistake, Alpha Enzo.¡± ¡°We have guards keeping watch over her 24/7,¡± Bastien exined before I could say anything. ¡°Nobody is in danger.¡± ¡°Jasmine is the most powerful dark witch to ever exist. Do you think some magic cuffs and a cage is going to keep her locked away?¡± Alpha Henry asked, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°She¡¯s a ticking time bomb.¡± ¡°She probably already has a n of escape,¡± Alpha Kevin chimed in from the far side of the table. Kevin was the quieter one, so it surprised me when he spoke. ¡°If she didn¡¯t struggle when she was captured, then she has a n of escape,¡± Joseph retorted. ¡°May I ask a question?¡± A deep voice from the doorway said, drawing all of our attention to that direction. When I saw him, I had to stifle a groan. He rarely showed up to our Alpha Committee meetings and when he did, he was always fashionablyte because he liked making an entrance. I¡¯m not sure how long he was standing there, but it seemed he was there long enough to hear the gist of the conversation. ¡°Alpha Jonathan, great of you to join us,¡± Bastien said, leaning back in his seat. ¡°Go right ahead; ask away.¡± Alpha Jonathan, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest, stood straight and walked toward his waiting seat. ¡°What exactly is your n with this witch?¡± Jonathan went on to ask. ¡°You aren¡¯t powerful enough to kill a dark witch. As far as I¡¯m concerned, the wolf causing the issues and using this witch is already dead. Why exactly do you have a witch, who was only doing what was asked of her, in contempt?¡± ¡°She kidnapped a witch from my mother¡¯s vige,¡± I heard myself saying before Bastien could answer the question himself. ¡°If left my mother¡¯s vige unprotected and because of that many of her people died. We can¡¯t let that go unpunished no matter who was pulling the strings.¡± ¡°Right¡­ but how exactly are you going to punish a dark witch? You realize her entire coven is probably watching out for her. Not that they need to¡­ she¡¯s powerful and can probably escape at any moment. When she does, it¡¯ll be the wolves that¡¯ll pay. Up until this point we¡¯ve lived in peace with all sorts of witches, including the dark ones. If we don¡¯t mess with them, then they won¡¯t mess with us. Now we are open to attacks, and we are no match against witches of that status.¡± ¡°They threw the first move when they¡ª¡± ¡°Kidnapped one of their own,¡± Jonathan said, stopping my words short. ¡°They didn¡¯t kidnap a wolf¡­ they kidnapped a witch. A witch they believed to be a traitor to them. If was an affair, we should have gotten involved in it.¡± ¡°That witch was protecting my mother¡¯s vige,¡± I said through my teeth; I seriously couldn¡¯t stand this guy. ¡°And that¡¯s her problem, not ours,¡± Jonathan said in return with agreeing murmurs from the others. ¡°But you have made it our problem and now we need to prepare for a war.¡± ¡°A war we can¡¯t win,¡± Alpha Joseph growled. ¡°A war will die in.¡± ¡°There will be no war,¡± Bastien said, standing to his feet so he could tower over everybody seated at the table. ¡°We only want to know what exactly they were nning on doing with Hazel and why they wanted her in the first ce. There are questions that Jazzy won¡¯t answer and until we get some kind of answers from her¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what? Keep her in contempt?¡± Jonathan asked with a mockingugh. ¡°No offense, Alpha, but you sound ridiculous.¡± I could feel anger bubbling inside of me; though, part of me knew they were right. I didn¡¯t think Jazzy was going to give us any answers and now that Paul was dead, the issues should be resolved. But I still had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just because Paul was dead didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any others. He still had a bunch of rogues on his side and most of them fled when they realized they couldn¡¯t win the fight against a Vna wolf. Before anyone said anything else, I heard the familiar sounds of my phone ringing from inside my pocket. When I looked at the caller ID, my entire body froze. ¡°I have to take this,¡± I said quickly, looking at Bastien. ¡°In the middle of a meeting?¡± Jonathan asked humor in his tone. ¡°I wasn¡¯t speaking to you!¡± I growled, fury rising inside of me; my wolf itching toe out and fight him. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Bastien said, nodding to me. I stood and walked out of the door, stepping into the hallway. With a deep breath, I answered the phone. ¡°Yes? This is Alpha Enzo.¡± ¡°Hello Alpha, it¡¯s Dr. Ryan. I¡¯m calling because I have some news.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± I urged, impatiently. ¡°That witch you brought here, Hazel. She had just woken this morning and she¡¯s requesting to speak with you.¡± Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°I need to leave, Alpha,¡± I said as I went back into the meeting room. All the Alphas turned their attention to me with curious frowns. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Bastien asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Hazel is awake and requesting to see me,¡± I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Bastien¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It¡¯s great that she¡¯s okay,¡± Bastien said after a pause. ¡°You¡¯re free to go. I¡¯ll catch you up on the rest of the meetingter.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, nodding my head in respect as I turned away. ¡°Good luck protecting the witch,¡± Jonathan sneered from behind me. ¡°I hope it was worth it.¡± I was going to say something snarky in return but chose not to. If I turned around to face him, I was unsure I¡¯d be able to keep Max inside. He really wanted to rip Alpha Johnathan¡¯s head right off his shoulders. I took a steady deep breath and left the meeting house. It took me about 30 minutes to drive back to my pack and get to the hospital. The doctor that was assigned to Hazel, Dr. Ryan, met me outside the doors of Hazel¡¯s room. He was leaning against the wall and writing something on a clipboard when I approached. ¡°Oh, Alpha. Good evening. You arrived quickly,¡± Dr. Ryan said, bowing his head slightly. ¡°This is important,¡± I told him in return. ¡°It couldn¡¯t wait.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he said in return. He stepped aside for me to enter the room but before I could open the door, his voice returned but much lower. ¡°She¡¯s a little out of it¡­ so just be wary.¡± Categories Search¡­ I frowned, unsure of what that meant, but not really caring right now. I stepped inside the room to see Hazel lying in bed; she was hooked up to multiple different machines, but none of them were breathing machines like they were yesterday. I was d she was now breathing on her own. However, she looked sickly pale, and it seemed as if she had lost a drastic amount of weight. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She had dark bruises along her jawline andrge bags under her eyes as if she hadn¡¯t slept in a century. Her eyes were also swollen from being beaten and her lips were puffy and cut. I could only imagine what the rest of her looked like, but I wouldn¡¯t dare look. I had only met Hazel, maybe once when I was a young boy. She was always locked away in her house; the only signs of her existence were the shield around the vige and the protection we felt. Other than that, it was like she didn¡¯t exist. Though she was only around for a little over a year before I was taken to the Calypso pack, I never really got a chance to get to know her. But seeing her injured like this made me feel sad. ¡°Enzo?¡± She breathed, trying to peer at me through her bruised and swollen eyes. ¡°Is that you?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± I said, stepping toward her. ¡°How are you feeling, Hazel?¡± ¡°Stupid¡­¡± she murmured. ¡°So, so stupid¡­¡± ¡°This wasn¡¯t your fault¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, Alpha,¡± she said sharply. ¡°But I shouldn¡¯t have left the vige. I knew they were out there, waiting for me. I knew your men, simple warrior wolves, were no match for the dark magic of the Starcove Coven.¡± I sighed, sitting beside her bedside. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for putting you in danger,¡± I said, shaking my head in defeat. ¡°I had no idea¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been after me for a long time. That shield around the vige isn¡¯t just for the Vna wolves¡­ it was for me too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why. Why are they after you? What do they want?¡± She was quiet as she looked away from me and for a moment, I thought she wasn¡¯t going to answer. ¡°They think I¡¯m a traitor for wanting to help Vna wolves,¡± she finally murmured. ¡°It started before I even met your mother. She wasn¡¯t the first Vna I had befriended and because of that, I signed a death certificate.¡± ¡°Why do they find you to be a traitor for befriending Vna wolves? What do they have against them?¡± She was quiet again, obviously trying to see how much she should truly reveal. I could sense her hesitation and it was infuriating, but I didn¡¯t want to push her too much because she could just tell me nothing. She finally sighed and looked up at me. ¡°It was a Vna wolf that killed my parents long ago¡­.¡± She finally revealed. My entire heart fell straight into my stomach, and I was paralyzed at the sound of her words. I couldn¡¯t believe what she had just said. A Vna wolf killed her parents? I wanted to ask but her next words silenced me and froze me even more. ¡°And this particr Coven cares because Jazzy is my sister.¡± I closed my eyes, allowing her words to settle in. They seemed surreal, but they almost made sense. Just as I finally found words to speak, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Are you up for another visitor?¡± I found myself asking instead of the series of questions I wanted to ask. ¡°It¡¯s the researcher,¡± she breathed, sounding exhausted. ¡°I asked him toe here with the protein mix. I¡¯d like to help you.¡± I was surprised by this; I wasn¡¯t going to make her do this here and now, but it seemed he was already here, I wasn¡¯t going to argue so I just gave her a faint smile and nodded as I stood to my feet and went to open the door. The researcher stood outside the door looking a bit worried as he clutched the mix firmly in his hands. I greeted him as I normally would and stepped aside for him to enter the room. ¡°Hello, Madam Hazel,¡± the researcher said, bowing his head. ¡°I brought the sage you requested along with the mix.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m a little too weak, so I¡¯ll need your help.¡± ¡°Of course; what can I do for you?¡± The researcher asked, approaching her bedside. ¡°Burn the sage sticks and walk around the room,¡± she said slowly. ¡°Make sure the smoke of the sage gets in each corner.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. ¡°Alpha,e sit by my bedside and hold the mix. I need it close to me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, taking a seat beside her and taking the mix from the researcher¡¯s hands. At that moment, I smelled the sweet and florescent scent of the sage being burned as the researcher began his journey around the room, pausing at each corner and making sure the smoke lingered there for each moment before moving on to the next. In a low and calm tone, Hazel began to speak in anguage I didn¡¯t recognize. But each word she spoke drew me in and caused me to be calmer each second. The scent of the sage grew stronger, and the overall atmosphere felt protected and cared for. I realized that Hazel¡¯s eyes were closed and she, with great effort, lifted her bruised arms above her head, facing her palms to the ceiling as she spoke a bit louder as if she was speaking to the heavens above. I felt a light gust of wind, which was odd because we were inside, and the sweet smell of the earth filled my senses and calmed my entire body. I felt the troubles of my mind erasing and for a second, I almost fell asleep. What brought me back to the present moment was the feeling of her hand on the mixture canteen I held in my hands. I opened my eyes and saw that she was staring at the mixture with such intensity I thought she was going to burn a hole in the canteen. Her grip was firm and that¡¯s when I realized it was also glowing a light green color. I stared in amazement, shocked at what was happening before my eyes. I saw the researcher taking quick looks in our direction as well, but he continued to circle the room with the sage while she continued to speak her enchantment. The mixture began to move on its own as if it were being mixed with a finger or something, but none of us were touching it. Soon, the movements of the mixture stopped, and her words died down; the sage seemed to have stopped burning on its own and all that was left was silence. Another smell hit me and it made me almost drop the canteen. ¡°Oh, my goddess¡­¡± The researcher said as he approached; the smell must have hit him as well. That familiar and horrid smell made our stomachs turn. Even Hazel had her nose scrunched as she took in the scent. ¡°The masking spell has been broken,¡± she announced, tiredly. ¡°The true mixture is what remains in your hands and now you know the truth.¡± Yeah, we knew the truth all right, and telling from the researcher¡¯s face, he knew exactly what this was. He didn¡¯t need to say the words for me to know, but he looked up at me anyway, taking the canteen from my frozen hands and his words brought me to my feet. ¡°Wolfsbane.¡± Chapter 224 Chapter 224 It felt like my entire body was numb, and yet, all I felt was pain. It wasn¡¯t the same fiery feeling I felt earlier, but it felt as if I was just beaten. My body felt heavy, and my breathing was rash, but at least I was breathing. I had yet to open my eyes, but I knew once I did, I wasn¡¯t going to find myself in the arena. I wasn¡¯t sure where I was expecting I was, but I knew Professor Xander had to do with this. I also had this strange sense of loneliness, but it wasn¡¯t that I felt alone in general, I somehow knew, without even opening my eyes, that I was alone in this area. I didn¡¯t feel safe, but I also didn¡¯t feel as if I was in immediate danger as well. Managing to open my eyes, I finally got a glimpse of the darkness that surrounded me. I heard myself groaning as I lifted my head, trying to get a grasp of my surroundings, but I was getting nothing. All I felt was pain and all I smelled was nasty mildew and maybe even Hay. Was I in a stable? The school didn¡¯t have a stable, which meant I wasn¡¯t on campus. But I can¡¯t imagine he took me far from school. How long have I been out for? I moved my hands, trying to grip the ground under me and I was relieved to feel that my hands were free of any cuffs. When I moved my feet, I was even more relieved. He didn¡¯t shackle me for whatever reason, but that didn¡¯t help me if I didn¡¯t know where I was. The quick movements of my body caused pain to shoot through me and I gritted my teeth at the very sensation, trying to keep myself from screaming in agony. That fiery feeling was returning to my veins, and I took a steady deep breath to keep myself from passing out again. I gripped the dirt thaty under my body, silently begging for the goddess to relieve some of this pain. Soon, the pain eased, and I found the strength to sit up. Categories Search¡­ I scooted backward until my back was able to rest against a wall and I allowed my body to rx slightly. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I was able to get some kind of look at my surroundings, I realized he didn¡¯t shackle me because he had locked me in some kind of cage. I was also right about the hay; I was surrounded by it. It was like a stable, but I didn¡¯t sense any life around me, which meant there were no animals. The walls were made of rustic wood and on the very top of the tall wall sat a couple of windows. They weren¡¯t big enough to crawl through though, so I didn¡¯t find much hope for them. In front of me, beyond the cage I was ced in, I saw a giant arched closed door with streaks of light breaking through the cracked corners and I realized I was inside of a barn. My heart was racing rapidly; why would he bring me here to just leave me? I tried to remember thest thing he said to me. ¡°You need to learn to escape the impossible.¡± Was this some kind of test? ¡°Val?¡± I whispered out loud to my wolf. ¡°Are you with me?¡± I knew the answer long before I even asked the question; her silence only confirmed it. I was completely on my own. She was too weak to say or do anything, but I knew she was there in the back of my mind, itching toe out. Take it in. Embrace it. Own it. Those words still haunted my mind. I wondered if Enzo could feel my distress, even if I was out of range. ¡°Professor Xander?¡± I called into the dark, knowing he wasn¡¯t there. Iy defeated on the ground, with zero hope of getting out of here. You need to learn to escape the impossible. What did that even mean? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. I pressed my knees to my chest and buried my face in myp as tears freely escaped my eyes. I was so defeated, I was in a lot of pain, and I was exhausted. All I wanted at that moment was to be wrapped up in Enzo¡¯s arms. It was clear to me now that Professor Xander was targeting me because I was a Vna. He, like everyone else, must have had some kind of vendetta against us and this was his way of getting rid of me. Maybe he¡¯s trying to make it look like an ident, or maybe he had a sick and twisted way of ying games. I gazed up at the small window above my head; it was high enough that I couldn¡¯t reach it without standing on something. The light that peered through was fading, which meant it was bing dusk quickly. I knew once night fellpletely, I¡¯d be in even more danger. That¡¯s when the creatures of the night start lurking around because they can blend with the shadows. Like evil rogues, dark witches, vampires, and other rogue shifters. My heart was pounding at the very thought; it wouldn¡¯t be long before they could smell me ande looking for me. I doubt Professor Xander properly sealed this barn before he left. Why would he? The whole point of this is to kill me without getting his hands dirty. I pressed my lips together angrily; I was stupid to try and investigate him by myself. I should have told Enzo of my problems with him from the beginning. Maybe he could have helped me, and I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this position. I fought to stay awake, though it seemed like a losing battle. I was so exhausted, and I felt so weak. I knew something was wrong with me, but this was a feeling I never had before, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do about it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on my senses though they weren¡¯t particrly strong. If I could just figure out where I am, I might be able to find my way out of here. As I gathered my senses, the strong smell of Hay and mildew consumed my nose, making me want to gag. But then I heard something that made me freeze entirely. It sounded like footstepsing from outside; I could also hear the rustling of trees from the wind, but these footsteps fell in line with one another, so I knew they belonged to more than one person. Or whatever creature it was. But maybe it could be someone who could help me. As my hopes began to rise that I was about to get out of there, the words of Xander yed in the back of my mind. ¡°Trust no one¡­ even if you think they can be trusted, when ites to your life¡­ think survival.¡± At the time, it didn¡¯t make sense as to why he was giving me this lesson, but as Iy in this barn, caged in and weak, I realized that there was nobody around to help me in this situation besides myself. Whoever was approaching this barn was not a friend and I needed to be careful. The footsteps grew closer and soon, I was starting to hear the murmuring sounds of voices. It sounded like a guy and a girl and once they neared the barn doors, the scent of rogues invaded my nose. I quickly scurried to the farthest corner of the cage, engaging myself with the shadows that lurked nearby. I might not have the ability to manipte the shadows, but they still worked in my favor, and I knew I was safe within them. The doors of the barn swung open; as predicted, Xander didn¡¯t even bother locking them. I saw the figure of a guy walking into the barn. He was shirtless with a pair of ripped jeans and he was barefoot. His hair was on the longer side, resting just above his shoulders and it looked wet from rain. I hadn¡¯t even realized it was raining¡­ or maybe it was sweat? His back was turned from me so I couldn¡¯t get a good look at his face, but I saw deep and gnarly scratches on his back, making me wince. I¡¯m sure that must have hurt; it¡¯s strange how he hadn¡¯t healed from that, but maybe it had just happened. Behind him stood a young girl; she didn¡¯t look much older than me. She had long blonde hair, which was also wet, and she wore a bra with a pair of jeans that looked almost designer. She had a nice figure and bright features, though she reeked of rogues. Unlike the guy, I was able to get a look at her face and I was shocked to see that her eyes were tinted red, and she looked like a mix of pissed and worried. She looked around the barn for a moment with a look of disgust. ¡°Are you sure nobody is here? It smells like shit,¡± she muttered, staring up at the man. He looked around as well, and that was when I also saw his face. I had to stifle a gasp when I realized who he was. I covered my mouth with my hands and kept myself buried in the shadows. They were part of Paul¡¯s n. They were Vna hunters. Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Something is wrong with our mate,¡± Max¡¯s voice came into my head while I was in the middle of speaking to the researcher. We could smell the wolfsbane potently since Hazel broke the masking spell on it, but now he was generating some new reports to prove that there was indeed wolfbane in the mixture so I could present it to not just Professor Xander, but the school board as well. I already called to schedule a meeting with Tiffany Prescott, and I was nning on going there first thing in the morning. That is until Max spoke the words that left me frozen. ¡°What do you mean something is wrong?¡± I asked my wolf in return. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it? She¡¯s nearby and something is wrong. I can feel her worries¡­ her anxieties. A little bit of her pain as well. She¡¯s far enough away where it¡¯s noting through clearly¡­ but she¡¯s close enough that I can just reach her¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s at school; we aren¡¯t supposed to be able to feel her right now,¡± I said in return, wanting to ignore him and continue my conversation with the researcher, but his loud voice stopped me. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, she¡¯s in range. She¡¯s around somewhere and she¡¯s in danger,¡± Max growled, and I could feel just how serious he was. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, shaking my head at the thought. ¡°What would she be doing this close to here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Enzo,¡± Max growled. ¡°But she is. We need to go to her.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Then how do we go to her?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­.¡± Categories Search¡­ Property ? N?velDrama.Org. I looked at the researcher who was still running the tests on the mix and not paying much attention to me anymore. ¡°I need to leave. But I¡¯ll be back,¡± I said quickly. I didn¡¯t wait for him to answer but I thought I heard him saying, ¡°Okay, no problem,¡± just as the door shut behind me. ¡­. L¡¯s POV ¡°I don¡¯t feel right here; we should go,¡± the girl said in a hushed whisper, grabbing at the guy¡¯s arm. ¡°We need to find the others,¡± he said, harshly. ¡°They probably died,¡± she said in annoyance. ¡°You saw what that Vna did to Paul¡­ there¡¯s no way the others survived that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure others had fled like we did. We just have to be patient. We wille across them but for now, we should rest.¡± ¡°But right here?¡± The girl said and I could hear the desperation in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s gross in here¡­ the scent alone makes me want to throw up. It¡¯s creepy and we are way too close to that wretched pack than I feelfortable.¡± That wretched pack? Was she talking about Enzo¡¯s pack? We were close to the Calypso pack. Oh, thank Goddess. Maybe Enzo can feel me after all. I just had to hope he¡¯d find me before they did. I bit my lip and continued to hide in the shadows, listening to them. ¡°This barn has been abandoned for years. Nobody will being here and we aren¡¯t on anyone¡¯s territory. We are fine, Casey,¡± he said, sounding majorly annoyed himself. Casey was her name; I needed to remember that in case I ran into her again in the future. If I even had a future at this point. I was basically a sitting duck, and I didn¡¯t like this feeling. But the shadows continued to morph into one of them, hiding me from their viewing. I silently thanked them and the Goddess for keeping me hidden. ¡°How long are we going to stay here for?¡± She asked and I watched as she found a hay pile and sat down. ¡°Just until I finish healing and then we can go,¡± he answered. ¡°Maybe for tonight. Just get some rest and we will figure it out tomorrow.¡± Ugh¡­ they were going to be here all night. There was a part of me that wanted to reveal myself to them; maybe they would help me after all. Or they would leave. They seemed to be afraid of me; it seemed as if they were actually in hiding. So, maybe if they saw me, they¡¯d let me go or run away out of fear. But every time I thought too much about making myself known, Xander¡¯s words invaded my thoughts, and I felt a sense that I shouldn¡¯t do it. I continued to press myself against the wall, ignoring the pain going in and out of my body. Please Enzo. If you can sense me¡­ if you can hear me¡­.e find me. Your mate needs you. I closed my eyes, allowing some tears to fall down my features. How did I allow something like this to happen? I felt so stupid. ¡°How¡¯s your back?¡± The girl, Casey, asked the man whose name I hadn¡¯t found out yet. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± he murmured, sitting beside her. ¡°Just give my wolf some time. He¡¯s old and it takes him a little longer to heal me nowadays.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t old, Charlie,¡± she said, and I heard a little flirtatious humor in her tone. Charlie was his name; I needed to remember that. Casey and Charlie; rogues and Vna hunters. I shuddered at the very thought. ¡°My wolf is an old soul,¡± he said in return, but I could hear the chuckle in his voice. ¡°Come here.¡± I heard her moving toward him and I knew he must have been holding her close. ¡°How did we get so wrapped up in this?¡± She whispered against him. He was quiet for a moment before answering her lingering question. ¡°We just want to make this world safe for our pup¡­¡± he said, his voice going a little too soft that I had to lean a little bit forward to hear him. ¡°A Vna-infested world isn¡¯t safe.¡± I heard her cry lightly and then she sniffled. ¡°What world is our pup going to be born into?¡± She asked in a broken whisper. ¡°A safe one¡­ I will make sure of it.¡± My heart clenched at their words; Casey was pregnant, and it seemed that Charlie was the father. They were going to be parents and they thought a world of Vna wolves was a dangerous world. They feel threatened by us. But the reasoning behind that is unclear to me. We weren¡¯t dangerous; at least, my mother and I weren¡¯t. Enzo¡¯s mother isn¡¯t dangerous either and it didn¡¯t seem like any of those in her vige were dangerous either. But none of them even have their abilities anymore, so hunting them didn¡¯t make any sense. Did that mean there were Vna wolves that weren¡¯t good? Ones that used their powers for evil instead of good? I didn¡¯t want to believe such a thing, but it was the only thing that was truly making sense to me. I bit my lip, trying to keep myself from crying. ¡°Ugh¡­ it smells in here,¡± she whispered, and I could tell her face was pressed against his side. ¡°Almost like wolfbane¡­ do you smell that?¡± My heart fell into my stomach. Wolfsbane. Was that what Xander had injected me with? That made me feel like my inside was on fire and made me pass out. Was that what they were smelling instead of my Vna scent? ¡°There¡¯s no one here¡­¡± he assured her. ¡°But yeah¡­ I smell that too. The flower could be growing somewhere around here.¡± ¡°Leave it to that stupid pack to have wolfbane flowers growing,¡± she murmured. I could practically hear her eye roll. ¡°We are outside the pack so I doubt it¡¯s them,¡± he said in return. ¡°Still¡­¡± she huffed. ¡°It¡¯s weird that we couldn¡¯t smell it from outside the barn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous unless we are injected with it. Smelling it won¡¯t do a damn thing. Just get some sleep,¡± Charlie pleaded. ¡°Fine¡­¡± she murmured, and soon, they both went silent. My heart was pounding against my ribcage; they couldn¡¯t smell anything from outside so maybe Enzo couldn¡¯t smell me either. I nced up at the window; the little bit of sunlight left waspletely gone and the barn had gonepletely dark. After a few minutes, I heard the light snoring of both those rogues, and I smiled knowing they were completely out. Quietly, I emerged from the shadows. There was a lot of hay left in the cage and I might be able to use that to my advantage. As quietly and slowly as I could I moved the hay piles to the window. A couple of times I had to freeze when I heard the snoring stop, but then it continued shortly after. Once the hay was piled up until it reached the window, I took a deep breath before willing my limbs to move and climb up the hay pile. I clenched my teeth as pain shot through me; I was incredibly weak and thought I was calling to fall at any moment, but I finally reached the top of the hay pile. I could have fallen asleep once I reached the top, but I knew I needed to get that window open. I needed Enzo to smell me, or at least sense me. I needed this to work. I was more than relieved when I saw that the window was unlocked. When I finally got it open, I wafted with the fresh breeze of the outdoors, and I soaked in the fresh scent of the earth. But I also smelled something else, and my mouth instantly watered with desires. Despite having my wolf asleep and hidden in the back of my mind, I could still smell my mate. Enzo was nearby Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Ethan, gather the strongest warriors. I need you on patrol of the forest just outside our pack going North. I think L is in trouble,¡± I sent a mindlink while running toward that exact area. It didn¡¯t take long for him to respond. ¡°What? What is she doing there?¡± Ethan asked and from his tone, I knew he was jumping into action regardless of what I said next. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know she¡¯s in trouble,¡± I said in return just before ending the mindlink and running even faster. I managed to pick up her scent almost immediately after leaving the pack borders, but I also picked up something else¡­ wolfsbane and rogues. ¡­.. L¡¯s POV I stayed at the window for what felt like an eternity. I have no idea if Enzo could sense me whatsoever, and the thought of not knowing ached. My wolf waspletely gone from me, and I was left completely in the dark. I leaned against the open window, taking in the wonderful breeze of the outdoors and feeling it strengthened me. Casey and Charlie were still snoring heavily, and it brought me some sort offort. There was a part of me that didn¡¯t think they were that bad; maybe a little misunderstood. Although they were part of Paul¡¯s n, maybe their judgment was a little off. I leaned my head against the window frame, wishing I could shrink in size so I could crawl through. The cold breeze and the scent of the familiar and clean earth brought me a sense offort. I couldn¡¯t smell Enzo though; however, my senses weren¡¯t working as they should be so that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t close by. Categories Search¡­ That didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t smell me. My body was weak, and my wolf was still asleep; I had no abilities, and I was losing the battle to sleep. I allowed my eyes to close and my body to rest against the hay while my head used the open window as a pillow. If they were to wake up right now, they¡¯d be able to see me. I was no longer hidden in the shadow and the moonlight touched me in a way that made it look like I was glowing. But at that very moment, I didn¡¯t really care if they saw me or not. I was too tired to care. It didn¡¯t take long for sleep toe for me and then soon everything went dark. ¡­.. I woke when I felt a pair of cold hands on my face, they were checking for a pulse. My nose picked up a familiar scent; a scent that I loved so much. Though, it was faint, it was there. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to see Enzo kneeling at the window before me. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I must have been dreaming; there was no way this n of mine worked. There was no way I was here right now. Maybe those rouges saw me sleeping at the window and they killed me. That had to be it; they killed me. But I saw the relief in Enzo¡¯s eyes as he sighed and took my face in hisrge and masculine hands. He bent down and brought his lips to mine, allowing me to taste his sweetness and his gentle touch. My entire heart was pounding violently against my ribcage and tears prickled at the corners of my eyes. Way too soon, the kiss ended, and he looked deep into my eyes. ¡°Max told me you needed help,¡± he whispered against me. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you out of here.¡± I swallowed hard, wanting to speak but words failed me. He looked behind himself and nodded his head in the shadows. He brought others with him. I wondered what time it was and how long I¡¯d been a prisoner in this barn. Has Xander been captured yet? Before I knew what was happening, the front door of the barn was broken open and I swung my body around to see 3rge wolves making their way inside the barn. I instantly recognized one of them as Ethan; the other two must have been warriors. Maybe Jake and someone else? This woke the rogues who screamed at the very presence of Ethan and the warriors. Ethan was the first to growl fiercely, nearly shaking the entire barn. Charlie jumped in front of Casey, shielding her from any attacks and I could see the pure horror on her face as she stared into the eyes of the Beta. I looked back at Enzo to tell him to not hurt them, but he was gone from the window. With a racing heart, I quickly climbed down the hay pile I created, and I tried to get myself to the cage door. Enzo walked into the barn still in his human form and he looked seriously pissed. ¡°We¡­we didn¡¯t do anything. We were just sleeping,¡± Charlie was the first to speak while Casey hid behind him. ¡°Paul is dead; what do you want with my mate?¡± Enzo seethed through his teeth, his eyes glowing as his wolf fought to take control. Charlie furrowed his brows at Enzo, confused by the statement. ¡°Mate? We don¡¯t want anything with her¡­. We swear. We did nothing. This barn has been abandoned and¡ª¡± ¡°Then why are you standing guard outside her prison? Who hired you?¡± Charlie fell silent as he nced at a wide-eyed Casey. ¡°Nobody hired us¡­ when the Vna killed Paul we fled¡­.¡± Casey was the one to answer. ¡°We just needed a ce to rest. We didn¡¯t know this was part of your territory.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because It¡¯s not,¡± Charlie seethed, finally finding his confidence as he red. ¡°You don¡¯t own this This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. part of thend, Alpha.¡± Ethan and the warriors growled loudly, and they lowered themselves, looking like they were about to attack but Enzo held his hand up, keeping them back. ¡°Somebody put you up to this¡­ and until I find out who¡­ I¡¯ll be holding you in the same dungeon I¡¯m keeping the dark witch. We¡¯ll see how long it takes you to talk.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything!!¡± Casey screamed, finally standing to her feet and stepping around Charlie. ¡°You can¡¯t punish us for something we didn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Enzo muttered, putting his hand down and stepping aside for his men to attack. Ethan didn¡¯t hesitate, he lunged at them just as Charlie jumped in front of a frozen Casey, and at the exact moment, I found my voice. ¡°Stop!!¡± I screamed, grabbing the cell bars and shaking the door to get their attention. I managed to get Enzo¡¯s attention and Casey¡¯s attention, who screamed when she saw me. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Charlie asked, staring at me with wide and rmed eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them! She¡¯s pregnant!¡± I screamed, trying to get Ethan to stop. Charlie had a nasty bite on his arm from Ethan¡¯s attack, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice it. I¡¯m sure his wolf was probably healing him as we spoke. Though, he was sitting on the ground and Casey was now leaning over him, assessing the wound while Ethan was growling in their faces. He stopped the attack upon hearing my voice, but I knew he¡¯d resume again in a heartbeat if given the word. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Enzo asked, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I heard them talking,¡± I confessed, biting my bottom lip to keep my mouth from trembling. ¡°They didn¡¯t know I was here. They are telling the truth.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t know you were here?¡± Enzo asked, raising his brows. I shook my head. ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± Charlie asked, staring directly at me. ¡°When the hell did you get here??¡± ¡°She must have been here the whole time¡­¡± Casey said, shaking her head. ¡°She¡¯s locked in a cage.¡± ¡°Just let them go,¡± I pleaded for Enzo. He looked uncertain but he didn¡¯t argue with me; he nced down at a waiting Ethan and warriors and nodded to them to back off. They did as hemanded, stepping away from Casey and Charlie. ¡°Get out of here,¡± Enzo murmured to the rogues who didn¡¯t hesitate to stand and run toward the doorway. Casey stopped once she reached the door and her eyes met mine; we held the eye contact for a moment before Charlie appeared at the doorway again. ¡°Are youing or not?¡± He growled at her. She nodded at him and finally turned and left the barn. Enzo grabbed a rock from the ground outside before running at the locked cage and busting the door open. I stepped back as he did so, and a flood of relief poured from me once that door was open, and Enzo was holding me in his arms. I buried my face in my chest, taking in his scent and basking in hisplete warmth. Everything about him was so perfect and all I wanted was to be cradled in his arms and loved by him for eternity. His lips touched the top of my head, and he buried his face in my hair, taking in my every scent as I took in his. ¡°You smell like Wolfsbane,¡± he whispered against me. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring you to the pack doctor.¡± I nodded to him, not wanting to let him go and also not fully trusting my voice. He took my shoulders and pulled me away from him; I couldn¡¯t help the small whimper that escaped my lips. I saw the small smile in his eyes, but his face was very serious. ¡°Tell me who did this to you, L. Who locked you in here?¡± He asked. As the memories surfaced in my mind, tears filled my eyes, and I bit my bottom lip to keep from sobbing. He remained still and continued to stare into my eyes. ¡°Tell me,¡± he ordered calmly and softly. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and opened my mouth to speak. He leaned in so he could hear the soft words that I spoke. ¡°It was¡­. Professor Xander.¡± Chapter 227 Chapter 227 L¡¯s POV ¡°Well, L. You were given arge amount of wolfsbane but not enough where we need to drain you. I think with proper rest and water intake, it¡¯ll take care of itself,¡± Dr. Ryan, one of the pack Doctors, said after he finished examining me. He poked me with needles and gave me some antibiotics; he ran numerous scans and tests as well. By the time he finished, hours had gone by, and I was utterly exhausted. I wasn¡¯t able to sleep much at the hospital because I was so worried about Enzo. Enzo, Ethan, and Jake had gone to the academy to take care of the Xander problem. He had told me on our way to the hospital, that Hazel was able to uncover what was inside of the protein mix. It was Wolfsbane. Which means Xander had been poisoning me this entire time; but for reasons I was unsure of. Until he returned, he told me to stay in the hospital to be monitored and get some rest. But rest wasn¡¯ting easy to me. ¡°Any word on Enzo yet?¡± I found myself asking Dr. Ryan as he drew a little more blood from me. ¡°Not yet. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine,¡± Dr. Ryan said, ncing up at me. ¡°He¡¯s a strong wolf and can handle himself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°But I fear that Xander might have some extra power on his side.¡± ¡°Extra power?¡± Dr. Ryan asked, raising his brows. How could I exin to this doctor that I had suspicions that Sarah, a mean girl at my school, can manipte minds and that I think she¡¯s helping Professor Xander for whatever reason? I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t exin that, and I wouldn¡¯t, so I just sighed and shook my head sadly. ¡°He¡¯s just powerful,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t want Enzo getting hurt.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dr. Ryan said gently. ¡°I¡¯m going to run another test with this blood. Do you need anything while I¡¯m away? I can have the nurses bring you food.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry,¡± I told him, wrapping my arms around my body like I was cold, but I wasn¡¯t cold. Just a little ufortable and want Enzo more than anything. Wrapping my arms around my body was like I was holding myself together. ¡°I¡¯ll have them bring you something anyway. It¡¯ll be good if you ate, and Alpha will kill me if he returns, and you¡¯ve lost weight.¡± I smiled my thanks to him, though I knew it wasn¡¯t going to reach my eyes. I was soon left alone with only my thoughts to keep mepany. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV It was early enough in the morning that the sun hadn¡¯t woken yet, and early enough where no students were awake. Besides the vampires that is; but there didn¡¯t seem to be that many at this school. I was d for that because I didn¡¯t need an audience to witness what I was about to do. Ethan and Jake trailed behind me as we walked through the ghostly campus and toward the arena. There was a good chance he wasn¡¯t even there; he could be at his faculty house. Or if he was anything like me, he¡¯d get to the arena before dawn so he could train before he spends the day training others. I was right; he was in the arena training with some practice dummies. He looked like a smug asshole and even when he saw me approaching, he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°What can I do for you Al¡ª¡± Before he could finish his sentence, I swung at him and punched him square in the face. A trickle of blood left his lips as he red at me. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?!¡± Xander seethed. ¡°Youe into my arena¡ª¡± ¡°This will never be your arena,¡± I growled, keeping my tone low and threatening. ¡°After what you did, you¡¯ll be lucky if you ever see the outside world again.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me, Alpha?¡± Xander asked with a little humor in his eyes. I couldn¡¯t help myself; I punched him again. I already called Tiffany Prescott to the arena, waking her from her sleep. I was expecting her to show up at any moment, but until then, I wanted to have a little fun with it. ¡°It¡¯s a promise,¡± I growled. ¡°You can¡¯t prove that I did shit,¡± he seethed through his teeth. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Ethan said, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°So, if we go through your things we won¡¯t find the same protein mix you gave L? The one that contains wolfbane?¡± His face fell and I saw the color draining from his features. ¡°There¡¯s a reason behind it.¡± ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to hear it; I don¡¯t give a shit what your reason is,¡± I said, a mockingugh escaping my lips. ¡°What I want to know is who the fuck you are working for and what they want.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not working for anybody,¡± Xander said through his tightened jaw. ¡°I¡¯d like to believe you, Xander¡­ but frankly I don¡¯t,¡± I growled. ¡°Now, you are going to pay for what you did and if you don¡¯t give up your leader, I will make you pay double.¡± Before Xander could speak another word, Tiffany Prescott¡¯s voice sounded through the arena. ¡°What is going on here?¡± I turned to see her walking toward us; even this early in the morning, before sunrise, she managed to get fully dressed and appear as if she had juste out of a business meeting. I called her not long before arrived to have her meet us in the arena and it sounded as if I had just woken her. She stopped in front of us, folding her arms across her chest and her attention was fully on me now. ¡°What is going on?¡± She asked again, tapping her foot impatiently. ¡°I need to take Xander into my custody,¡± I exined to her. ¡°I have Alpha Bastien¡¯s permission.¡± Her frown deepened. ¡°Can I ask why you are taking away my professor?¡± She asked, raising her perfectly trimmed brows. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Before I could say a word, Ethan was stepping toward her with the reports from the researcher. ¡°Your professor has been poisoning your students with wolfsbane and we have reason to believe he was involved in the kidnapping of one of your students as well,¡± Ethan said, his voice calm and I appreciated him for that. Tiffany gasped as she grabbed the reports from his hands and stared at them. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± She asked, her eyes wide as she read the reports. ¡°I¡¯m sure if we were to go through this stuff, we¡¯d find the same mix we tested in his possession,¡± Ethan said in return. Tiffany nced up at him and he gave her a wary look before ncing at Jake and nodding at him. Jake went to Xander¡¯s stuff that he left scattered in the corner of the arena, much like I used to do, and pulled open the bag. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± Xander growled but before he could move in Jake¡¯s direction, both Ethan and I grabbed each of his arms and held him in ce. He might have been strong, but he wasn¡¯t a match for either of us. Tiffany¡¯s eyes remained glued on Jake as she waited for him to uncover the mix. Once he did, she gasped and took a step back. ¡°Which students have been affected by this?¡± She asked, her voice small. ¡°As far as we know, only L,¡± I answered. ¡°Which is why her father, Alpha Bastien, is also involved. L was found locked in an abandoned barn, caged like an animal and she told me that it was Professor Xander that had put her there.¡± This made Tiffany gasp again as she red at Xander. ¡°Tell me this isn¡¯t true.¡± ¡°I have my reasons,¡± he seethed. ¡°Get him out of my face,¡± she ordered, ncing at Ethan who nodded. ¡°dly,¡± he said, taking out a pair of silver cuffs. I was expecting Xander to fight Ethan as he put the cuffs around his wrists, but he didn¡¯t. I released Xander and allowed Jake to help Ethan. We drove to the school so we could take him back in the car without any issues. I was about to follow them out of the arena, but Tiffany stopped me. ¡°Can we talk in my office, Alpha?¡± I frowned but I nodded, turning back to Ethan. ¡°Get him out of here and alert Bastien that we have him in custody. I¡¯ll meet you back at the packhouse.¡± Ethan nodded and did exactly as I asked with Jake trailing behind him. I turned back to Tiffany who had a worried look on her face. ¡°Lead the way,¡± I said, motioning for the doorway. I followed Tiffany out of the arena and to the School Board building where their offices and the school courtroom are. Tiffany¡¯s office was on the top floor, and she had the perfect view of the entire campus from her office. It was also the biggest office on the campus with marble flooring and arge ss desk. She sat down at her desk and motioned for one of thefortable-looking, salmon-colored, seats in front of the desk. They each had designer, light pink and white, cushions and gave the office a nice homey feeling. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± she finally said after a short pause. ¡°I had no idea he was like that. He seemed too genuine when I hired him¡­.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known,¡± I assured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°Is L well?¡± She asked and I could hear the concern in her voice. ¡°Yes; she¡¯s resting and will make a full recovery,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Alpha Bastien sent you here instead ofing here himself,¡± she said, a timid frown on her face. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more focused on your pack and your duties and not be tending to his.¡± ¡°Alpha Bastien has not only be a close friend to me but also a mentor. Whenever he calls to ask for help, I would never hesitate. In this case, he knows that I know this school better, and I¡¯ve encountered Xander in the past. I¡¯m also closer to the school and could get here faster.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she breathed thoughtfully. ¡°Thank goodness for you. I¡¯m d you got to her on time. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of anything happening to that sweet girl¡­¡± She paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to happen to any of my students. But L is special¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I understand where you areing from.¡± She gave me a small smile. ¡°Now that Xander is gone¡­I might have to cancelbat and shifting as a course,¡± she sighed. ¡°What?¡± I gasped. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to hire another professor on such short notice,¡± she said sadly, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what else to do. The course might have to just continue next year once I can hire someone.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen. These students don¡¯t deserve to have to take this same course again next year.¡± ¡°What more can I do?¡± She asked raising her brows. ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± I heard myself saying before I could stop myself. ¡°I¡¯ll return as a professor, but only for the rest of this year. Chapter 228 Chapter 228 L¡¯s POV ¡°Hey, L Bean. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Dad!¡± I said happily as my father walked into the hospital room. I wasn¡¯t expecting him to be here, but I was so d he was. He came over to my bedside and wrapped his arms around me, holding me in a tight embrace. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Still feel a little weak from the wolfsbane and my wolf is still sleeping. But I feel her there, so she¡¯s notpletely gone,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m hoping she will wake with due time like Dr. Ryan said.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Why didn¡¯t you tell us you were having issues with your professor?¡± My father asked, sitting down beside me. I could see the concern in his eyes, and it tugged at my heart. ¡°I wanted to handle things on my own. I didn¡¯t want to worry anyone. But how did you know I was having issues before tonight?¡± He sighed and took my hands in his. ¡°Enzo told me about the wolfbane they found in your mix,¡± my father went on to exin. ¡°Dr. Ryan finished telling me that you had some pretty bad and old bruises all over your body that haven¡¯t healed yet because of the wolfbane. It¡¯s to be assumed that this has been an ongoing issue.¡± My father knew me so well and I felt tears prickling at the corner of my eyes. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to worry anyone,¡± I said again in a much softer tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you sooner.¡± ¡°You could have been seriously hurt if Enzo hadn¡¯t found you when he did. Things could have gotten worse,¡± he said, keeping his tone calm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said to him, burying my face in the side of his body and feeling the warmth of my father nketing around me. I didn¡¯t realize I was cold until this moment; until I felt his warmth soothing me and my entire body stopped trembling and calmed. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I know you are,¡± he said, holding me tightly. ¡°I¡¯m just d you are safe now. I just got word from Enzo that he has Xander in custody and is heading back here soon.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to him?¡± I found myself asking, peering up at my father¡¯s stern face. ¡°We are going to question him and find out who he¡¯s working for. It¡¯s clear he¡¯s after you because you¡¯re a Vna, but the game he¡¯s been ying with you seems strange. There has to be a reason behind it.¡± ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t tell you anything?¡± I asked, worry evident in my voice. My father sighed and tried to give me a reassuring smile. ¡°That¡¯s not an option,¡± he told me. ¡°We are just going to take it one step at a time for right now.¡± I nodded, burying my face back in the side of his body. ¡°How¡¯s mom doing?¡± I asked, remembering that she wasst seen in Enzo¡¯s mother¡¯s vige and keeping them protected while Hazel recovered here in the hospital. As far as I knew, Hazel was still in the hospital. ¡°She¡¯s still helping Diana and the others fix and protect the vige,¡± he said, a worried look in his eyes. ¡°And are you okay?¡± I asked, a frown decorating my lips. He sighed but he nodded. ¡°I just miss her; I don¡¯t like being away from her for this long, but I have my duties to take care of and I won¡¯t be much help to them,¡± he answered, shaking his head sadly. ¡°Once Hazel is healed, she will be able to return to the vige and then mom can return home to you,¡± I assured him, putting my hand on top of his and giving him a reassuring smile. He returned the smile and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Hazelter to see how she¡¯s doing,¡± my dad said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be sticking around this pack for a bit because I¡¯d like to question Xander for myself.¡± ¡°How long is a bit?¡¯¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. As long as it takes to get the answers we need,¡± he exined. ¡°Aiden is in charge of the Nova pack during my absence, but Enzo told me I can stay in one of the guest rooms.¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Before I could say anything more, the door of the room opened, and Dr. Ryan entered. He paused when he saw my father but then he smiled and bowed his head in respect. ¡°Hello, Alpha,¡± Dr. Ryan said politely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt. I was justing here to say that the wolfbane seems it be making its way out of L¡¯s body on its own and no further measurements will be needed, thankfully.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news,¡± my father said with arge smile. ¡°Will she be able to return home soon?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s also what I wasing here to say. I was going to suggest to her waiting for Alpha Enzo¡¯s return, but seeming you are you, I supposed you can take her home,¡± Dr. Ryan said. My father nodded. ¡°Absolutely,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± Dr. Ryan nodded and then turned his attention to me. ¡°Drink plenty of water and get some rest,¡± he ordered me. I nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to him. Once he was gone, my father grabbed the clothes the nurses had washed for me and brought them to me. I was currently wearing a hospital gown that I couldn¡¯t wait to get out of. ¡°Are you going to see Hazel before we leave?¡± I asked him. He nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered out loud. ¡°I think it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± I said in return. ¡°I¡¯d like to see her as well.¡± My father turned away so I could finish getting dressed and once I was done, I wobbly stood to my feet. Thankfully, he was there to catch me as I tipped over. I was much weaker than I thought I was. ¡°Hold on,¡± my father said, helping me sit down in one of the chairs and as he left the room for only a moment. He returned with a wheelchair. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Iined. ¡°Just until we get to my car,¡± he said, giving me a stern and fatherly look. I stifled a groan and allowed him to help me into the chair. Once I was seated, he wheeled me into the hallway and toward Hazel¡¯s room. She was only a few doors away and when we got to her door, my father knocked until he heard her faint voice permitting him to enter. Hazel sat up in her bed, staring at the doorway as entered with a polite and yet worried smile on her face. I was astonished by the bruising on her face and the paleness of her features, but I wasn¡¯t going to say anything about it. ¡°I can see from your aura that you are a powerful Alpha,¡± Hazel said, looking up at my father through her swollen eyes. ¡°I am Alpha Bastien,¡± he said, bowing his head politely to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯te to see you sooner.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you were very busy, Alpha,¡± she said in return. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe at all.¡± ¡°I wanted to make sure you were doing okay,¡± my father said gently. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting better each day. The doctors here are very kind and good at their jobs. The swelling has gone down a lot and I can see out my eyes again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that,¡± my father said. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°No, Alpha. But I appreciate your kindness.¡± He nodded his head to her. But then her eyes shed to me. ¡°Keep yourself safe, child. I have a terrible feeling that something awful is approaching. Something dark.¡± I raised my brows at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s approaching?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. But I know it involves you and whatever happened tonight thatnded you here. I know it¡¯s not over and that it¡¯s only beginning.¡± My heart weighed heavily in my chest, and I had to take a deep and steady breath to center myself. ¡°She has a lot of people around to protect her,¡± my father said, ncing in my direction. ¡°We won¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡± Hazel smiled, but it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°We should go though. L needs to get some rest so she can heal, and you should rest too,¡± my father said to her, squeezing her hand before releasing it. ¡°Be safe,¡± she said to us both just before we left. We walked out of the hospital in silence and when we reached his car, I wanted to ask what she meant by all that, but I could see the firmness on my father¡¯s face, and I knew he wasn¡¯t going to tell me the answers even if he happened to know them. The car ride to the Calypso pack was quiet. I helped my father settle into the guest room before going into the kitchen to grab some food from Dee. I hadn¡¯t eaten all day and night, and I was starving. Though I was still extremely worried for Enzo, I needed to eat something so my stomach didn¡¯t eat itself. My father joined me in the kitchen, and we ate a small meal with Dee who happily talked our ears off about her day, trying to get our minds off everything that had happened. I¡¯m sure Enzo and Ethan had already filled her in on everything. Our talking soon silenced when I heard the light engine of a car just outside the packhouse and a knot formed tightly in my stomach. I looked at my father who was looking in the direction of the main foyer before he stood to his feet. ¡°Seems our guest has arrived,¡± he said casually as he began his way to greet them. I looked at Dee who exchanged my worried look before I went to follow my father to the main foyer. We both stood there as the doors opened and Ethan came walking in with a couple of warriors, including Jack, trailing behind him. In this grasp, cuffed, standing before me was none other than Professor Xander. Our eyes met and he gave me a glowering smile. Chapter 229 Chapter 229 L¡¯s POV ¡°Where¡¯s Alpha Enzo?¡± My father asked as soon as he saw Ethan. I waspletely frozen and unable to move as I looked up at Professor Xander. His eyes never left mine and I saw a hint of humor in his gaze. His smile sent an rming chill down my spine, and it took everything I had not to turn and run screaming for the hills. But I wasn¡¯t going to give in to that fear; I wasn¡¯t going to show him my weakness. ¡°He will be here shortly,¡± Ethan went on to exin. ¡°The headmaster of the academy wanted to speak with him and he told us to go on without him.¡± My father stepped in front of Xander, closing the small gap between them. ¡°We have a lot of questions for you,¡± my father said between his teeth. ¡°You have a lot to answer for.¡± ¡°You can ask away¡­ doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to answer them,¡± Xander, very boldly, said in return. My father scoffed, shaking his head, he looked at Jake. ¡°Take him downstairs to the interrogation room,¡± he ordered. Jake nodded without a single thought and dragged Xander from the room. Xander didn¡¯t bother struggling; probably because he was no match for Jake and his warriors. ¡°I have questions for him too,¡± I said, looking up at my father. ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll get all the answers we need. But I don¡¯t want you anywhere near the dungeon,¡± my father said firmly, cing his hand on my shoulder. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be the Luna of this pack, I¡¯m going to need to be able to question our prisoners,¡± I said, folding my arms across my chest. I know I sounded ridiculous, but I didn¡¯t like being kept in the dark. ¡°A good Luna knows when to stay away from a situation,¡± my father said, his frown deepening. ¡°Especially when the situation puts her in immediate danger. You heard Hazel¡¯s warning. I¡¯m not taking any chances.¡± Categories Search¡­ He was right and I knew Enzo would agree with him too. ¡°You should get some rest; ording to Dr. Ryan, you haven¡¯t slept much,¡± my father said. I sighed, but I nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ but if you see Enzo can you have hime see me?¡± I asked. My father smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course, L Bean,¡± he said. I hugged him tightly before heading upstairs and to Enzo¡¯s bedroom. ¡­.. Enzo¡¯s POV I returned to my pack in my wolf form within 15 minutes of leaving the school. My conversation with Tiffany Prescott was still in my mind as I entered the borders of the Calypso pack and was greeted by my warriors. I instantly smelled the lovely scent of L as soon as I was in range, though I could still smell the foul scent of wolfsbane coursing through her veins. It was infuriating that something like this happened right under my nose. I wasn¡¯t going to let anyone get away with this injustice. Bastien mindlinked me to tell me that he was at the packhouse with L and that she wanted to see me when I returned, but I seriously wanted to kick some ass before I went to see her. I knew Bastien and Ethan were probably already in the interrogation room with Xander. I barged in to see Xander strapped to a chair; he still had silver cuffs on and his face was bruised from being punched. Bastien was standing over him with a fierce and deadly look in his eyes; anger seeping from his flesh as he fought to keep his wolf under control. I couldn¡¯t me him; Max was fighting me to release him so he can beat this asshole into the ground and rip his head off his shoulders. ¡°Good of you to join us, Alpha,¡± Bastien said, ncing in my direction only briefly. ¡°I had to take care of some stuff,¡± I said in return, my eyes never leaving Xanders. ¡°Had to figure out how we were going to rece this jerk because there¡¯s no way in hell he¡¯s ever allowed back at that school.¡± ¡°And did you figure it out?¡± Bastien asked. I nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered out loud. ¡°What have we found out here?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± Ethan admitted, seemingly annoyed. ¡°He won¡¯t speak about who sent him.¡± ¡°I had given my own,¡± Xander seethed through his teeth. ¡°You should know that an oath cannot be broken.¡± ¡°You almost killed my daughter,¡± Bastien hissed, his eyes glowing auburn. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s stupidity almost got her killed and if she doesn¡¯t shape up it¡¯ll get her killed again,¡± Xander growled in return. This time it was Ethan who had punched him in the face. ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Ethan growled, fury rising through him. ¡°You have no idea what you are talking about.¡± ¡°I know more than you do¡­ beta,¡± Xander said in a low and threatening tone with blood pooling in his mouth. Looking at him made me sick. ¡°Tell us who sent you and your death will be quick and easy,¡± I said, stepping toward them. ¡°And if I don¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure you feel every agonizing pain and make your death long, and slow,¡± I said, my tone darkening with each word I spoke. ¡°You are wasting your time,¡± Xander seethed. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you shit.¡± ¡°Wrong answer,¡± I growled, still keeping my tone low. At this point, the ws of my wolf broke through the flesh of my human and swiped at Xander, slicing through the soft flesh of his cheek and drawing out an assessive amount of blood. He screamed out in pain and agony as blood dripped from his wound. I grabbed his shirt cor and made him look at me so he could see how pissed off I truly was. ¡°Lies will always surface,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°Yours are no different.¡± I stepped away from him, looking at Ethan and the warriors that stood behind him. ¡°Beat him until he talks,¡± I muttered, turning on my heel and walking towards the doorway. I shut the door behind me, but not before listening to his frantic screams and his pleas for help. He deserves this, I keep telling myself. He deserves everythinging to him and more. Before I went upstairs and to my bedroom, I went into the bathroom and took a shower first. I had a bit of blood on my clothing and hands from punching and scratching Xander, and I didn¡¯t think that was something L would want to see. I didn¡¯t really get a proper chance to speak to L since finding her in the barn and I didn¡¯t want her to be frightened of me upon seeing me. But once I was cleaned and changed, I went straight to my bedroom where I knew L would be sleeping. Or at least trying to sleep; I could feel her restlessness and it tugged painfully at my heart. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that when I got into the room, she sat straight up and looked at me through her large and beautiful eyes. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she breathed, giving me a relieved smile. ¡°I thought sensed you¡­ but I wasn¡¯t sure.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the wolfbane. Once it¡¯s out of your system for good you¡¯ll get your senses back,¡± I assured her as I went to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers. ¡°How are you feeling.¡± ¡°Better now that you¡¯re here¡­¡± she said, snuggling against my arm. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me. She feltfortable in my arms and instantly rxed into me. ¡°Did you see him?¡± She asked softly, burying her face in my side. I knew who she was talking about so I went ahead and answered her. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, swallowing hard. ¡°He won¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°I want to ask him questions, but my father won¡¯t let me in the interrogation room,¡± she murmured. ¡°And I agree with him; you shouldn¡¯t be there,¡± I said, shaking my head and holding her close. ¡°I figured you¡¯d agree with him,¡± she muttered; I had to fight to hide my grin. ¡°I wanted to ask him why he chose me¡­. was it because I¡¯m a Vna wolf? I wanted to ask why he was training me like he was preparing me for something¡­ what was the point of all of this?¡± ¡°I think for starters we need to find out who sent him. The rest of those answers wille in due time,¡± I assured her gently. ¡°Try not to stress too much about it right now.¡± ¡°I need to go back to the school¡­ I can¡¯t miss any more ss,¡± she said peering up at me. ¡°I agree. I¡¯ll take you back tonight. For today, I need you to sleep. Your sses were excused for the day because of everything that happened.¡± She looked at me for a moment longer, eyeing me carefully before cing her head back down on my chest. ¡°So, I¡¯ll be able to return to ss tomorrow?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes; we both need to report to the school tomorrow,¡± I told her, a little hesitantly. She lifted her gaze to meet mine again. ¡°Both of us?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together. I sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I agreed to help out for the rest of the semester as the Professor for Shifting and Combat,¡± I exined. Her mouth dropped open at my words. ¡°Y¡­ you¡¯re going to be my professor again?¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Chapter 230 Chapter 230 L¡¯s POV Once Enzo and I had spoken, I was finally able to sleep. He was returning as a professor, and I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t a little worried about it. I was nervous that somehow, we would be found out. I meanst time he was my professor we weren¡¯t nning on a future together. Yeah, we were mates, but he was going to reject me after graduation, and it wasn¡¯t going to be anything more. That was before our trip to Monstro, and everything changed. That was before I realized my true feelings for him and gave him a part of myself that I could never get back, nor would I want back. That was before he marked me, and I had to walk around hiding the very mark I was so proud of. I wished I could wear it loud and proud, so everyone knew who I belonged to and who belonged to me. But I couldn¡¯t do any of those things. I had to keep our love in the dark and it was going to be torture for me. It was doable when he wasn¡¯t a professor, and I could just go about my day, but now he was going to be at the school all the time. Teachers and students were going to flirt with him as they always did, and I was going to have to keep my mouth shut. It was such a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn¡¯t help being worried. But as Iy beside my mate and peered up at his beautiful, sleeping face, I had no worries at that moment and that was enough to calm me to sleep. And sleep, I did. ¡­¡­ I only slept for a few hours because I didn¡¯t want to screw up my sleep schedule too much. I¡¯ll be able to sleep once I get back to school tonight. Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. The packhouse was ghostly quiet when I emerged from Enzo¡¯s room; Enzo wasn¡¯t in bed when I woke up, so I assumed he was interrogating Xander with the others. I wondered if he got any answers from him or if the entire thing was bing pointless. Categories Search¡­ Dee was in the kitchen and the smell of delicious food made its way to my senses. She gave me a large smile. ¡°I was just making dinner for the pack. Care to help?¡± She asked, peering over at me. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, grabbing an apron off the rack and joining her at the counter. ¡°Good; can you chop those veggies on the cutting board?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, grabbing arge knife and chopping the veggies. ¡°I hear Hazel might be well enough to return home,¡± Dee said, ncing at me sideways. ¡°Which means your mother will be relieved of her duties there soon.¡± ¡°Knowing my mom, she will probably stick around a little longer once she¡¯s sure they no longer need her,¡± I chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s something she¡¯d do.¡± Dee chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± she said in return. ¡°I have faith that pretty soon you¡¯ll be able to rest easy knowing that all these bad guys who have been out to get you are locked away and out of reach.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± I murmured as I continued to chop the veggies. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just a little worried about who sent Xander to me. There has to be some kind of big boss that put him up to this. Maybe someone Paul was working with¡­ or working for.¡± The thought left me unsettled; I thought Paul was the one we had to be worried about but now it seems like there¡¯s another. ¡°Enzo isn¡¯t going to let anything happen to you. Especially now that he¡¯s back at that school. He¡¯s going to be keeping a watchful eye on you.¡± ¡°How did you know he was returning to school?¡± I asked, raising my brows. We had only just spoken about this yesterday and I didn¡¯t realize Enzo had the chance to talk to many others. ¡°I saw him earlier before he went downstairs to speak to our guest,¡± Dee said, a grim look on her face as she said the word ¡°guest.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said; I was bing lost in thought again as I continued to wonder who sent Xander and what exactly they were looking for. ¡°Try not to overthink things dears,¡± she said gently. ¡°Things have a funny way of working out.¡± I nodded and smiled. Dinner was ready within the hour and by the time we were cing everything in the dining hall, my stomach was angrily growling. Dee sent a mindlink to the pack telling them that dinner was ready and soon the entire dining hall was flooded with pack members. I grabbed a te for myself and helped myself to some food before joining Dee in the kitchen where it was a bit quieter. I sat at the counter and ate my food slowly; she ate her food as well and we continued to have a light conversation about nothing in particr. It was nice to feel casual and not be pressured into talking about the things that had happened. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to think about right now. Soon, Enzo and my father joined us in the kitchen with their tes of food. ¡°Dinner smells delicious, Dee,¡± Enzo said, sitting down beside me and giving me a gentle kiss. I knew he had just showered from the calm and soapy smell of his body. He did the same thing this morning too before he joined me in bed and took a couple-hour nap considering we were awake all night. I wondered if he showered because he was covered in Xander¡¯s blood, and he didn¡¯t want me to see it. ¡°L helped,¡± Dee said with a proud smile as she winked at me. ¡°She gets her cooking skills from her mother,¡± my father said, also giving me a proud smile ¡°Great job, sweetie.¡± I smiled my thanks to him. The four of us talked for a bit longer while we ate and then we all fell silent as we finished eating. By the time dinner was over, I helped Dee clear the tes in the dining hall and clean all the dishes. She had staff to help her as well, but I really wanted to give her my helping hand considering I was going to be the pack¡¯s luna eventually. When everything was all clean, Enzo and I said our goodbyes and we left for the academy. ¡°Keep trying to get answers out of him,¡± Enzo instructed my father who nodded in agreement. ¡°Keep me updated as well. I¡¯ll be back this weekend.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± my father said, shaking his hand. When we got back to the school, it was just before curfew, and I was relieved that I wasn¡¯t going to get in trouble again. I hadn¡¯t even told Enzo that I got in trouble thest time he dropped me offte and how Alpha Johnathan was the one who basically saved me from that. Enzo parked the car and turned off his headlights as he looked at me. ¡°Things have to be a bit different this time around,¡± he said, and I saw the seriousness on his face. I nodded to him, knowing exactly what he meant. ¡°We have to be careful,¡± I said, trying to keep the worry out of my voice. ¡°And we will be,¡± he said, touching the side of my face gently. By instinct, I leaned into his touch. I felt the electric current from his fingertips, causing my flesh to tingle with excitement. I bit onto my bottom lip to keep from making any ridiculous sounds, but his touch was just so amazing. His very presence made my heart quickly I must be stupid if I thought this was going to be easy. He could read that very emotion on my face too because he was soon leaning in and kissing me gently on the lips. At first, the kiss was gentle, but then it deepened, and his tongue glided into my mouth, swirling around my tongue. He kissed me with such hunger and passion it took my entire breath away. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself close to him until he took the initiative and pulled me onto hisp. He bit my bottom lip, hungrily drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it gently before devouring my lips. I chuckled against him as I continued to kiss him and run my fingers through his dark hair. He broke the kiss from my lips and trialed his mouth down the nape of my neck. He kissed the sweet spot he had marked, and it sent goosebumps to attack my skin. He ran his fingers down the side of my neck, brushing my long hair out of the way as he continued to kiss down my shoulders and across my chest. I grinded my hips against him, feeling him grow hard within his jeans and it only made my flesh burn with desire. His eyes darkened as my body warmed. A growl escaped from his throat, and I swear I saw the eyes of his wolf shining through, itching to be released. I kissed him deeply, exploring his mouth with my tongue curiously and tasting everything, he had to offer. It was he who pulled away too soon, leaving me breathless and irritated. ¡°They gave me back my faculty house,¡± he breathed as I trailed my lips down the side of my neck. ¡°Okay?¡± I murmured against him, feeling his body through his shirt with my hands. ¡°We should go there together¡­¡± he said, causing me to freeze as I looked at him with wide eyes. I saw the desires twinkling in his eyes. ¡°If we are going to be more careful and not get caught, we probably shouldn¡¯t do this in the car in the parking lot in front of the dorms,¡± he went on to exin. I was suddenly feeling warm for a whole different reason as I started to pull off him. But he kept his hands firmly on my waist keeping me in ce as he kissed the side of my mouth slowly. ¡°I also want to rip your clothes off,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯d like to do that in bed¡­ Chapter 231 Chapter 231 L¡¯s POV Enzo shut the door behind us as we entered his small house just outside the student campus. The faculty lived in a separate neighborhood where all the houses basically touched one another. Enzo got the house in the farthest corner, closer to the forest, so he was more hidden. I had snuck here a couple of timesst year, but I never went inside his house. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but I didn¡¯t think it would look so modern. Stepping into the house, I was immediately inside his living room, which consisted of a long couch where the ends reclined, and they had nice decorative pillows. In front of the couch was a ss coffee table with a couple of books lying on top. There was a tscreen TV hanging on the wall with a couple of pictures of what looked like the goddess. I¡¯vee to know from being at this school that there will be pictures of the goddess in random ces. Nobody really knows for sure what she looks like, so most of these pictures are what people think she would look like. Attached to the living room was a small kitchen with updated appliances and a small table in the corner, big enough to only fit two. There was a door on the far side of the living room that assumed was either a bathroom or a closet. Without saying anything, Enzo took my hand and led me down a narrow hallway where I noticed even more doors. There were about 3 other doors, one of which was opened a crack and I saw therge wooden desk with a desktopputer and aptop sitting beside it. There were rows of bookshelves upying the walls and behind the desk I noticed arge window overlooking the beautiful forest. I¡¯m assuming the other closed door beside his obvious at-home office was the guest bedroom. We finally reached the end of the hall where he pulled open his bedroom door and I stepped inside the warm and inviting space. He had a firece on the far side of the house with a pile of wood right beside it. There was arge king-sized bed that was already made with silk bedding with a mixture of reds and gold to match the curtain drapes on the window and arge wool rug that sat on the dark wood flooring. He had wooden dressers and arge wooden wardrobe. Categories Search¡­ It reminded me of a room I¡¯d find in a log cabin. ¡°I like the firece,¡± I said, standing at the doorway and tugging at my fingers nervously. I wasn¡¯t sure why I was suddenly nervous, but I was having trouble finding the words to say. ¡°The room doesn¡¯t get a lot of heat,¡± he exined. He turned to face me, a small frown on his face, but then the frown turned into a smile as realized crossed his beautifully dark eyes. ¡°I forget that you¡¯ve never actually been in here before,¡± he said, stepping closer to me. ¡°I swung by here after my meeting with Headmaster Prescott so I could make sure everything was clean and make the bed. Ethan will be swinging by tomorrow to bring me the rest of my stuff.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful in here,¡± I said, stepping even closer to him, closing the small gap that sat between us. He gave me a lopsided grin as he ran his fingers down the side of my face, brushing the strand of hair that fell over my eyes and tucking it behind my ear. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful in here,¡± he said in return, his voice dropping to a low whisper. I couldn¡¯t help butugh at his corny line which made his cheeks grow a strange shade of pink, which only made meugh even more. He was cute when he was embarrassed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him, wanting to be as close as I could possibly be. He bent down and his lips touched mine, sending my heart into overdrive. I thought it was going to beat out of my chest. A world of color exploded around me as he deepened the kiss; his soft tongue explored my mouth and wrapped itself with my tongue. I loved how he tasted, and I loved how I felt in his arms. I never wanted this moment to end. He pulled me toward his bed while simultaneously taking off his shirt and throwing it to the ground beside us. I ran my fingers down his incredible abs; his body was amazing, and it made my mouth water with desire. I couldn¡¯t help myself; I ran my tongue down his chest and across his washboard torso. As I reached his waistline, I began to unbutton his jeans and pull them down his legs, along with his boxers, revealing his manhood to me. I ran my fingers down the sides of his legs as I took in his glorious figure. I looked up at him and saw the excitement and desires in his own eyes, which made me smile. I liked having this kind of effect on him. I kissed the tip of his manhood before running my tongue across it. He let out a low growl that emerged from his throat as he threw his head back. I took him in my mouth, swirling my tongue around him and running my grip up and down his shaft. His fingers found the back of my head and he ran his fingers through my hair as I continued to take him in. His hips jerked almost violently like he was trying hard to keep his wolf under control. If my wolf was even awake, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d have trouble keeping her under control as well. But she was still sleeping due to the assessive amount of wolfbane that was put in my system. Not all of it had been flushed out, therefore Val was still asleep and resting. I brushed the thought of my wolf out of my mind as I heard the soft moans of Enzo who seemed to be near his climax. He took the back of my head with both my hands and pulled himself out of my mouth. I stared up at him confused and I saw the dark desires that lingered in his eyes and the crazed smile on his lips. I stood up and allowed him to take my shirt off, as I shimmed out of my pants, leaving me in only my bra and underwear. At one point, having him see me like this used to make me feel nervous, but I loved the way he looked at me. It made me feel less nervous and more desired and wanted. He scooped me into his arms and threw me on the bed with one quick motion; my heart almost jumped out of my chest. But once Inded, I threw my head back andughed. Though, he didn¡¯t give me a lot of time tough or catch my breath because he was on top of me within seconds. He kissed my lips with hunger and lust filling each passionate movement. He bit onto my bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it like it belonged to him. Who was I kidding? I did belong to him. He was everything to me and at this moment, I truly felt like I was everything to him. I could almost hear the giggles of my wolf as that thought crossed my mind. Obviously, I was everything to him; he did mark me after all. He ran his lips across my chin and down the nape of my neck, nibbling and licking as he went across my shoulders and to my chest. I waited with anticipation as he got my bra off and threw it to the ground with one motion. His tongue circled my nipple while his teeth tugged at it yfully, making them harden within his mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp with my nails as he continued to y and tease my nipples. I felt an electric current coursing through my body, but it didn¡¯t hurt. It felt like a wave of chills that made the hairs on my arms stand and yet I felt so warm and loved at the same time. The way Enzo made me feel was something I couldn¡¯t exin with words. For most of my life, all I wanted was the kind of love that my parents had. I didn¡¯t think that was the kind of love Enzo was capable of and I couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. He slid my underwear off and continued to kiss down my torso until he positioned himself between my legs. I felt the warmth of his breath on my core before he even did anything, but then his tongue began to tease my clit and I couldn¡¯t help the loud moan that escaped my lips. I felt my juices running down my leg as I dug my nails into his silk bedding. I fought to keep up with my breath as he continued to please me with his tongue. I closed my eyes, imagining myself back on the beach in Monstro where we made love. Everything was so magical then and it is magical now. Being with Enzo was magical. My orgasm came quickly and soon I was exploding around him in a pool of desire. He continued to lick my juices for a moment longer before trailing his kisses back up my torso and teasing my pink and hardened nipples. He positioned his manhood between my legs, and I waited eagerly for him to insert himself inside of me. I wanted to feel so much more of him. As he slid inside, I squeezed my eyes shut tight and threw my head back, feeling every incredible ounce of him. He started slowly at first so I could get used to his length, but then he sped up. I moaned and gasped with every thrust he made. I ced my hands on his chest, trying to get him to lie on his back. He did just as I silently instructed because I wanted to be on top of him. He stared up at me with such hunger and love that it turned me on even more. He grabbed at my own breasts as I rode him, grinding and thrusting my hips against his and taking in all of him. I threw my head back as I continued the same motions. I went slowly at first but then sped up. He put his hands on my waist and watched my every movement. His breathing soon thickened, and he began to thrust his own hips to match my movement and I knew at that moment that he was close. I was close too. With only a couple more thrusts, we were both exploding, and I was falling on top of his chest, gasping for breath and dripping with sweat. He cradled me in his arms, as my body grew tired and weak. He kissed the top of my sweat-soaked head, nuzzling his face in my hair. ¡°I love you¡­¡± he whispered against me. ¡°I love you too.¡± I held him tightly and I felt the silk nket being pulled on top of our bodies as he ran his fingers down my spine. I never wanted to let him go. I wanted to stay like this forever. I closed my eyes, feeling exhaustion knocking on the door. His soft words were thest thing I remembered, ¡°Get some sleep my beauty.¡± And sleep I did.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 L¡¯s POV I woke up early the next morning so I could sneak back into my dorm room and change my clothing. I also wanted to shower before my first ss. But when I got back into my room, Rachel was sitting crosslegged on the couch and watching reruns of Friends. She frowned at me as I entered, and I felt my entire face warming up. It was obvious that I had just gotten back from sleeping over someone else¡¯s ce. My clothing was crooked, and my hair was a mess. I was mainly hoping that nobody was going to be awake on my travels to my dorm and I was almost right. She opened her mouth to say something, but then it seemed like she changed her mind because she shook her head as if answering her own question and then turned back to the TV. ¡°We should go to the cafeteria this morning for breakfast before ss,¡± Rachel said, casually. I raised my brows at her and she nced at me sideways. ¡°I think we could both use some coffee,¡± she further exined. I smiled, relieved, and I nodded. ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said in return. ¡°Is Ba awake yet?¡± ¡°No, but she doesn¡¯t usually sleep muchter,¡± she said in return. ¡°I¡¯ll text Brody and have him meet us.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m just going to take a quick shower.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything as I went into my room and grabbed a fresh pair of clothing and undergarments, then I went into the bathroom. The shower felt incredible. After the long night, I had been locked in that barn, this shower was everything I needed. I closed my eyes and allowed the steam to calm my every sense and soothe my body into rxation. I still felt a bit weak from the wolfsbane and there were still no signs of Val returning to me anytime soon. Categories Search¡­ I could still feel her but at the same time, it felt like she was so far away that I couldn¡¯t reach her. My heart tugged for her, and I couldn¡¯t help but me myself. I shouldn¡¯t have been so careless and stupid. It¡¯s not like I trusted Xander, but I didn¡¯t think he would do something this horrific. He was my professor after all. He¡¯s supposed to put his own personal feelings aside and just teach me the damn lesson. At least that¡¯s what I thought. Instead, he had some kind of vendetta against me because I¡¯m a Vna wolf. He was trying to kill me and that was obvious to me now. I shook my head at the thought as the water washed the soap out of my hair. My father was still interrogating Xander; I wondered if he was able to get any answers from him. Xander was working for somebody; I was sure of it. But his motives were unclear; it was like he was trying to prepare me for something in the worst way possible. Like his lessons have been a warning. I sighed and shut off the shower. I grabbed a warm towel off the shelf and wrapped my body in it. As I went over to my foggy mirror, I wiped my hand across it so I could see my appearance. I somehow looked older. My hair was longer, and my face had thinned out slightly. My eyes were still sapphire blue and amethyst purple, but it seemed like they held more wisdom. I looked a lot like my mother, which was an honor because she was beautiful. I smiled to myself as I finished getting dressed. I put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, and then threw my hair up in a messy bun before leaving the bathroom. Ba was already awake and sitting on the couch with Rachel when I emerged from the bathroom. ¡°Wee home,¡± Ba said, peering up at me as I approached them. ¡°Late night?¡± ¡°You could say that,¡± I said, trying not to meet her eyes because my eyes would eventually reveal that I Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. wasn¡¯t beingpletely truthful. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower,¡± she murmured as she stood and went straight to the bathroom. I sighed and sat on the couch beside Rachel whose eyes remained fixed on the TV. ¡°So, are you going to tell us what happenedst night?¡± She finally asked, still not looking at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, trying to appear innocent, but failing miserably. ¡°You didn¡¯te home. We were kind of worried about you,¡± she said, and this time she nced at me. I stared down at myp with a timid frown on my lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, shaking my head but more eat myself than at her. ¡°Brianna needed mest night so I spent the night with her.¡± ¡°Your friend from home?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my best friend,¡± I corrected but agreed with a head nod as I looked at Rachel. ¡°Her mate rejected her recently and she¡¯s been really out of it. So, I spent some time with her.¡± As I spoke those words, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Not only was I lying to my friend in front of her face, but I was also saying things that I should have done but haven¡¯t. I should have spent more time with Brianna after she told me Alex rejected her. I should have been more there for her, but instead, I was wrapped up in my own stuff. Well, actually, it was around the same time Jazzy was kidnapped and Diana¡¯s vige was in trouble. But still, Brianna deserved to have a friend in the corner during this heart-wrenching moment in her life. I didn¡¯t even ask her how her wolf was¡­ I was a terrible friend to her, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep the tears from surfacing in my eyes. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Rachel asked, and now her voice was a lot softer and filled withpassion. ¡°She¡¯s okay¡­¡± I lied; I still continue to lie even after how guilty I feel. What was wrong with me? Not wanting to continue this conversation, I decided to change the subject. ¡°The election is in a couple of days, and I still don¡¯t have a speech prepared,¡± I said, shaking my head in misery. ¡°We can meet up after sses tonight and brainstorm some speech ideas,¡± she suggested. ¡°I¡¯m sure Ba will help. She¡¯s good at this stuff. I¡¯m in hermunications ss and she prepared a speech that got her a standing ovation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± I gasped. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she tell me that?¡± I was a little hurt such a big aplishment wasn¡¯t shared with me. Did Ba think I wouldn¡¯t care? Rachel shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy,¡± she said, looking back at the TV. ¡°One minute you¡¯re here and the next you aren¡¯t.¡± I sighed for what felt like the millionth time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, biting and chewing my bottom lip. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ we just miss you is all,¡± she said, ncing at me briefly with a side smile. ¡°You haven¡¯t even asked about my boyfriend since he left the hospital.¡± My heart fell into my stomach; how had I forgotten about Rache¡¯s boyfriend? He almost died and because of that, Rachel overdosed on drugs because she couldn¡¯t bear the thought of losing him. They had known each other for a long time, and she was so sure he was going to be her mate. She turned 18 over the summer, a month before Brody¡¯s 18(th) birthday, and I haven¡¯t heard much about them since then. But I knew that the thought of losing her mate nearly killed her. But thankfully, her boyfriend managed to survive, and Rachel had to go to a detox for 6 weeks. She was in detox while I was in Monstro with Enzo and her boyfriend was recovering in the hospital. When we returned to school this year, it was discovered that Rachel¡¯s boyfriend had transferred to a different school in another region. So far, Rachel has seemed okay with that. ¡°How is he doing?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I haven¡¯t asked, Rachel. How are you doing with the long distance?¡± She shrugged. ¡°There is no long distance,¡± she muttered. ¡°We broke up over the summer.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I gasped. ¡°While you were in detox?¡± ¡°When I turned 18, I found out he¡¯s not my mate. I didn¡¯t want to keep him around with the chance of him finding his mate and then leaving me. So, yeah¡­ I broke up with him.¡± ¡°Oh, Rachel¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I breathed. She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ Ba was here for me and very kind,¡± she said. ¡°I think that¡¯s how we became true friends.¡± Rachel and Ba haven¡¯t really known each otherst year; maybe in passing. I was d they were close friends currently, but I felt a ping of sadness. ¡°I should have been here,¡± I said, and this time I couldn¡¯t keep the tears from surfacing in my eyes. ¡°I know you have other things going on too. Things you don¡¯t want others to know about,¡± Rachel surprised me by saying. She met my eyes and gave me a small smile. ¡°But just know, if you ever want to tell me about them¡­ I¡¯m here. We¡¯ve been roomies sincest year, L. There¡¯s nothing you need to hide from me¡­¡± My heart clenched; if I couldn¡¯t trust Rachel¡­ and then who could I trust? It might be nice to have someone to talk to, or else I will drive myself insane. But before I could say anything, the bathroom door swung open, and Ba appeared. Her blonde curls soaked from the shower, and she looked a lot more rxed, just as I felt. ¡°Ready to go?¡± She asked, staring between us. ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± Rachel stood up. ¡°Same, and I need coffee. Brody is meeting us there. We have 30 minutes before our first ss so we should go now.¡± We all nodded in agreement, but they both sensed my hesitation. I hadn¡¯t stood from the couch yet; I stared up at the two girls who had been my rock sincest year. Ba was there during all that drama with Sarah in ourbat and shifting ss and she was the first to offer to be my partner. Rachel was there from my very first day as my roommate and always listened to my problems. I always used to listen to them too because they trusted me so much. I hated that I didn¡¯t give them the same courtesy. I bit my lip as I often do when I¡¯m nervous or thinking about something. Rachel and Ba looked at one another with frowns before looking at me. ¡°Are youing,¡± Rachel asked with her dark brows raised. I nodded but remained still. ¡°L, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ba asked, furrowing her blonde brows together. ¡°I have to tell you both something,¡± I heard myself saying. Rachel cocked her head to the side and Ba almost looked nervous, but neither of them said anything, waiting for me to continue. ¡°It¡¯s about Alpha Enzo¡­.¡± ¡°Alpha Enzo?¡± Rachel asked, ncing at Ba sideways before looking at me again. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°Alpha Enzo¡­ he¡¯s my mate. Chapter 233 Chapter 233 L¡¯s POV It felt like we were staring at one another for what felt like an eternity. I wasn¡¯t really sure what more to say, so I just stared down at my hands and tugged at my fingers nervously. ¡°Mates?¡± Rachel was the first to speak. I looked up at them and saw that Ba stood frozen, her face had gone pale. ¡°You¡¯re mates with Alpha Enzo?¡± I nodded my head, feeling a wave of shame crossing my features and making me feel a bit ustrophobic. ¡°How¡­ what¡­. When?¡± Ba stammered through the questions that were surfacing her mind. ¡°Since my birthdayst year,¡± I admitted, finding my voice again. ¡°So, you knew since all ofst year?¡± Rachel asked, her eyes wide. ¡°For most of it,¡± I told them, feeling more shame. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been together¡­ even while he was your professor?¡± Rachel asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°No!¡± I said, standing to my feet. ¡°Nothing happened between us until the summer¡­¡± ¡°The summer?¡± Ba asked, shaking her head as she tried to process this information. ¡°You were in Monstro¡­¡± ¡°Enzo was with me,¡± I said, feeling my face growing hot as my lies began to surface. ¡°I need to sit down,¡± Ba breathed as she leaned against the couch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you¡­¡± I said softly, feeling tears surfacing in my eyes. ¡°So, what are you now? Are you together now that he¡¯s not a professor?¡± I bit my bottom lip again, which made Rachel¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°What?¡± Rachel urged. Categories Search¡­ ¡°He¡¯s back,¡± I said quickly. They both looked at me, startled. ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s back?¡± Rache was the one who asked because Ba was still in shock. ¡°Professor Xander got fired¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°So, Enzo is back for the semester.¡± ¡°Fired?!¡± They both nearly yelled at the same time. ¡°How?¡± Ba managed to ask. ¡°That¡¯s a long story,¡± brushing my fingers through my hair. This wasn¡¯t something I wanted to talk about with them, and I don¡¯t think they could handle anything more. ¡°Okay¡­ so things happened with you two during the summer and now he¡¯s back as your professor. What now?¡± Rachel asked; she sounded a bit calmer now and I realized it was because the shock was now surpassing her. ¡°Well, before we found out he¡¯s going to be teaching again¡­ he kind of¡­ marked me.¡± The shock was back on Rachel¡¯s face as she gasped. ¡°He marked you?¡± She asked, looking at my neck questionably. I nodded and pointed to my shoulder de. ¡°I have it hidden with concealer,¡± I confessed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen¡­ but it did.¡± ¡°So, you two are together?¡± Ba asked, her voice small. I nodded, meeting her eyes. ¡°Yes, we are. He¡¯s my mate and I love him so much, Ba,¡± I could hear the desperation in my voice as I said that. She stared at me for a moment longer before taking a deep breath. ¡°Who else knows about this?¡± She asked. ¡°My family and his family,¡± I told them. ¡°We just told them recently actually. My best friend, Brianna knows as well and¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s why Alpha Enzo and some of his pack members were here to help with the bakesale?¡± Rachel asked as realization dawned on her. I nodded. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°They¡¯ve all been very kind to me. I spend a lot of time there¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where you werest night,¡± Ba said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± My face warmed again as Rachel¡¯s eyes poured into me, but I wasn¡¯t going to lie to her again, so I nodded. I also wasn¡¯t going to tell them the full story about Xander, at least not right now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I said in a whisper. ¡°So, you weren¡¯t with Brianna?¡± Rachel asked, sounding a bit hurt. I shook my head. ¡°I should have been though,¡± I admitted, meeting her eyes. ¡°What I said about her was true. But I wasn¡¯t there when I should have been. I haven¡¯t been a very good friend to any of you. I¡¯ve been so wrapped up in all of this that¡ª¡± ¡°You lost sight of your friends,¡± Ba finished the sentence for me. I looked at her through my unshed tears and I nodded. She didn¡¯t look angry; she just looked sad. ¡°I never meant to lie to anyone. But if word got out about this¡ª¡± ¡°You think we¡¯d tell?¡± Rachel asked, sounding offended. ¡°L, I thought you trusted us more than that.¡± ¡°Of course, I do¡­¡± I said, trying desperately to get her to understand. ¡°I was just scared.¡± ¡°Well¡­ now that we know we can help you hide it,¡± Ba said, a fond smile growing on her mouth, utterly surprising me. ¡°Wait what?¡± I asked, staring between the two of them curiously. ¡°You want this thing to be a secret, don¡¯t you?¡± Ba asked, raising her brows. ¡°I mean if the school board found out about this, they¡¯d transfer him to a different school¡­ or transfer you considering they need him it seems.¡± I nodded in agreement; if it came down to me or Enzo, they would pick Enzo. They needed him for this ss until they could hire someone new. It would be easier to just transfer me to a different academy and the only other academy in our region was hours away. I¡¯d have to take a ne to visit my family and that wasn¡¯t something I wanted to do. Also, if the board found out that we knew we had been mates since my birthdayst year, then Enzo¡¯s reputation would be ruined and everything he worked so hard for would be destroyed. Our rtionship had to remain a secret until after I graduated and I¡¯m no longer a student. ¡°Yes,¡± I finally answered my wide-eyed friends. ¡°We want it to be a secret.¡± ¡°Okay, good,¡± Ba said, wrapping her arm through mine. ¡°Then, we will help you.¡± ¡°Yeah; like cover for you and stuff,¡± Rachel said, taking my other arm. Now the tears were turning into happy tears as my friends took each of my arms and rested their heads on my shoulders. ¡°You can count on us to keep your secret. But please don¡¯t lie to us about something this big again. We are your friends, and we have your back,¡± Rachel said. ¡°And also¡­ I¡¯m happy for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy if you¡¯re happy,¡± Ba said, holding my arm tighter. ¡°Yeah, if he hurts you¡­ I¡¯ll kick his ass,¡± Rachel teased. The idea of Rachel trying to kick Enzo¡¯s ass was funny considering he was a big and strong Alpha and Rachel was a bear. Iughed and so did Ba. ¡°What?¡± Rachel pouted, lifting her head from my shoulder. ¡°Just because I¡¯m a bear doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t kick some serious ass. We aren¡¯t all weak.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± Iughed. ¡°So, anyone else knows about this that we should know?¡± Ba asked as we made our way to the door. I thought about it for a moment and then the memory hit me. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­¡± I said gritting my teeth together. ¡°Brody.¡± They both stopped walking. ¡°What?!¡± They both eximed. ¡°He kind of just figured it out on his own,¡± I said, purposely not telling them about everything else. They didn¡¯t need to know Brody¡¯s business about Sarah. ¡°And didn¡¯t totally freak?¡± Rachel asked. ¡°Nope; he was really cool about it,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Guess he¡¯ll have to get over his crush on you,¡± Ba chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s about damn time,¡± Rachel said making us allugh as we headed across campus and to the dining hall. Brody was finishing grabbing his food and coffee when we got there. As soon as we entered the dining hall, I smelled all the amazing goods that were being prepared. Along the back walls, through all the rows of tables and clustering students, was a big buffet of breakfast foods. There were pancakes, French toast, waffles, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, eggs, hashbrowns and so much more. On the other side of the wall was the coffee station, which was my favorite station. Especially right now, I was with Rachel when it came to her need for coffee. ¡°Hey Brody,¡± Ba said, waving at him. The two of them talked while Rachel and I grabbed our coffees. Afterward, we grabbed tes and piled food on top of them. I hadn¡¯t realized how hungry I was until after I got to the dining hall and smelled all the amazing food. ¡°It¡¯s too crowded in here for my liking,¡± Rachel muttered once she finished getting our food. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the student lounge.¡± We all nodded in agreement and moved as a unit away from the dining hall. The student lounge was only around the corner, it was part of the same building along with the counseling offices and the infirmary. Just as we were nearing the student lounge doors, I heard a soft whimpering sound, making me freeze. My friends continued walking, not seeing that I had stopped walking and obviously not hearing what I was hearing. It was Brody who noticed I wasn¡¯t with them anymore. ¡°L? Are youing?¡± He asked, staring at me with his worried brown eyes. ¡°Yeah, go ahead without me,¡± I said, smiling at them. ¡°I need to check checking. I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡± They looked at each other frowning, but they nodded and went into the student lounge. Brody grabbed my te and stuff. ¡°I¡¯ll bring this in with me,¡± he said, giving me a fond smile. I nodded and watched as he too disappeared in the lounge. I followed the soft whimpering sound around the corner; it grew louder as I walked down an unlit hallway and then froze outside of what I thought was the janitor¡¯s closet. Why would someone be in there? I opened the door slowly and heard her gasp in surprise as the light shined on her face. Blood was coming out of her eyes, and she looked sickly pale; her entire body was trembling fiercely, and her lips trembled. ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± I gasped, running toward her before she fell over. ¡°Sarah!¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± she whispered almost inaudible. ¡°Don¡¯t tell my father¡­¡± Chapter 234 Chapter 234 L¡¯s POV ¡°Sarah, what happened? Are you okay?¡± I asked, wrapping an arm around her to steady her. ¡°Get off me,¡± she muttered, trying to shove me away, but I was too strong, and she couldn¡¯t make me budge. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± I said firmly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she muttered. ¡°But my father can¡¯t know about this.¡± ¡°Sarah, you are bleeding blood. Something is seriously wrong,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°We need to.¡± ¡°No!¡± She growled, and this time sessfully shoving me away from her. ¡°We don¡¯t need to do anything. This is just a thing I do. I¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes. Just promise me you won¡¯t say anything.¡± I didn¡¯t want to promise something like that knowing that it could cost Sarah¡¯s life. If something were to happen to her and I knew about it, I could never live with myself. ¡°Promise me!¡± She growled, anger crossing through her eyes. I nodded quickly. ¡°I promise¡­¡± I said in return. She didn¡¯t say anything more, she stepped out of the closet and her entire demeanor changed. She gasped and stared upward; her breath caught in her throat. I wondered what she was looking at, but I realized it as soon as I stepped into the hallway and my eyes widened. ¡°I thought you were meeting me in the lounge,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at Brody. ¡°I was¡­ your food is with the others,¡± he said, his eyes never leaving Sarah¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I thought I¡­¡± ¡°Were you spying on us?¡± Sarah asked,ing back to her senses as she folded her arms across her chest. ¡°No,¡± he said quickly, running his hands to the back of his neck. ¡°I was just walking by and¡­¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± she muttered, shoving past him. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Categories Search¡­ He said nothing as she walked away; he watched her, almost longingly. I knew it was because his wolf wanted to go after him. My heart clenched painfully for him as he looked back at me and I saw the sorrow in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s hard¡­ ¡°he whispered; I knew he was referring to his mate bond with Sarah. I gave him a small smile. ¡°I know¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± He nodded and we went together to the student lounge to join the others. We ate and talked as a group and then shortly after we went our separate ways for our sses. I thought about Sarah a lot today. I wondered if she was okay; if she went to the nurse or spoke to anyone else about what had happened. I still wasn¡¯t sure what had happened myself, but I had a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to think about it. I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to think about it. At some point during the day, I was reminded that I had to tutor some students in the libraryter. I couldn¡¯t bail on them and let them down, so I sent Rachel a text exining that I¡¯d have to raincheck our ns for discussing my election speech. For most of the day, until myst ss, I only saw Enzo once and it was only during passing. Our eyes met from across the hallway; he was talking to a couple of different students, and it was obvious he was on his way to the arena because his shirt was already off and he was dripping in sweat. The very sight of him made my heart flutter and my knees go weak. He was so incredibly good-looking, and he was all mine. He turned and our eyes met; I saw the smile in his eyes, but his face remained natural. I was suddenly super embarrassed being caught checking him out and I quickly scurried down the hallway to my next ss. But I felt his eyes on the back of my head as I went. Myst ss was with Shifting and Combat and I was super nervous about how this was going to go. Sarah appeared to be back to her normal self when I saw her in the arena. She was still pale and thinner than usual, but she had no blood on her face, and it seemed like she put makeup on and brushed her hair into a high ponytail to match the look of her other friends. She was in the middle of talking about thetest gossip to even notice me walking into the room. Which, I was beyond grateful for. Ba waved me over to where she stood with herbat and shifting partner, Monica. I stood beside them as the arena began to fill with eager students. Word had gotten around fast that Enzo was our professor again and Xander was no more. It was clear that nobody liked Xander, they just tolerated him. Enzo stood in front of the ss, looking around at everyone and I knew from deep in my soul that he was trying hard not to look at me. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure where Professor Xander had left off with your lessons, but I found his curriculum so I¡¯m going to start at the very beginning of it as a review session. Then, we will get into more advanced areas.¡± Everyone agreed as Enzo started from the beginning and worked his way through Xander¡¯s curriculum. Because I didn¡¯t have a partner, I was forced to be Enzo¡¯s partner. Which wouldn¡¯t have been a bad thing if I didn¡¯t crave him so much. It was hard being this close to him and not kissing him or being passionate toward him. I had to pretend he was just my professor. I¡¯m sure it was difficult for him as well considering his wolf was very active. I still couldn¡¯t shift into my wolf, so we mainly stuck with thebat portion of the ss. He was a lot gentler toward me than Xander was and part of me felt a bit angered by that. I didn¡¯t want him to go easy on me because he was afraid of breaking me. I wanted him to be rough so I could really learn how to fight during any scenario. There was arge part of me that knew I needed to learn. Xander might have been tough and hurt me a lot, but at least he didn¡¯t hold back. By the time ss ended, everybody was covered in sweat. Enzo went to clean up the mess he left in the corner of the room, and I just thought about how much I missed seeing his stuff there as opposed to Xander¡¯s. ¡°Hey,¡± Ba said, draping an arm through mine and bringing my attention from Enzo to her. I smiled at her knowing she was dragging me away before I started drooling. ¡°Hey,¡± I chuckled as she pulled me toward the door. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to lick him,¡± sheughed. My face warmed but Iughed as well and together we left the arena without another look in Enzo¡¯s direction. Though, I knew he was looking at me and smiling just as I was smiling. The students I agreed to tutor were already in the library when I entered. They had their textbooks and notebooks opened in front of them and they looked unbelievably stressed. Many students here were here because of schrships. If they fail sses, they will lose their schrships and get kicked out of this school. I was no different and neither were they. Getting good grades was important, so we took our tests seriously. We had a test in a couple of days that they were afraid of failing, but I promised that I would tutor them and help them study. All three of them looked relieved to see me as I joined them at their tables. ¡°What are we studying first?¡± I asked, staring at all their many textbooks. I thought I was only teaching them werewolf history, but it seemed like they were having more trouble than I thought. ¡°Well, I¡¯m working on vocabry,¡± one of the boys said, scratching his head with a scrunched-up look. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to remember any of the words. They are hard¡­¡± I frowned and looked at his vocab book, scanning through the ones he had highlighted. ¡°I¡¯m studying for the history exam,¡± the girl said, frowning down at her book. ¡°And I¡¯m doing my math homework,¡± the other boy said, but his page was nk. ¡°Okay, so here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do,¡± I said as I opened my backpack and rummaged through it. I pulled out a small container of highlighters and handed the girl the yellow highlighter. ¡°You¡¯re going to highlight key phrases and important sentences in that history book. Read it carefully before highlighting,¡± I instructed and did as I asked. I pulled out a thing of shcards and put it in front of the boy studying vocab. ¡°You¡¯re going to write one word on each sh card and on the back of the card you¡¯re going to write the definition,¡± I told him. He nodded and took the shcards to get to work. ¡°Meanwhile, I¡¯ll help you with your math and then we can all study together,¡± I said as I leaned across the table to look at the boy¡¯s math book and worksheet. It was basic geometry, which I found myself decent in. I actually took this same ssst year so I already kind of knew the answers without even doing the problem myself. I felt a cold presence entering the library after about 30 minutes of working and then I heard her voice behind me. ¡°Ew, look at the bunch of nerds,¡± Sarah chuckled to her friends who stared at us with disgust. ¡°Like shouldn¡¯t you be preparing for the election you¡¯re going to close.¡± I pressed my lips together firmly, knowing it was better if I said less. I looked at the boy who was doing vocab, he kept his eyes buried in his book, obviously afraid of Sarah and her crew. ¡°Remember this word; Brusque,¡± I said, giving him a smile before ring at Sarah. ¡°It means Rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner.¡± ¡°In other words¡­ Sarah?¡± The girl asked. I nodded, watching as Sarah¡¯s face reddened. ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart¡­ well¡­¡± she started to say but another, much deeper and more powerful voice sounded from nearby. ¡°Sarah¡­ walk¡­. Away,¡± he said through his clenched teeth. Sarah¡¯s face drained of any color as she turned and saw the man standing before her. Sarah¡¯s faint words made my heart fall into my stomach. ¡°Dad?¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 L¡¯s POV ¡°You should be practicing your own speech,¡± Alpha Jonathan said through his teeth as he stared down at his daughter. ¡°Instead of harassing the very students you are supposed to be representing.¡± Sarah had gonepletely pale and the rest of us wouldn¡¯t dare speak. I don¡¯t think any of us were expecting to see Sarah¡¯s father standing in the middle of our library, staring daggers at Sarah. He was a very intimidating man, but when he¡¯s angry, he¡¯s even more intimidating. ¡°I was just ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± he said in a low and threatening. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself because you won¡¯t like what I do next.¡± I watched as she swallowed hard and then she nodded, turning back to her wide-eyed and pale-faced friends. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she murmured to them. She didn¡¯t have to say that twice; her friends started scurrying away quickly and Sarah was right behind them, not daring to look back at her father. Alpha Jonathan remained though and once Sarah was out of me, he turned to me. At first, his expression was unreadable; it left an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. ¡°L, I apologize for my daughter¡¯s behavior,¡± he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. ¡°I have no excuses.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Alpha,¡± I said, proud that my voice came out strong. ¡°Thank you for stepping in.¡± He nodded, but he didn¡¯t smile, instead, he just looked at me for a long and questioning while. ¡°Have you worked on your campaign at all, L?¡± Alpha Jonathan surprised me by asking; I wasn¡¯t sure how much I should tell him. Truth be told, I haven¡¯t thought about my campaign at all. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something he or Sarah should know, so I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m almost finished preparing,¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯s only a few days away, so I have to be as prepared as possible. ¡°I agree,¡± he said in return.. The election was only on Friday and currently, it was Wednesday; as the days neared, I grew even more nervous, but I didn¡¯t want him to know that either so I kept a stered look on my face. 11:29 ¡°What are you doing in our library, Alpha?¡± The girl I was tutoring surprised me by asking; I shot her a look, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice. He looked at her, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Considering I¡¯m the one who paid for this library, I¡¯m in MY library,¡± he said, sounding calm, but his words were like a whip. ¡°With that being said, I¡¯m nning on renovations, and I need to take a look at what needs to be done before nning anything final.¡± ¡°Renovations?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°To the library?¡± ¡°The school in general,¡± he answered. ¡°It¡¯s a bit outdated, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°The art department was nning on creating arge mural for students in the middle of the campus. It¡¯ll represent a little bit of everybody. Would that be safe during renovations?¡± ¡°A mural?¡± He asked, raising his brows. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that was run by me yet.¡± ¡°Miss Emily said she¡¯d speak to the board,¡± I said, my tone going way softer than I meant it. He didn¡¯t look particrly pleased, but he also didn¡¯t look angry either. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to speak to the board to find out any information around here,¡± he muttered, shaking his head as he spoke. ¡°We are asking students around campus to submit a photo that best represents them, and then we are painting these photos as a mural. It¡¯s a project that I pitched to Miss Emily,¡± I heard myself exining nervously. ¡°I see,¡± he said, clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing youter, L.¡± He turned on that note and left through the main entrance of the library. I stared after him frowning and thinking to myself how seriously weird that encounter was. But brushed the thought of my mind and got back to work tutoring these students. Third Person POV Alpha Jonathan walked down the very halls of the school he personally funded. He called for contractors to meet him at the school so he could price out the very needed adjustments for the campus appearance. Per usual, he remained disappointed as the contractors he hired werete. However, it was only a distraction. He was actually at the school for apletely different reason, but he needed to find L c¨®mpletely alone. Only a day prior he was told that he only had until Friday to capture her or else the ritual won¡¯t work. Friday was the full blood red moon and the only time this ritual would work if he wanted to turn his daughter into a Vna wolf. It was easy to get the intel he needed. He only needed a specific witch and then 11:29 M the rest would fall into ce. Getting her was the easy part but getting her to help might be a little bit more difficult. ¡°Why did you break me out?¡± Jazzy asked, standing in the center of his office with her arms across her chest. Since he took the cuffs off her, she was able to heal most of the wounds inflicted on her. She¡¯s been in his custody for a couple of hours, and this was the first time they were able to have a conversation since his inside men left. ¡°Because I believe we can help each other,¡± he said, leaning back in his seat and gazing up at her. She was a pretty little thing with dark swirls of curly hair and emerald eyes. Her cherry red and full lips were pursed like she was kissing something, but her neatly timed eyebrows were furrowed together in aggravation. ¡°I don¡¯t help wolves,¡± she said through her teeth. ¡°You helped Paul,¡± Jonathan said in return. ¡°Hardly,¡± she muttered. ¡°Paul was a sorry excuse for a wolf, and he was more body than brain.¡± ¡°That might be true, but you still helped him. It was from my understanding that he wanted to be a Vna himself so he could be a powerful Alpha.¡± She curled her lip up in disgust at him. ¡°That might be so, but what he didn¡¯t know was that I was using him,¡± she said with an eye roll. ¡°Using him? Do tell.¡± ¡°He thought I was doing it to help him be a powerful Alpha, but really I was using him as the downfall for all Vna wolves. He was going to be my Vna puppet, and I was going to be in ultimate control. He would have no power; it would only be me. I was going to kill all Vna¡¯s in the process of this and then maybe one day, when I¡¯m done, kill him.¡± Jonathan raised his brows at hers; she sounded so sadistic, and it sent a chill down Jonatha¡¯s spine. But at the same time, he was also impressed. ¡°As I said, we can help each other. I want what Paul wanted, only I don¡¯t want it for myself. I want it for my daughter, Sarah. You see she has a goddess-given gift that has been cursed at birth by a witch that is no longer living. Therefore, she can¡¯t undo the spell. But there¡¯s a way to break the spell and that¡¯s to turn my daughter into a Vna wolf. The Vna blood alone with break the curse. I want my daughter to be the most powerful being to exist. In return, I¡¯ll make sure all other Vnas cease to exist. Except for my daughters,¡± Jonathan said, his voice growing increasingly louder. ¡°Why should I help you do anything?¡± She asked after a moment of silence. ¡°I don¡¯t even need your help. I purposely got captured so I could stake out and spy. I am umting so much information and I haven¡¯t even left the dungeon,¡± Jazzy 11:29 D said a cocky smile on her face. ¡°I can read the minds of those who aren¡¯t Alpha, Luna¡¯s, and apparently Vnas. But let me tell you, everyone at the Nova pack thinks way too much.¡± She paused for a moment as she flipped her long hair behind her shoulders. ¡°I was hardly even trapped; I¡¯m the most powerful dark witch in the world. I could walk out whenever I wanted to, and those cuffs didn¡¯t work on me whatsoever. It was a pathetic attempt on their part honestly.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re the most powerful witch in the world, then why not just destroy L? Surely, you can get close enough to end her and the others,¡± Jonatha said in a breath. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Vna wolf blood and magic are different,¡± she said, scrunching her nose. ¡°Normal magic, light or dark, doesn¡¯t have much effect on it. We can¡¯t break through the barriers of it. My magic isn¡¯t strong enough. But if I create the Vna vessel, I can control it.¡± ¡°How do you create the Vessel?¡± Jonathan found himself asking. ¡°Paul was going to mark and mate with L. This will open the connection. between wolves, like a tunnel from soul to soul. When mated with a Vna, they tend to be stronger not just on the exterior but the interior as well. It makes their wolves vulnerable to one another and opens up the passageway I need toplete the rest of the ceremony. On the day of the red blood moon, I drain. L of all the blood in her body as part of the sacrifice. Being a Vna, this alone won¡¯t kill her. The blood will be poured into a pot over a roaring fire where I add the other ingredients for this spell. I say a few words for the spell to open. The vessel¡­ or the wolf who wants to be a Vna,es and drinks the blood of the Vna. Then as the final sacrifice, I slit the Vna¡¯s throat, killing her. The Vna¡¯s body gets burned and soon after the ritual isplete. Once the Vna¡¯s heart stops beating, the chosen wolf will be the Vna.¡± ¡°Does my daughter need to mate with this Vna for this ritual to work?¡± Jazzy was quiet for a moment. ¡°No,¡± she finally answered. ¡°It¡¯s much easier when the wolves are mated, but doable when they aren¡¯t.¡± blood ¡°I will let you have control if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Jonathan found himself saying ¡°I will let you have control if that¡¯s what quickly. ¡°Turn my daughter into a Vna and I¡¯ll give you whatever you want and let you kill whoever you want. But I ask that you spare my daughter¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Such a desperate wolf¡­ Jazzy thought to herself. ¡°But he might be useful to me after all.¡± Chapter 236 Chapter 236 L¡¯s POV ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be writing your speech for the election? It¡¯s only tomorrow,¡± Rachel asked, staring down at me with narrowed eyes. I sat, cross-legged, on the couch in the student lounge with my sketchpad on myp and I peered up at her with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m designing the border for the mural the art ss is creating,¡± I told her. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Your speech is important L, and you haven¡¯t thought anything about it,¡± she said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I thought you wanted to be the president of the studentmittee.¡± ¡°I do!¡± I eximed. ¡°Of course, I want it. I created themittee.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you acting like you want it?¡± She asked, sitting down beside me. ¡°Sarah has been bragging to everybody that her speech will wipe you out.¡± ¡°If the students want Sarah as their president, then there¡¯s not much I can do,¡± I said shrugging as I looked back down at my sketchpad. I was proud of the work I was doing for this border. ¡°You could try to win,¡± Rachel muttered. ¡°She would destroy themittee if she won.¡± , I sighed and looked at her. ¡°I know you are worried, Rachel. But I¡¯m telling you, you don¡¯t have to be. I can¡¯t really exin it, but I have this weird feeling that everything is going to work out the way it should. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°So, what are you going to say at the debate tomorrow without a speech?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out,¡± I told her with a reassuring smile. ¡°In the meantime, I need to finish this border.¡± She sighed but she didn¡¯t say anything else. She took out her textbook and started to study for her uing exam. ¡°L!!¡± I looked up to see that girl in my history ss running toward me. I tutored her with a couple of others in the library yesterday. She looked extremely eager, and, in her hands, she held a piece of paper that I couldn¡¯t see properly because she was waving around in the air. ¨¢ ¡°Hey,¡± I said, giving her a fond smile. ¡°I got an A on my exam!¡± She shrieked, excitement radiating her face and lighting up her features. I nearly jumped to my feet; instead, I put my sketchpad down and pped my hands happily. 11:29 ¡°Oh, my goddess,¡± I breathed, staring up at her withrge and happy eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you! Congrats!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without you,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°Thank you so much for spending time tutoring me yesterday.¡± Before I could say anything more, the door of the student lounge burst open, and in came the other two that I had tutored as well. ¡°We passed!!!¡± They said at the same time, running over to where we sat. ¡°L! I got a B on my assignment,¡± one of them said. ¡°And I got a B- on my math test,¡± the other said with a grin that stretched out from ear to ear. ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± I said happily, and this time I jumped to my feet. I knew they could do it; they just needed a little confidence. I was so incredibly happy for them. ¡°I¡¯m going to rmend you as a tutor to all my friends,¡± one of the boys said, giving me a quick hug. I chuckled. ¡°Well, if anyone needs help, they can feel free to find me,¡± I told them. ¡°I¡¯m really d you all passed. If you need help again in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Thanks again,¡± the girl said, also hugging me. ¡°You saved my ass.¡± ¡°Did I overhear correctly?¡± A girl who was sitting alone at a table asked. ¡°You are a tutor?¡± ¡°Do you need help with something?¡± I asked, cocking my head at her. She had a textbook and an open notebookid out in front of her, but I couldn¡¯t make out what the book said. Her face reddened slightly, and I could tell it was difficult for her to speak about this. Maybe she was embarrassed. ¡°L is the best tutor,¡± one of the boys said to her. ¡°She can help you no problem.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I can speak for myself,¡± I said, but there wasughter in my tone. ¡°How about you guys continue your studies? I¡¯m going to speak with this girl alone.¡± They all nodded in agreement as they left the student lounge. I smiled after them, still feeling all sorts of bubbly after that interaction. My heart was incredibly full and all the problems and stresses that were once in my head had ceased to exist. At least for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you¡­¡± the girl said, looking down at her book. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me. I just thought-¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to help if I can,¡± I said, walking over to her table. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Ka¡­¡± she said, still staring at her book. ¡°My old friends used to call me Kay.¡± 11:29 D ¡°Old friends?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°What happened to them?¡± ¡°They are at my old school. I haven¡¯t heard much from them since I moved a week ago.¡± ¡°You are new here?¡± I asked; that exined why I didn¡¯t recognize her. She nodded her head once. ¡°I just transferred,¡± she exined. ¡°What school did you transfer from?¡± I asked. She was quiet for a moment as if she was trying to decide what to tell me or not, which made me even more curious about her. ¡°School of Magic in Emerson,¡± she said in a breath. I raised my brows at her; Emerson was very far from here. Not as far as Monstro, but it was an airne ride away. School of Magic was one of the best schools for both witches and fairies. We didn¡¯t have a lot of witches at this school, but we did have a few and we had a bunch of different courses for them. We had no fairies at this school though; fairies aren¡¯t always known for their niceness despite what popr stories might say. Most of them couldn¡¯t stand shifters and other creatures of the night. They were selfish and if you got too close to one, they could, and most do, harm with their magic. They are known to keep to themselves, and they certainly aren¡¯t ones to mess with. With that being said, most fairies don¡¯t want to attend a school where shifters are, so we don¡¯t have any at this school. But that doesn¡¯t mean this school isn¡¯t open to them. I never encountered a fairy myself; I¡¯m not exactly sure what one would look like. I imagine them to be very tiny just as the stories say, however, the stories tend to be wrong about a lot of things. When I didn¡¯t say anything, she continued. ¡°There¡¯s no one of my kind here¡­ so making new friends is difficult,¡± she admitted, her face growing even more red. ¡°So, you are a fairy.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but she nodded anyway. ¡°I know what the rumors say that we aren¡¯t nice creatures,¡± she said as she met my eyes. ¡°And that may be true for a lot of fairies. But my family and I are different. We moved away and started a new life. It¡¯s a difficult adjustment¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s always hard going to a new school. This is my second year at this academy and I¡¯m still trying to get used to it.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Second year? How old are you? You look so young, I would have thought it was your first year or something,¡± she said, staring around my face with an rmed expression, making me chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m 18,¡± I answered. ¡°The academy starts at the age of 17,¡± I further exined. 11:29 ¡°You¡¯re my age,¡± she said. ¡°The school of Magic starts at the age of 15. I went there for 3 years before coming here. I¡¯m starting fresh with my family, so I guess technically this is my first year.¡± I sat down beside her. ¡°So, you are from Emerson? I heard that¡¯s a beautiful city,¡± I say fondly. I¡¯ve only ever briefly heard about Emerson in ss, but I never visited, and I always wanted to. ¡°It was very nice yes,¡± she said, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. ¡°But the city life wasn¡¯t a ce for us. We stuck it out for a few years, but¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, not wanting to continue any further. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about it.¡± She swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. ¡°My mother got sick because we couldn¡¯t be in our natural habitat,¡± she said in a breath. ¡°Natural habitat?¡± I asked, unsure of what that meant. ¡°We are forest fairies,¡± she exined. ¡°We have to be near the forest and in the city, there aren¡¯t many forestnds.¡± ¡°A forest fairy?¡± I asked, my eyes widening. ¡°So, you draw strength from the forest?¡± She nodded her head once. ¡°We work to keep the forest alive,¡± she further exined. ¡°It¡¯s our main job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± I said, and I truly meant that. ¡°I too draw strength from the forest in a way. It helps strengthen my abilities as a Vna and it centers me.¡± She gasped loudly. ¡°You¡¯re a Vna wolf?¡± She asked. She didn¡¯t sound terrified, just shocked. I nodded my head in response. ¡°Wow. I had never met a real Vna before. But I heard of them. You don¡¯t seem as vicious in real life,¡± she said, staring around my face in wonder. Iughed. ¡°I could say the same about you,¡± I said in return; this made herugh as well. ¡°Did you say you needed help with your studies?¡± She sighed and nced at her book. ¡°I¡¯m behind because I¡¯m starting in the middle of the school year. These lessons are different than the ones I¡¯m used to at my old school and I¡¯m kind of lost¡­¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to do. My parents are paying a lot of money to send me here and I don¡¯t want to disappoint them. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t mind helping you. I¡¯m pretty good, at most subjects. I can swing by your dormter and we can get to work. I¡¯m 475 11:29 assuming the rest of your assignments are there, right?¡± She was quiet for a moment longer, staring down at her hands now. ¡°I actually live off campus with my parents,¡± she said softly. ¡°There weren¡¯t any singr rooms left and no one wanted to room with a fairy¡­¡± My heart fell into my stomach, but before I could say anything, I heard Enzo¡¯s voice in my head as he used his mindlink to connect with me. ¡°L, where are you?¡± ¡°In the student lounge talking to someone. Why?¡± I asked in the mindlink. ¡°I need to see for myself that you are okay and safe,¡± Enzo said quickly. ¡°Stay where you are.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I just got word from Ethan,¡± he quickly exined. ¡°It¡¯s about Jazzy¡­¡± ¡°Jazzy?¡± I asked, feeling my heart weigh heavily in my chest. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°She escaped.¡± Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°Someone has to have seen where she¡¯s gone,¡± I seethed into the phone, clutching it with so much strength my knuckles were turning white, and the phone began to crack in my grip. My Beta, Ethan had just mindlinked me to tell me that the dark witch, Jazzy, had escaped. I called the packhouse right away. Jack, my head Gamma, was on the other end of the line and I knew he could feel just how furious I was. There was no way she was able to escape the dungeon, and no one saw her. They were supposed to be watching her 24/7. ¡°The cell was still closed and locked when we went to check on her,¡± Jack exined. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how she managed to get out, but her cuffs were on the ground and they were stilltched together.¡± ¡°How is that possible? Those cuffs were supposed to restrict her magic,¡± I asked, trying to control my temper as I stood in the empty arena after a long session of working out. My heart was still pounding from the 100 pushups and pullups I just did, and I was trying hard to keep it under control. I was thankful nobody else was in the arena with me. I continued to pace back and forth as I remained on the phone with my Gamma. ¡°She¡¯s the most powerful dark witch,¡± Jack reminded me. ¡°It was unavoidable. Those cuffs weren¡¯t going to hold her.¡± ¡°Let me see the phone,¡± I heard Ethan in the background, and I knew he was grabbing the phone out of Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°Alpha, I told you it was too easy to capture her. She was waiting for the opportunity to escape.¡± Ethan said on the other end of the line. ¡°We need to figure out where she had gone off to and why,¡± I ordered. ¡°Is Alpha Bastien still there?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s currently questioning Xander to see if he saw anything in the dungeon when Jazzy disappeared.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not going to say shit about it,¡± I murmured, rolling my eyes. ¡°Maybe not; but Alpha Bastien is persuasive,¡± Ethan said. ¡°In the meantime, I need you to gather up some men and go to the Starcove. She might have returned home,¡± I ordered. ¡°You think she¡¯s that stupid?¡± Ethan scoffed. ¡°She knows that¡¯s the first ce we¡¯d look.¡± ¡°Someone in her coven might know where she had gone.¡± ¡°And you think they¡¯d tell us?¡± Ethan asked. 11:29 ¡°We need to try!!¡± I growled, feeling my wolf at the brim of my mind, trying to escape through me, but I held him back. ¡°Okay,¡± Ethan said quickly. ¡°I will keep you updated on what we find out.¡± I hung up the phone without a single word and then quickly mindlinked L to see where she was. As soon as I finished talking to her, I grabbed my shirt off the ground and went straight to the student lounge. When I saw her, she was sitting with a young girl at a table in the farthest corner of the room. The girl wasn¡¯t someone I recognized. She had long brown, curly hair that looked very silky and rested just above her tailbone. She has bright green eyes withrge darkshes, and she wore a green blouse that brought out the emerald color of her eyes. She was talking to L, but at that point, L was no longer paying attention to her. Her eyes were fixed on me as I walked into the student lounge. A few other students also looked in my direction curiously, but I paid them no attention as I walked toward the table L sat at. ¡°Professor Enzo,¡± she said, trying to keep her tone casual as she looked up at me; though I saw the light pink shade of her cheeks and nose, revealing to me that she felt anything but casual. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°I need to speak with you privately,¡± I told her and then cleared my throat, straightening my shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s about your assignment for my ss.¡± She raised her brows at me as if to say, ¡°That¡¯s your excuse?¡± ¡°Kay, this is my shifting andbat professor, Enzo,¡± she exined. ¡°He¡¯s also an Alpha.¡± The girl she sat with, Ka, peered up at me with a timid frown. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Alpha,¡± she said, bowing her head slightly. I gave her a smile in return and nodded my head before looking back at my mate. I noticed that this girl, Kay, had a strange smell about her. She didn¡¯t smell like a species that attends this school. She didn¡¯t smell like a wolf, a vampire, or a bear. She didn¡¯t even have the scent of a witch. No. I knew what she was; I only smelled her scent once in my entire life and it was when I was a young boy and wandered through the forest by myself. I was almost attacked by rogue wolves, but I was rescued by a young woman who oddly looked like an older version of this girl. She was glowing like an angel and hadrge wings that expanded from her back. She used magic to shield me and told me to run while she dealt with the pesty rogues. I did as she asked and when I got home, my mother scolded me for running off on my own. After I exined what happened and what had saved me, she told me that it seemed like I was saved by a fairy. 11:30 D That woman had the same scent as the girl who sat beside L. There have been rumors for many years that fairies weren¡¯t good creatures and that you don¡¯t want to mess with them. It may be true that they are powerful and not ones to mess with, but that woman who saved me from the rogues was anything but mean and nasty as the rumors stated. She was kind and gentle and protected me from getting killed. I was very young but remembered her vividly. I wondered if this girl had any rtion to that woman. ¡°I was just nning a time and ce to tutor her. Kay just moved here and is a bit behind on things,¡± L continued to exin. ¡°Do you think you can do thatter?¡± I asked, sounding impatient. ¡°This is very important.¡± She frowned, staring at me with a lethal look. ¡°So is this,¡± she said firmly. I already told her through a mindlink what had happened; it was infuriating that she was being difficult right now. I had to hold myself back from grabbing her and dragging her out of this room, but that wouldn¡¯t end well for either of us. She could see the struggle in my eyes because she sighed and turned to face Kay who was looking between the two of us worriedly. ¡°Let¡¯s meet in the library this afternoon around 4 pm and we can study together,¡± she said to Kay gently. Kay nodded. ¡°That sounds great,¡± Kay said with a grin. ¡°Thank you, L.¡± On that note, L stood and turned to face me, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, walking past me. I didn¡¯t waste any time; I turned and went with L out of the student lounge and toward the arena where we could talk privately. The arena was my office; nobody went there until it was time for ss, which gave me time to prepare and work out on my own. I don¡¯t usually lock the door, but in this case, I knew I had to for extra security. L turned to face me, folding her arms across her chest as she peered up at me through her long and darkshes. ¡°I know you are worried because Jazzy has escaped, but you have to be more careful in front of the other students,¡± she said in a breath, shaking her head at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want them suspecting anything.¡± ¡°Do you honestly think I¡¯d let that happen?¡± He asked, cocking his head at me. ¡°L, this is serious. I¡¯m worried Jazzy coulde after you. Keeping you safe is my priority right now.¡± 11:30 ¡°I can¡¯t miss any more school,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to. But I think it¡¯d be wise if maybe one of my gammas stayed with you to protect you while you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°What?¡± She gasped. ¡°No way. The others will start talking. Gammas have the pack symbol on their uniforms. They¡¯ll know he¡¯s one of yours.¡± ¡°Then we can have one of your father¡¯s Gammase and-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want someone following me around all day. You don¡¯t think I can handle myself?¡± She asked, and I could hear the hurt in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s a dark witch, L. The most powerful one to exist,¡± I said firmly. ¡°And I¡¯m a Vna.¡± Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. ¡°A Vna who is weakened because of the wolfsbane in your system,¡± I shot back. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even handle yourself with Xander. You expect me to think you can handle yourself with Jazzy the dark witch?¡± I saw the hurt sh on her face, and she took a step back. ¡°I expect you to have a little more faith in me,¡± she said in return, her voice softening as she became consumed with the pain. ¡°L¡­ you know I have faith in you,¡± I said gently, stepping toward her. ¡°But I need you to trust me.¡± She looked up at me and I saw how red her face was getting as soon as our eyes met. I loved that I still had that effect on her, but I hated the hurt look she was giving me. Max was quietly scolding me in the back of my mind for hurting our mate. But I needed to make sure she was safe; L was my main priority at this moment. I reached my hand up to touch her face, but I heard the clearing of a throat in the distance, making me freeze. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± Chapter 238 Chapter 238 L¡¯s POV I wasn¡¯t going to lie; I was hurt. I was hurt at the fact that Enzo, the one who was supposed to be in my corner and have faith in me, was telling me I needed the help of gammas to keep me safe. I trained alongside gammas my entire life; I trained alongside my father. There wasn¡¯t anything a gamma could do that I couldn¡¯t. Anyone of them could have gotten taken by Xander. He gave me something that made me pass out; it could have happened to any warrior. It doesn¡¯t make me weaker than them. If Xander hadn¡¯t been poisoning me slowly and then given me a large dosage of wolfsbane, then I would have been able to fight him with no problem. I understood that Jazzy was the most powerful-dark witch to exist and that she was dangerous, but I doubted a gamma could protect me from her. It wasn¡¯t fair to me that this was what his conclusion was. But I loved him so much and looking into his eyes at that moment, I felt our mate bond stronger than ever. My wolf was pulling me into his and I wanted so badly to wrap my arms around him and kiss him, despite knowing how risky that was in the middle of a school day. I knew he had a ss soon and it wouldn¡¯t be long before students began to pile in. I, unfortunately, didn¡¯t have his ss today. He looked as defeated as I felt and neither of us had any more words to speak. He reached his hand up to touch my face and I stood still, bracing for the very touch that I craved so much. It¡¯s been torture not being able to feel him. I knew he felt the same way. Just as his hand neared my cheek, I heard someone clearing their throat from behind us. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± My entire body froze, and I turned to see Alpha Jonathan standing before us. My entire heart fell deep into my stomach as he stared between the two of us with a questioning look. He didn¡¯t look angry, but he didn¡¯t look particrly pleased as well. ¡°Alpha,¡± I said a little too quickly, bowing in respect. Joseph bowed his head slightly, but not too much. He was an Alpha too and they were both part of the samemittee. Just because Alpha Jonathan had a lot of money and owned a lot of businesses, including this school, it didn¡¯t mean that he was above Enzo. Technically, my father was above him considering he was the head of the Alpha Committee. But that was a detail Alpha Jonathan refused to acknowledge. 11:30 D ¡°I came here to speak with Alpha Enzo, but it seems he¡¯s preupied. I cane backter and- ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± Enzo said, sounding way calmer than I felt. ¡°L was just leaving.¡± I swallowed the lump in my throat and without looking back at Enzo I gave Jonathan a small smile and bowed again. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°I¡¯ll let you talk,¡± I said, proud that my voice wasn¡¯t shaking. I wasn¡¯t sure why I felt so nervous around him; he just intimidated me so much. Maybe because he was Sarah¡¯s father? Or because he owned this school? ¡°It was nice seeing you,¡± I managed to say to him just as I walked past. ¡°You as well, L,¡± he said; I could feel him staring at the back of my head. I walked out of the arena feeling more than embarrassed. Enzo¡¯s POV ¡°A little young for you, don¡¯t you think, Enzo?¡± Jonathan asked just as soon as L walked out of the arena. ¡°Also, she¡¯s a student and-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I said, stopping his flow of words. ¡°We were just talking about her recent assignment when you walked in.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked, raising his brows with a bit of humor lingering in his eyes. ¡°Then why was her face all red and your hand nearing her cheek?¡± ¡°She had something in her hair; I was simply getting it out for her,¡± I came up with, hoping he would buy this lie. Thest thing I needed was for Alpha Jonathan to suspect anything was going on between L and me. ¡°I noticed at our recent Alpha meeting that you were a bit happier than you¡¯ve been previously,¡± Jonathan said, narrowing his icy blue eyes at me. ¡°Is there a reason behind that?¡± ¡°Because I got my job back,¡± I said, tilting my head at him. It took a lot to keep my wolf under control; he made it painfully obvious that he didn¡¯t like or trust Alpha Jonathan. I couldn¡¯t me him; I didn¡¯t trust him either. ¡°You mean the job you quit without a second thought?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked, raising his brows. ¡°After I quit, I had second thoughts about it. I missed my students and the feeling of being a teacher. It¡¯s a nice break from my Alpha duties.¡± ¡°It¡¯s from my understanding that you¡¯ve only returned for the rest of this semester,¡± Alpha Jonathan pointed out. ¡°For right now,¡± I said, pressing my lips firmly together. ¡°That might change in the future.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d speak up before they hire someone new,¡± he said in return. ¡°Never know who¡¯s going toe in and take your ce.¡± 11:30 D ¡°Is there something you want, Jonathan?¡± I asked, not wanting to continue this conversation any longer. Alpha Jonathan smirked. ¡°Actually, there is,¡± he said, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°My daughter is going to be running in this election tomorrow, so I was nning on sticking around until tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, there aren¡¯t any rooms to stay in so I was wondering if I¡¯d be able to stay in your faculty house until tomorrow night.¡± My brows rose as I stared at him; his serious expression showed me that he wasn¡¯t kidding. He wanted to stay with me in the faculty house. Was I allowed to say no to his request? ¡°Have you spoken to the board about this already?¡± I asked. ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t need to speak to them about anything. This is my school and I¡¯m the one who makes the decisions for this school. But for your information, yes. I spoke to Tiffany Prescott, and he told me to run it by you first.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I said. Then I cleared my throat. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of room- 55 ¡°I spoke to Prescott after I discovered that the art department was given permission to create a school mural on campus and they didn¡¯t consult with me first,¡± Jonathan said through his teeth, stopping my words. I stared at him, confused. ¡°I told them I didn¡¯t want graffiti on my school grounds and to cancel that project,¡± he continued, shaking his head with a look of disgust clear on his face. ¡°You did what?¡± I asked, feeling my temper rising with each passing second. ¡°The art department has been working hard to design this mural. They¡¯ve been collecting photos from every student to contribute to this mural.¡± ¡°They should have run it by me before they nned or did anything,¡± Alpha Jonathan said, curling his lip up as he spoke. ¡°It was embarrassing to hear about such a thing from a student.¡± ¡°This means a lot to the students¡­¡± ¡°The students? Or it means a lot to L?¡± He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I pressed my lips firmly together as I looked into his eyes. ¡°The students,¡± I said more firmly and loudly. ¡°It means a lot to the students. Not even just those from the art department. This mural represents every student at this school and as we gain more students the mural will be updated to represent them as well. It gives the school color and life; they were looking forward to this project. You can¡¯t just take it away from them like that.¡± ¡°I fund this school so it¡¯s my decision,¡± Alpha Jonatha said, a glimmer of humor on his face. I was seeing fucking red. 11:30 A low growl escaped my throat as Max nearly escaped from me; he wanted to rip his throat out, but I knew it would be a losing battle even if we did manage to rip his throat out. I¡¯d lose my job and I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect L. But Max didn¡¯t care; he was fucking pissed. ¡°But it if means that much to you, I suppose I could cut you a deal,¡± he said, and now he was smirking. ¡°What kind of deal?¡± I asked, trying desperately to control my temper. ¡°I will allow for this mural if you let me stay with you whenever I want.¡± Chapter 239 Chapter 239 L¡¯s POV ¡°L, what happened?¡± Ba asked as soon as I ran into the dorm room. My heart was racing, and I was on the verge of tears; I couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. ¡°I think I messed up,¡± I said as I took a deep breath, trying to steady my rapid heartbeat. ¡°Messed up how exactly?¡± Ba asked, standing to her feet like she was going to rush over to me, but she kept her ground and just stared at me. ¡°Alpha Jonathan caught Enzo and me in the arena,¡± I said, biting onto my bottom lip once I got the sentence out. Ba gasped loudly. ¡°Were you doing it?¡± She asked. ¡°What? No! Of course, not,¡± I said a little too quickly, feeling my face growing hot as she raised her brows. ¡°Kissing?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± I said, staring down at my hands. ¡°We were just talking, and he went to touch my face when Alpha Jonathan cleared his throat.¡± ¡°L, you were practically doing nothing for him to catch. What were you talking about?¡± I opened my mouth to answer her, but I had a nasty gut feeling to keep this information to myself. Jazzy escaping from Enzo¡¯s dungeon was a really bad thing and it could be dangerous for anyone who gets involved. The less Ba knows the better. ¡°We were talking about an assignment,¡± I lied. I hated lying; I wasn¡¯t even good at it. But in this case, she didn¡¯t have a reason to suspect that I was lying so she just smiled and walked over to me. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine,¡± she said in a calm tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure Professor Enzo will take care of it.¡± She wrapped me in a tight hug. I felt a bit calmer; despite what we were talking about, we weren¡¯t doing anything wrong. She was right when she said Enzo would have it handled. I just had to trust him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have Math ss around now? It¡¯s almost 1,¡± Ba said, ncing at the clock that sat on the table next to the couch. I shook my head. ¡°She canceled ss today for personal reasons,¡± I answered. My next ss isn¡¯t 11:30 until 2. Werewolf History. But I do need to go to Headmaster Prescott¡¯s office to speak with her about something.¡± ¡°I have to finish studying for my science exam,¡± Ba said as she went back to the couch. I noticed the coffee table was covered in math books and notebooks. ¡°Good luck,¡± I said, waving at her as I turned to leave the room. As I walked across campus to the board members¡¯ building, I tried to brush the thought of Alpha Jonathan out of my mind. However, that was proving to be quite difficult. As soon as I got to the top floor of the building, I froze when I saw Sarah sitting in one of the seats outside the headmaster¡¯s office. She didn¡¯t look pleased, and a knot formed in the pit of my stomach at the very sight of her. I couldn¡¯t believe someone as hateful and cruel as Sarah was mates with someone as gentle and sweet as Brody. I shuddered at the very thought. I could have ignored her as I walked by, but that wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d do. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked as I approached the office door. ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± She shot back, her eyes turning into small slits as she red at me. ¡°Are you waiting to see Headmaster Prescott? Is she busy?¡± ¡°She¡¯s too busy for me. But I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll wee you with open arms,¡± she said bitterly. My face warmed at her remark. ¡°Sarah, you know I don¡¯t favor my students,¡± I heard the voice of Tiffany Prescotting from her office door. I looked up to see her leaning against the door frame and ring at Sarah. ¡°You¡¯re staying right there until your father is here per his request.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± she muttered, staring down at her phone and not giving us a second look. Headmaster Prescott rolled her eyes and nced at me. ¡°You cane in, L,¡± she said, stepping aside for me to enter her office. I smiled my thanks to her and walked into her office. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She asked as she shut the door. I sat in one of the seats in front of her desk as she walked around her desk and sat in her chair. She peered at me with such kind eyes I instantly felt my body rxing. ato ¡°I wanted to talk to you about that new student, Ka,¡± I said; her brows rose. ¡°She¡¯s a sweet girl; she transferred from Emerson. 4.0 GPA at her old school; I heard nothing but good things from her former instructors. Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I met her earlier today and she¡¯s very nice. I¡¯m going to help her get caught Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. 11:30 up in sses. Transferring in the middle of the school year is a little overwhelming for her and she¡¯s already behind,¡± I exined. Headmaster Prescott gave me a fond smile. ¡°I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea,¡± she agreed. ¡°Is that what you came here to tell me?¡± ¡°No; actually, I came here to say that I think it¡¯s unfair that she must live off campus. She¡¯d be able to get the best schoolwork done if she were here full-time. She¡¯s already behind and she needs every advantage she can get.¡± Headmaster Prescott leaned back in her seat and took me in with her eyes. I couldn¡¯t read the expression on her face, but she was quiet for a long moment. ¡°You know she¡¯s a fairy, right?¡± She finally asked, keeping her tone even. ¡°Since when does a student species matter?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°It¡¯s the 21(st) century, Headmaster. If we can wee vampires, bears, and even some witches, we can wee fairies as well.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean, L,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to get her a room but unfortunately no student wants to room with her.¡± ¡°Then make them- 33 ¡°I can¡¯t force them to room with someone they don¡¯t want to room with; especially when they were there first,¡± she said, stopping my words. She didn¡¯t raise her voice, but her tone was powerful enough to silence me. ¡°It¡¯s just not fair,¡± I murmured, staring down at my hands. ¡°I know you want to help, and you are. By tutoring her and catching her up on her assignments, you are helping her a lot. She still has ess to everything a regr student has ess to. The only difference is she won¡¯t be sleeping here. It won¡¯t affect her work if she doesn¡¯t let it.¡± I opened my mouth to say more, but the office door swung open and a dark and familiar sense washed over me. Telling from how tense Headmaster Prescott just got, I knew exactly who was standing behind me. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize you were having a student meeting,¡± Alpha Jonathan said. from behind me. I turned slightly and peered up at him; his eyes shed with recognition as he red at me. ¡°Oh, hello, L,¡± he said with such a fake kindness I had to stifle an eye roll. ¡°Hello, Alpha,¡± I said to him, proud that my voice came out stronger than I felt. I turned back to Headmaster Prescott and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll leave so you can talk.¡± ¡°Actually, you can stay, L,¡± Alpha Jonathan surprised me by saying. ¡°I¡¯m d you are here; this concerns you as well.¡± My heart fell deep into my stomach. He was going to tell the headmaster about what he saw in the arena. I knew it. 11:30 It took everything I had not to jump up and run from the room. ¡°Go on,¡± Headmaster Prescott urged. Alpha Jonathan stepped further into the room, keeping the door open, probably so Sarah could listen as well. I felt my face getting warmer with each passing second. ¡°I wanted to speak to you about this mural that is being created under my nose without my consent,¡± he said through his teeth and as soon as those words left his lips, I felt myself sighing in relief. But then his words registered, and I tensed again. Was he going to forbid the mural from happening? We were already collecting photos from students; they were going to be so disappointed. ¡°We¡¯ve been meaning to speak about it with you- 33 ¡°When? After it¡¯s already been created?¡± Jonathan asked, raising his brows. I had never seen Tiffany Prescott look so small as she does at this very moment. I felt bad she was getting in trouble because of an idea that I had. ¡°My board members were supposed to send an email¡ª¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± he said sharply, cutting her off. ¡°I had to find out from a student.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Alpha¡­¡± ¡°If it were to be run by me, I¡¯d express my concerns about having my campus graffitied.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not graffiti,¡± I found myself saying quickly. ¡°It¡¯s a mural for students. It¡¯ll give the campus more life and color.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a school; it doesn¡¯t need life or color,¡± he said through his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s a school that most of us live in,¡± I said in return, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°The students are lacking in motivation and 60% of it is because of the environment they work in.¡± ¡°And graffiti is going to change that?¡± He asked, raising his brows. ¡°It¡¯ll help,¡± I said, not bothering him to correct him again. ¡°The colors will make it livelier, and the students will feel seen.¡± ¡°Alpha, the mural is going to be a bunch of pictures that the students submit to the art department that will- 33 ¡°I¡¯m aware of what this project is, Miss Prescott. No thanks to you and the board that I pay,¡± Alpha Jonathan sneered, making her flinch and silence. He then turned to me, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. You win this election, and you can continue with this project. If my daughter wins then this project is being thrown out. Until then, it¡¯s on hold. End of story.¡± Chapter 240 Chapter 240 L¡¯s POV The finality of his tone made me realize that there was no point in arguing with him any further. His point was made, and his decision was final. I stayed silent, feeling all sorts of defeated while Tiffany Prescott bowed her head to him and apologized for the hundredth time. I felt small and I wanted to sink into the seat and disappear. ¡°With that being said, I¡¯d like to be more involved in this school. I do own it after all, and I believe that¡¯s only fair. Don¡¯t you think, Miss Prescott?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked her, much to her surprise. She nodded quickly. ¡°Of course, Alpha,¡± she said, trying hard not to look at me knowing how upset I was about this mural project. ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to be building a house of my own here. That way I¡¯ll have a ce to live whenever I¡¯m on campus,¡± he continued to say making my heart. weigh heavily in my chest. I didn¡¯t like where this was going. ¡°I was nning on doing some renovations around campus and I¡¯m thinking about opening a coffee shop near the cafeteria. Just a small caf¨¦ that¡¯ll be run by students.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea, Alpha,¡± Headmaster Prescott agreed. ¡°Which is why I wanted my daughter here; Sarah, get in here,¡± he ordered without even looking at the doorway. I heard Sarah¡¯s slow and uncertain movements as she stood from her seat and made her way into the office. She didn¡¯t bother looking at me, but she did nce up at her father with worry clear in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve already discussed this previously with her,¡± Alpha Jonathan continued. ¡°But now I¡¯m formally putting Sarah in charge of this Caf¨¦. Of course, I still own it. But it will be her responsibility.¡± Headmaster Prescott looked at Sarah with a questioning look in her eyes. ¡°Is that something you want to do?¡± She asked Sarah. Sarah looked at her like she wanted to protest; she opened her mouth, but one look at her father and she closed her mouth, giving a small nod. ¡°I¡¯ve already connected with contractors, and they will be here first thing in the morning to take measurements,¡± Alpha Jonathan continued. ¡°That sounds wonderful, Alpha,¡± Headmaster Prescott said, giving a very obviously forced smile in return. She then looked at me, and her smile softened. ¡°How about you get to ss before you are late? I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be much help to you, L. But I¡¯m sure you can understand why your request isn¡¯t usible.¡± I nodded, though I didn¡¯t like it. But I really just wanted to get out of there. 11:30 1 ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± I managed to say as I stood to my feet. ¡°What request would that be?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked before I could walk away. ¡°We have a new student, Ka, who just transferred from Emmerson. Unfortunately, there aren¡¯t any rooms avable for her to live on campus, so shemutes from home,¡± Headmaster Prescott exined. ¡°A student ismuting?¡± Jonathan asked, raising his brows. ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s no room for her? We have plenty of students that don¡¯t have roommates. My daughter included.¡± ¡°No one wants to room with her, Dad,¡± Sarah muttered, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°She¡¯s a fairy.¡± ¡°A fairy you say?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked, his eyes widening. ¡°This school has always weed all who would like to learn, including fairies. Though, she is the first fairy we¡¯ve had at this school and the other students have concerns about rooming with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Prescott, but when I¡¯m not here, who is in charge here?¡± She was taken aback by his question and her face grew red. ¡°I am¡­¡± 33 ¡°Then why are students allowed to refuse this girl as a roommate?¡± Alpha Jonathan asked, tightening his jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force students to 35 ¡°It seems you just don¡¯t want to do your job,¡± he snapped, cutting her off once again. ¡°This is a school, and you are the headmaster. The students don¡¯t get to pick their roommates and we certainly aren¡¯t going to deny a student a bed just because others are a little apprehensive over her. She wouldn¡¯t be allowed at this school if we thought she was unsafe to the other students.¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t want this girl to be ufortable-¡± ¡°By dis-including her you have already made her ufortable,¡± Alpha Jonathan snapped. I hated agreeing with him, but he was kind of right about that. ¡°You¡¯re right; I wasn¡¯t thinking straight. I¡¯ll connect with some students and-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I already decided on a roommate for her,¡± Alpha Jonathan said, turning away from us. Before anyone could say anything more, he continued. ¡°My daughter will be her roommate.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sarah gasped just as her father reached the doorway. Without turning around, he said, ¡°You have a suite with an extra bedroom and two bathrooms. You can give up the extra bedroom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m using it as my closet,¡± she whined. ¡°I¡¯m not arguing about this. This new girl will move in immediately. I expect that 11:30 room to be cleared out by nightfall. I¡¯ll be checking on it,¡± he said, and, on that note, he left the office, leaving us all standing quietly and stunned. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair,¡± Sarah said, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears. ¡°I don¡¯t want a roommate and I don¡¯t want to run a stupid coffee shop.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt with someone as sweet as Ka having Sarah as a roommate. It might have been better if she just continued tomute from home. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like any of us have a choice,¡± I murmured. We all got the short end of the stick during this conversation. What¡¯s worse was that Alpha Jonathan was going to be sticking around for a while. I had a feeling things were going to continue changing and these changes weren¡¯t going to be good. ¡°L, how about you find Ka before ss and let her know the news? Sarah now is a good time to start clearing out that room,¡± Headmaster Prescott said, and I could tell she was trying hard to keep herself together. ¡°Yes, mam,¡± I said as I walked toward the doorway. I heard Sarah murmuring something behind me, but her voice drowned out the further I got from her. I didn¡¯t want to hear anything she had to say; I had such a headache. I only had about 20 minutes before my next ss started so I had to find Ka quickly. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take me long. When I didn¡¯t see her in the student lounge or the library, I went into the cafeteria and saw her sitting alone at a table, reading a book and eating a sandwich. She looked extremely out of her element, and I felt badly for her but as I approached, she looked up at me and gave me a warm and inviting smile. ¡°Hey, L,¡± she said, putting her book down. I sat beside her and returned her smile. ¡°I have some news,¡± I told her, sitting down beside her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s good or bad though.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked, peering over at me through her longshes. ¡°I spoke to the headmaster about your living arrangements, and she was able to get you a roommate,¡± I said in a breath, purposely leaving out the fact that it was because of Alpha Jonathan that I was able to aplish this. Her eyes widened and for a moment I thought she had stopped breathing. She stared at me with such large eyes, that she almost looked like a bug. ¡°Are you serious?¡± She finally asked in nothing more than a whisper. I nodded my head once, biting my bottom lip before continuing. ¡°Yes; the only issue is, your roommate will be Sarah.¡± She raised her brows, and I could see the confusion in her eyes. 11:30 D ¡°Is that an issue? I¡¯m not entirely sure who that is,¡± she said after a beat of silence. ¡°Sarah isn¡¯t exactly a nice person,¡± I admitted. ¡°She¡¯s actually very mean and can be cruel. She doesn¡¯t want to be your roommate and will probably try to push you out.¡± She now looked startled by this information. ¡°Then why would she agree to be my roommate?¡± She asked, furrowing her brows together. ¡°It wasn¡¯t her choice. It was her father¡¯s choice. He¡¯s the owner of the school. You might have heard of him, even in Emerson. Alpha Jonathan.¡± ¡°Of course, I have heard of him,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°He owns a lot of businesses and he¡¯s very rich. So, he¡¯s forcing her to room with me?¡± I nodded my head once, meeting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ka. I only wanted to help,¡± I told her, feeling defeated. I feel like I made her situation so much worse. She appeared to be deep in thought for a moment before rxing her body and giving me a gentle smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she finally said. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t be that bad. At least I have got a room now and I can be here all the time to work on my studies. My parents don¡¯t have to worry about driving me here as well.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a nice forest that we are allowed to go to whenever we want,¡± I added. ¡°I can take you there sometimes.¡± ¡°I would love that,¡± she breathed. ¡°Honestly, this will be fine. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be that bad. So, thank you for doing this for me.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I said, smiling widely at her. ¡°Are we still on forter?¡± ¡°4 pm, library,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. In the meantime, I¡¯m going to call my parents and tell them the good news.¡± ¡°I have to get to ss; but I¡¯ll see youter, Kay,¡± I said as I stood to my feet. We waved to one another as I left the dining hall. Third Person POV The school grew quiet as evening neared. Alpha Jonathan went for a stroll along the campus walls, gaining some alone time before he went to Enzo¡¯s faculty home to rest for the evening. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the burner number he had created only a day ago. ¡°I was wondering when you were going to call me,¡± Jazzy said on the other end. ¡°Are my men treating you okay?¡± Jonathan asked. Jazzy was currently living in his packhouse and being protected by his packhouse. Nobody, not even her coven, knows or even suspects that she¡¯s there. 11:31 ¡°They are fine,¡± she murmurs. ¡°Though I told them I¡¯m going to need some supplies. They are being difficult though.¡± ¡°Supplies for what?¡± ¡°I have been working on a new spell. It¡¯ll block the use of magic in a specific area. Any spell cast prior will demolish.¡± Jonatha froze in his walk. ¡°Would it work for curses as well?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± she muttered. ¡°It won¡¯t work for Vna¡¯s either. But with some more testing that might change. I figured we could use the spell in case we run into issues during our n. But for now, I need things toplete this spell.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you get your supplies,¡± he told her. ¡°Make sure I get them soon, Alpha. I don¡¯t like waiting¡­¡± she paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°My intuition is telling me that I need to test this spell out noter than tomorrow.¡± Chapter 241 Chapter 241 L¡¯s POV As soon as ss ended, I went to the library to meet up with Kay. She was already there and hard at work when I arrived. She looked up at me and smiled when I sat down. ¡°Ready to get to work?¡± I asked, grabbing one of her open notebooks and an extra pen. She nodded eagerly and showed me where she was with her recent assignments. She was taking some strange sses that I didn¡¯t even know we offered at this school. Such as spellcasting, the history of sorcerers, and potions. Most of these sses were for withes because Kay was the first fairy we had at this school. But these courses could also be helpful to fairies as well. She was also taking normal sses like Math, History of Shifters, and Chemistry. I took these level ssesst semester and everything came as easy to me. Despite Tiffany Prescott¡¯s praise of Kay¡¯s academic sess from her old school, it still came as a surprise to me how knowledgeable she truly was. We worked at a quick pace, and she was able to obtain all the information I had given to her. She was like a sponge. It only took us a couple of hours to finish and by the end, I was exhausted and starving. ¡°Want to get dinner?¡± I asked as we packed up our things. She nodded with a pleased smile. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± she breathed. Together we walked from the library and across the campus until we reached the dining hall. It was already crowded with flooded students. I could smell the delicious scent of food as soon as we entered through the door and my stomach growled. I was excited to see that it was spaghetti and meatball night. Telling from the excited glimmer in Kay¡¯s eyes, I knew she was excited as well. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ We grabbed our food and went to sit down at a booth in the corner of the room. We wereter joined by Ba and Rachel. ¡°Kay, these are my roommates and friends,¡± I introduced. ¡°Rachel, Ba, this is Ka.¡± They both smiled politely at her, but Rachel¡¯s eyes widened instantly. ¡°Holy shit; you¡¯re a fairy!¡± She gasped. Kay¡¯s face reddened, but she didn¡¯t deny it. She just nodded. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Ba asked, peering over at Rachel who sat across from her and next to me. Rachel sat beside Kay and was staring at her with wide eyes. ¡°Bears have a strange sense of smell,¡± she said, shrugging. ¡°We can smell fairies easily. I think it has something to do with our history on them.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know bears have a history with fairies,¡± I said, shaking my head at the thought. ¡°Yes, we learned about it in Bear History,¡± she exined. ¡°Bears and fairies used to live amongst one another. That is until a bear betrayed the fairies. We haven¡¯t lived in harmony since.¡± ¡°What did the bears do to the fairies?¡± I asked, raising my brows. They¡¯d have to be stupid to double-cross a fairy. Fairies were incredibly powerful, and bears weren¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s unclear,¡± Rachel answered as she took a bite of her meatball. ¡°But there are a lot of rumors.¡± ¡°So, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s actually true or not?¡± I asked, raising my brows. ¡°It was a really long time ago. There¡¯s not much documentation of that time,¡± Rachel said, shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Kay said, her tone very soft. ¡°The bear stole something from us. It was a very long time ago and they were trying to hide it¡­¡± ¡°Trying to hide it?¡± I asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because if word got out about it, we would see weak,¡± she exined, shaking her head. ¡°And we are anything but weak.¡± ¡°What was stolen?¡± Ba asked. ¡°I heard something about a magical staff, but I thought that was just a rumor,¡± Rachel breathed. At first, I didn¡¯t think Kay was going to respond because of how quiet she was. She stared down at her food questionably, like she was debating whether or not she was going to continue eating or not. But then she lifted her fork, which contained a part of a meatball, to her lips and slowly started to eat. ¡°Yes, it was a magical staff. It¡¯s how fairies restore their magic. If we lose the staff, then we lose the magic.¡± I gasped at her words, making her look at me. ¡°I had no idea your magic was that fragile,¡± I said, shaking my head at her words. ¡°So, when that bear stole the staff, they really stole your magic?¡± She nodded her head once. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered out loud. ¡°It took a lot to get that stuff back and the fairies had to do it on their own because no one wanted to help. The witches were threatened by us because we were seemingly more powerful than them and had way more abilities. So, they were never on our side. Everyone else either wanted the magic for themselves or to destroy it.¡± ¡°Some things never change,¡± I muttered, thinking about my own situation. She nodded, almost like she understood exactly what I meant. ¡°But we eventually got our stuff back, which restored our magic. After that, we didn¡¯t take any more chances. We closed ourselves off from everyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why everyone thinks fairies are nasty and mean creatures,¡± I said, feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°Because we try to protect ourselves.¡± I looked at Rachel who was pale in the face as she stared at Kay. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was that bad.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to me yourself,¡± Kay said, giving her a reassuring smile. ¡°It was in the past and I¡¯m hoping for a better future for all species.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± I said with a wide grin. We were soon joined by Brody who squeezed in next to Ba. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s everyone up to?¡± He asked, taking arge bite of spaghetti. ¡°Talking about fairies,¡± Ba answered. ¡°Why would we be talking about those creatures?¡± He asked, grimacing. ¡°Because our new friend Kay is a fairy,¡± I told him, ring at him. He nearly choked on his food at my words and then he noticed Kay sitting beside me with a very red face. ¡°Oh, crap. I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°And that makes it okay?¡± Kay asked and I could hear the hurt in her voice. ¡°No¡­ of course not. I wasn¡¯t thinking. I¡¯m so sorry¡­.¡± ¡°We were talking about the history between fairies and bears and why fairies keep to themselves,¡± I said in a calm tone trying my best to defuse the situation. ¡°Can I start over?¡± Brody asked, peering at Kay withrge puppy dog eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Brody; I tend to say the wrong things and act like an ass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ka,¡± she said, staring down at her food. ¡°But my friends call me Kay¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I had never met a fairy before. But I would like to.¡± ¡°Brody isn¡¯t that bad,¡± I assured her softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry the first impression wasn¡¯t great.¡± She opened her mouth to say something, but a pair of hands pping down at our table brought us out of our small conversation, startling most of us. I looked up to see Sarah ring at Kay with her death-ray eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight,¡± she began to say through her teeth. ¡°Just because we are roomies now doesn¡¯t make us friends. I don¡¯t want you to breathe near me, look at me, or even be in the same room as me. You aren¡¯t allowed in my room, in my bathroom, and you sure aren¡¯t hell touching any of my shit. Do I make myself clear?¡± Kay nodded and I felt her body tremble slightly. She went to walk away but froze when she saw Brody¡¯srge eyes staring up at her. She stared back at him for a moment longer like she was trying to figure something out, but then it seemed as if she answered her own question, and she shook her head. ¡°Cut the crap, football boy,¡± she hissed. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t see you staring at me all of the time. Get a life and leave me the fuck alone.¡± On that note, she turned and left, leaving us all silenced and stunned. ¡°What was that about?¡± Rachel asked, peering at Brody through hershes. ¡°Why have you been staring at her?¡± I was the only one in our friend group that knew that Brody and Sarah were mates. Sarah wasn¡¯t even aware of this because Brody cast a spell on himself to hide his scent from her. I don¡¯t even think anyone else knew that Brody was part witch. Brody opened his mouth to speak, and I could see the nervousness on his face because he refused to look at Rachel as he struggled to answer her question. So, I spoke for him. ¡°Sarah never makes any sense,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°She¡¯s paranoid about everything. I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°And what about Kay being her roommate?¡± Ba asked, peering at me and then at Kay. ¡°That part is true,¡± Kay sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Good luck with that¡­ she¡¯s a nightmare,¡± Rachel muttered as she began to eat her food again. ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard.¡± I stole a nce at Brody while the others continued talking. His face was still very red, and he looked so defeated; my heart tugged painfully for him. I wanted to speak with him to see if he was truly okay but then my eye caught something across the dining hall. It was a man sitting at a table with a hat and a pair of sses. He looked a little too old to be a student and he wasn¡¯t eating anything. He was just casually reading with his leg crossed over the other. There was something oddly family about him, but then I saw the logo on his jacket. It was small and hardly visible, but once I noticed it, it became clear to me. I also started to recognize who he was because there was only one person, I knew who had his style, and as soon as I recognized him, my blood boiled with anger. It was Alexander. One of my father¡¯s gammas and the guy who rejected Brianna. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 L¡¯s POV ¡°L, are you okay?¡± Rachel asked, peering at me with a frown. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Alex who sat at one of the tables across the dining hall. My face was red with fury. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to confront him after Brianna told me he rejected her. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to let him off the hook with this. What was he even doing here? ¡°L?¡± Rachel said again after I didn¡¯t respond to her the first time. I blinked a couple of times and looked at her. ¡°Sorry, yes,¡± I answered. ¡°But can you guys excuse me for a minute? There¡¯s someone I need to speak to.¡± Brody slid out of the booth first and then Ba, allowing me to get out. Without another word, I marched over to Alex¡¯s table not even caring that my friends were staring at me intently. Alex, who wasn¡¯t very slick and was watching me through his sses, tensed and put the book on the table. ¡°Outside,¡± I said through gritted teeth, not wanting to make a scene. ¡°Now.¡± He looked at me for a moment, removing his sunsses and scanning my face. I was trying hard to keep myself under control. If Val was awake, she¡¯d want me to rip his head off his shoulders or zap him until he was paralyzed. But I didn¡¯t have her or my abilities right now so the most he was going to get was my fists. Which, right now, was more than enough. He eventually sighed and stood to his feet. Without a word, he turned and walked out the door. I followed closely behind him and once we were outside, I grabbed his arm firmly making him stop and look at me. ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing here?¡± I seethed, feeling anger boiling in the pit of my stomach. Categories Search¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here to do my job,¡± he answered simply. ¡°Per the orders of my superior.¡± ¡°My father asked you toe here?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°You, out of all his gammas?¡± He raised his brows at my statement. ¡°Yes; I¡¯m one of his best,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Do you have an issue with how I do my job? I think I¡¯ve been doing great as a gamma.¡± ¡°You might be great at being a gamma, but you are shitty at being a man,¡± I seethed. ¡°You hurt my best friend and¡ª¡± ¡°Is that what this is about?¡± Alex asked and I could hear in his voice that he was stifling augh. ¡°Some petty teenage drama?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t just teenage drama, Alex, and you know it,¡± I said, pretty taken aback by his cruel words. How could he be so heartless? It¡¯s obvious he never cared for Brianna. Poor Brianna was still recovering after being rejected. ¡°Look, I love Brianna and I probably always will. She was my first mate and that¡¯s a bond that can¡¯t be broken. At least not easily,¡± Alex said, sounding even smugger by the moment. ¡°But she isn¡¯t as powerful as an Alpha¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s not even a Beta¡¯s daughter. She can¡¯t get me what I want in life and because of that, I had to do what was best for me.¡± ¡°What do you even want in life, Alex?¡± I found myself asking, generously curious. ¡°I want what every great wolf wants. Power,¡± he said; then he smirked. ¡°Eileen can give me the power I want. Brianna couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡± ¡°Bri deserves a lot better than a scumbag like you,¡± I said through my teeth. ¡°Maybe so, but I¡¯m still the gamma they put in charge of keeping your spoiled ass safe,¡± he said in return. A growl escaped my lips as I spun away on my heels and walked back towards the dining hall. ¡°You won¡¯t even notice I¡¯m here!¡± He called from behind me. ¡°I already did,¡± I murmured and then I went into the dining hall without another word. My friends were still sitting at the table eating their food; Brody and Ba slid out of the booth so I could resume my seat and continue eating. ¡°Everything okay?¡± Ba asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± I said; though, I was biting my lip. ¡°I just had to deal with something.¡± We talked for a bit more while we ate and then once we were done, I started toward the arena to see Enzo after hisst ss. I tried to pay Alex no attention, but I could clearly see him watching me from a distance and it was infuriating. At least I didn¡¯t have to pretend Enzo wasn¡¯t my mate around him; everybody in both my father¡¯s pack and Enzo¡¯s pack was aware that we were mates. Just as I rounded the corner, and the arena doors came into view, I felt a strong hold on my wrist pulling me into a nearby supply closet, trapping me in the dark atmosphere. As I was pressed against the wall, my heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to beat out of my chest and my entire face was hot. I wasn¡¯t afraid though. Instead, Iughed as my soft lips found the sweet spot on my neck and began to kiss and lick. ¡°Enzo,¡± I chuckled as his lips found mine and he kissed me sweetly and yet so hungrily. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I whispered against his lips. ¡°Kissing you,¡± he whispered back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him, allowing his scent to fill my every sense and ease all the tensions I had felt from the day. Being with him was soforting and amazing. I never wanted this feeling to end. ¡°I can see that,¡± I said as I smashed my lips against his and deepened our embrace. His tongue was so soft as it explored my mouth, twirling itself with my tongue. I felt his teeth grazing my bottom lip and conquering it as his own. The growl that emerged from his throat made my face hot and it made me want him even more. ¡°Should we be doing this right here?¡± I said between kisses. He broke his kiss from my lips and started to kiss other areas of my face. He made his way across my cheekbones and to my ear where he nibbled on my lobe and sent a wave of chills to course through my entire body. ¡°I¡¯m just going to miss you tonight,¡± he whispered against me, and then my heart fell into my stomach at his words. I looked up at him, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness so I could just make out the longing and lustful look in his eyes. But then there was something else in them as well; I couldn¡¯t quite ce what it was. ¡°I wasing to see you to ask if I can spend the night again,¡± I admitted with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s okay if not¡­ I just thought¡ª¡± ¡°Usually, I would have said yes,¡± he said softly, kissing me gently on the lips before continuing. ¡°But Alpha Jonathan is staying with me for a bit.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together and shaking my head as if I were shaking that thought out of my brain. ¡°Define ¡®a bit.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. He said he¡¯s just here until after the election. But I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Enzo said, meeting my eyes. ¡°So, I¡¯m not sure how long he¡¯s going to be sticking around for;¡± ¡°I was talking to Headmaster Prescott earlier when he showed up,¡± I said, keeping my tone low in case there were any other lurkers besides Alex. ¡°What did he want?¡± ¡°To tell her that he¡¯s building a house for himself on campus,¡± I told him. ¡°I guess he really is staying for a while.¡± Enzo bent down and kissed me again; the kiss was longer and more passionate than it was moments ago. Before, it was filled with hunger and lust, but now it is filled with love andpassion. I wasn¡¯t sure my heart would be able to take it. But then another thought popped into my mind, and I was the one who broke the kiss first. ¡°Whose idea was it to have Alex be the gamma that protects me?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. Both my father and Enzo knew that I didn¡¯t like Alex based on what he had done to Brianna. ¡°It was a decision we came up with together,¡± Enzo admitted. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like him, but he¡¯s the best one for the job. Plus, he was the only one not on an assignment. All the other gammas were busy.¡± ¡°Out of all the gammas¡­.¡± I murmured. He gave me a small smile and wrapped his arms tightly around me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he breathed against me. ¡°I know everything has been difficult. But it won¡¯t always be like this. In a couple of years, you will graduate from this school and then we will get married. You will be my wife and my Luna, and we will get our happily ever after.¡± I smiled up at him. ¡°Promise?¡± I asked. He answered my question with a kiss. I wrapped my arms back around him and deepened the kiss, loving every moment of it. Then the moment was ruined when the door opened and Alex stood before us, making us jump apart. ¡°Probably better if you didn¡¯t do this here,¡± he said, staring between the two of us. ¡°You might get caught by someone other than meExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Chapter 243 Chapter 243 L¡¯s POV My rm went off at 7 a.m. on the dot. I almost took it and threw it across the room, but I knew today was a very important day and I needed to be up early to prepare for it. I certainly wasn¡¯t prepared already despite Rachel and Ba hassling me about it. ¡°Wake up, sleepy head!¡± I heard Rachel say as she swung my bedroom door open and went to open the curtains, allowing the bright rays of the sun to enter the dimly lit room. ¡°We have a lot to do before the elections this afternoon and we can¡¯t waste any more time!¡± I slid out of bed and went with her to the living room where Ba sat curled up on the couch. She had a notebook and a pen on herp, and she stared up at me eagerly. Alex, who spent the night on the couch, sat on the ind stool near the kitchen area, watching us like he had better things to do with his time. ¡°We have to start thinking about your speech now. We literally have no more time,¡± Ba said as I sat beside her, and Rachel sat on the other side of her. ¡°I¡¯ve just been so busy with other things, the speech didn¡¯t seem to matter much,¡± I said with a shrug, and I wasn¡¯t sorry. I¡¯ve been busy with fundraisers, tutoring, and event/project nning. I barely had any time to think about my speech. I did this all for the school and I wasn¡¯t going to be made to feel sorry for that. ¡°Okay, so what kind of things should I talk about for this election?¡± I asked, staring at the nk notebook. ¡°Well, we know Sarah is going to pretty much buy her way through this. Her speech is going to be about all the things she can buy for the school. She¡¯s going to unt her daddy¡¯s money in everyone¡¯s faces and they are going to feed into it. So, you need to talk about something that money can¡¯t buy,¡± Rachel exined. ¡°L cares so much about this school and the little activities she does to make it better is proof of that,¡± Ba said in return. ¡°Everyone already knows that.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°That won¡¯t be a match for the shit Sarah buys them,¡± Rachel murmurs. ¡°You said something about a back-to-school dance. How¡¯s that going?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t really done any nning for it yet,¡± I admitted; it was something I wanted to do, but I haven¡¯t really had a lot of time since returning to school and dealing with the whole Xander thing, which they still had no idea about. ¡°Then maybe you can talk about that,¡± Ba said, writing it down in the notebook. ¡°You can talk about all the great things you envision for this school, including the mural.¡± ¡°A mural that might not happen if I don¡¯t win,¡± I muttered, leaning back on the couch. ¡°I thought it was already approved?¡± Ba asked. ¡°I thought so too, but apparently it wasn¡¯t run by Alpha Jonathan first and he doesn¡¯t want the mural. But he said if I win then we can do the mural,¡± I exined. Both Ba and Rachel groaned miserably. ¡°Of course, he said that,¡± Rachel muttered. ¡°What other things did you want to do for the school?¡± ¡°Well, I was thinking about starting a schoolmunity service program,¡± I said, looking between the both of them. That was something I hadn¡¯t told them yet, but it was on my mind. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Ba said as she wrote that out. ¡°You¡¯ve been tutoring a lot; how about we start a tutoring program too? I mean, you can¡¯t tutor everyone,¡± Rachel said with a shrug. I liked that idea as well and I nodded in response as Ba wrote that down as well. We went through a few more ideas and after a couple of hours of writing out a semi-decent speech, we were running even shorter on time, and I needed to get dressed. Rachel insisted on giving me a makeover; while she rummaged through all our clothes to find something for me to wear, I went to take a shower. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t a little nervous about this election. Maybe I haven¡¯t focused too much on it because I didn¡¯t really want to think about it. Everything could change after today. If I lose, I give control over Sarah and her father. Not that Alpha Jonathan doesn¡¯t already have control, but now his daughter will have it as well. I allowed the hot water to rx my body as I closed my eyes and took in the sweet scent of the soapy steam that filled the bathroom. I let the water run through my hair and massage my scalp. Lathering my body in soap, I rehearsed my speech mentally. I thought about all the points I was going to make and how I was going to persuade everyone to vote for me. Once I was done in the shower, I stepped out of the tub and wrapped my body in a warm towel. I stared at myself in the mirror with a frown; I looked tired and worn out. My hairy soaked across my shoulders and down my back and my face was a bit paler than usual. It was probably because of the wolfsbane that was still in my system. I sighed and brushed my teeth. Once I was finished, I left the bathroom only to be met by Rachel who stood in the living room holding up a cute pink blouse and a ck skirt that looked like it would rest right above my knees. ¡°I found an outfit for you,¡± she said excitedly. I chuckled and took the outfit from her and went into my room to get dressed. It wasn¡¯t my clothes, so, I¡¯m assuming it was either Rachel¡¯s or Ba¡¯s. But they fit me perfectly; the blouse rested just above my belly button and pushed my breasts up to make them appear a little bigger. But I was tasteful at the same time; the V-neck of the blouse showed off my cleavage, but it also made the ne that dangled against my chest more evident. It was a long-sleeved blouse and at the ends they were frilly. The blouse might have rested above my belly button, but the skirt, which ended just above my knees, was a high-waisted skirt that covered the rest of my stomach. It was a simple ck skirt with a built-in ck belt that had silver buckles. I looked extremely professional. Rachel also gave me a pair of ck heels that would match the ck skirt; I was thankful I recently This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. painted my toenails because those could also be seen from the open-toed heels. When I walked out of my room both Rachel and Ba gasped in amazement; Alex just rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you have a problem, Alex?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Nope,¡± he muttered, turning away to continue reading the book he was holding. ¡°Remind me again why that jerk is here?¡± Rachel said, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°My father sent him here as a bodyguard because one of his prisoners escaped and he¡¯s worried for my safety,¡± I told her and that was all I was going to tell her right now. ¡°Sit down; we have to do your hair and makeup,¡± Rachel said as Ba went to grab all the makeup supplies. I sat in a chair that Rachel had set up and she started blow-drying my hair. Then she used a curling iron to curl it a little, allowing the soft curls to fall around my shoulders. Rachel excelled with hair and makeup, so I knew I was in good hands. She braided a portion of my hair and then pinned it back, so my long hair still fell down my back and bounced around as I walked. Then she got to work with my makeup; I told her I wanted it light because I enjoyed a more natural look. ¡°Trust me,¡± she had said. By the time she finished, and I was able to look at my appearance as a whole, I was astonished by how beautiful I looked. I no longer looked exhausted and worn out; she managed to make me look livelier and alert. I was also very professional-looking. ¡°You look beautiful, L,¡± Ba beathed. I smiled at her, and I turned to Rachel. ¡°You¡¯re a miracle worker,¡± I said as I hugged her. ¡°No way, you are already beautiful,¡± she said hugging me back. ¡°I just made you presentable for an election.¡± ¡°It¡¯s 12:30 and the election starts at 1,¡± Ba said, ncing at the clock. ¡°We should get to the Assembly Hall.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re prepared enough?¡± Rachel asked me, eyeing me carefully. I took a steady deep breath and I nodded, though I felt very uncertain, I wasn¡¯t going to tell them that. As we left the dorm room, I was shocked to see that Sarah was standing in the hallway pacing back and forth and taking deep breaths. She was also nicely dressed in a ck dress that showed a lot of her cleavage as well and her long dark hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. She also wore heels, but hers were huge and made her at least an entire inch taller. ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± Rachel asked before I could say anything. She froze when she saw me, seemingly shocked at first but then her lip curled up when she saw me. ¡°Came here to wish you luck,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°Because you are going to need it. Losing for me, isn¡¯t an option. I will do whatever I can to win Chapter 244 Chapter 244 L¡¯s POV I was amazed at how many people were at the assembly hall; students were lined up outside the doors, waiting for them to unlock so they could enter. It was the entire school basically; I knew this was a mandatory event for everyone, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d all be here at the same time. Brody met us toward the back entrance where Headmaster Prescott had told me I was going to enter through. The door was unlocked and once we were inside, we met with a couple of the board members. ¡°Oh, good, you¡¯re here,¡± one of them said. ¡°I hope you are prepared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m as prepared as I can be,¡± I said, grateful that I didn¡¯t sound as nervous as I felt. She only smiled and led us down various hallways until we reached a set of giant doors that led to the assembly hall. It was a huge auditorium that the drama department used for their ys and the band used for their concerts. It¡¯s also used for regr assemblies as well. ¡°L, you look gorgeous,¡± Tiffany Prescott said with a fond smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you think, Professor Enzo?¡± My face instantly warmed when I saw my mate across the stage setting up the microphone and podium. His eyes found mine and I instantly saw the love and lust in them. I had to fight to keep from smiling at him. ¡°Yeah; she looks great,¡± he said, his eyes never leaving mine. I bit my bottom lip and broke my eye contact with him to look up at Headmaster Prescott. ¡°Where should I sit?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯ll be sitting in the second seat and Sarah will be sitting in the first,¡± she said, but then she paused when she met my eyes. ¡°Alpha Jonathan orders.¡± ¡°Of course, it was,¡± Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes. I nudged her with my shoulders. ¡°Have you seen Sarah, by the way?¡± Headmaster Prescott asked. ¡°She hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Categories Search¡­ ¡°We saw her right before we got here,¡± I told her. ¡°She was still in the dorm. But I¡¯m sure she was on her way.¡± I didn¡¯t bother rying the message Sarah had given me about doing whatever she could to win. I wasn¡¯t really sure what she meant by that, but I wasn¡¯t going to stress too much about it. I already knew she probably had something up her sleeve. But as long as I stayed true to myself and stuck with my lines, I had faith that I was going to be okay. I began walking across the stage and over to my seat. I had to pass Enzo on my way to eat and when I did, he met my eyes again and this time he gave me a small smile along with a wink. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± he whispered. ¡°You¡¯re going to be great.¡± ¡°Thank you, Professor,¡± I flirtatiously said with a wink, making him grin as I continued to walk by him. I took my seat and tried to re-read the speech that sat on notecards in my hands. Rachel, Ba, and Brody took seats in the front row. Soon, the entire auditorium was filled with students and faculty. Sarah soon joined me on the stage, sitting in the first seat with her legs crossed and her hands neatly laid out on herp. I got a glimpse of Alpha Jonathan sitting near the stage and his eyes never left Sarah. After a few minutes, Tiffany Prescott walked onto the stage, and everyone pped for her. ¡°Hello everyone,¡± she began in the mic; she didn¡¯t yell, but her voice was loud and rang with so much authority that everybody was silenced instantly. ¡°Thank you all for being here right now. This is a very exciting asion. As you know we started the studentmittee toward the end ofst year and because of the sess of itst year, we¡¯d like to continue it this year as well.¡± She paused while everyone pped excitedly at her words. ¡°Initially, we were only going to use thismittee for event nning, but we recently decided that this committee could do so much more. The school board tries hard to keep up with all student issues and to get you everything needed to be sessful on your journeys, but the board isn¡¯t perfect. We don¡¯t work closely enough with the students to know their fundamental needs and we could use a little inside help. The studentmittee will be working with the school board to ensure that all needs are met.¡± Another pause for apuse. ¡°That brings me to today; I¡¯m happy to announce that with your help, we are appointing a president for the studentmittee. Our candidates are Sarah and L,¡± she continued. Everyone wildly began to cheer; I met the eyes of Enzo who sat with the other faculty, and he gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Each of the candidates had prepared a speech. Once each speaks, you¡¯ll be able to ask them questions. Once all questions are answered then the voting will be opened. My wonderful board members will walk you to the polls we set up in the back room.¡± More pping. ¡°Our first candidate is Sarah,¡± Headmaster Prescott said, motioning for Sarah to step up to the podium. She stood with confidence and walked over to the podium with her head held high as if she¡¯d done this a thousand times before. As she walked to the podium, the entire room was echoed with apuse and cheering. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and tried desperately not to overthink things. Sarah chuckled into the mic and waved at the cheering audience. ¡°Oh, please. You guys are too much,¡± sheughed. ¡°But it¡¯s time to get serious. You all deserve a president who isn¡¯t afraid to get dirty. I can get shit done and you all know this to be true. I have never backed down from a fight and I can get you anything you ever wanted. When I¡¯m president, I¡¯m nning on getting only the best foods imported from the finest restaurants. I think we all deserve delicious and healthy foods. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Everybody cheered loudly for her and stomped their feet, my face warmed. ¡°Also, my dad just informed me that we are opening a coffee shop on this very campus. Of course, I¡¯ll be in charge of it,¡± she said simply. ¡°I¡¯ll be needing some workers though so if anyone is interested, see me after the election.¡± Everyone cheered again and she chuckled while waving. ¡°Vote for me, and you¡¯ll get a lot of really cool things,¡± Sarah continued. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± She turned away while everyone cheered again, and she resumed her seat next to me. She gave me a smug look before turning her attention to the front. That was hardly even a speech. Headmaster Prescott walked to the podium again and I could see she had a stered smile on her lips as she cleared her throat. ¡°Thank you, Sarah. That was quite an interesting speech,¡± she said; I knew she was forcing her voice to remain even. ¡°Now for our second candidate, L.¡± A bunch of students pped, including my friends in the front row. But it wasn¡¯t nearly as loud as the apuse for Sarah, which was kind of discouraging. As I stood in front of everybody, my eyes scanned the crowd. Some of them stood still, unmoving. It felt strange but I cleared my throat and gave my best smile. I stared down at my speech; it suddenly didn¡¯t feel as natural as I¡¯d like it to sound. So, I crumbled it in my hands and decided to just speak from my heart. ¡°I can¡¯t promise you the same things Sarah promised,¡± I admitted into the mic. ¡°I can¡¯t promise you gourmet foods, and coffee shops. I can¡¯t buy my way through this. I¡¯m hoping I can get through with my heart because I have a lot of that to go around. I love this school; the faculty, and the students mean a lot to me. That¡¯s why I came up with thismittee because I wanted only the best for everyone. I don¡¯t care if I win or lose, I just hope whoever wins does right by this school and not let money do the job for them. There are a lot of things I¡¯d like to see happen around this school. Some of which are fun dances and events for us all to enjoy. Starting new clubs like amunity service program, fundraisers for everyone to participate in, and really awesome school projects that bring us together as a community. Opening a tutoring center with your ssmates as your tutors so we can help each other seed. If I were to win this election, I wouldn¡¯t be the one running thismittee; you would be.¡± I paused when everyone began to p loudly; my friends in the front row stood up to apud me and they started a chain reaction of everyone standing. I smiled, relieved that my speech went well and that this was almost over. Just as I turned to walk back to my seat, I felt the earth under me begin to quiver, nearly knocking me to the ground. The lights in the auditorium flickered and everyone gasped at the strange sensation that fell upon the entire hall. There was a dark haziness that fell upon my vision, making it difficult to see. But after a short while, the haziness cleared, and the only thing left was the ghostly quiet auditorium. Looking around at everyone¡¯s stunned faces, they looked like they had just gotten smacked in the face with an invisible force. And then mayhem started. Some students in the back began to scream at the top of their lungs which caused everyone to jump up in terror. ¡°My magic!!! It¡¯s gone!!¡± One of the girls, a witch, had screamed from the back of the room. ¡°Mine is too!¡± Another cried. Was all the witch¡¯s magic gonepletely? I nced down at Brody who was staring bug-eyed at Sarah. I could tell something was seriously wrong, but I couldn¡¯t focus on that right now. I was more curious about the witches losing their magic. But then I heard a nearby voice, and I looked down to see one of Sarah¡¯s friends shivering and crying with a small group. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± She cried, her entire body trembling. ¡°How did I get here?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember thest day or so?¡± Another cried. ¡°Who did this to us??¡± Chapter 245 Chapter 245 Third Person POV ¡°I got the raven¡¯s feather you requested,¡± Dous, one of the gammas assigned to her said as he held up therge ck raven¡¯s feather. That was thest ingredient Jazzy needed to cast her spell. ¡°Perfect,¡± she said, snatching it out of his clutches. ¡°I¡¯m going to need more of these.¡± ¡°Remind me what you needed it for again,¡± Dous said as he stared at the pile of stuff Jazzy put in the center of her stone circle. ¡°I¡¯m practicing a new spell,¡± she exined, rolling her eyes. She had exined this to him recently, but apparently, his brain was too small toprehend her words. ¡°It¡¯s going to block all witch¡¯s magic and spells in a specific area. Might even work on creatures with special abilities as well.¡± ¡°And why exactly do you want a spell like that?¡± Dous asked, raising his brows. ¡°Because when we capture that Vna wolf, I do not doubt that my sister will try something. I¡¯m sure there are other witches on their side as well. This spell will make them powerless. Also, the spell will be ced around the bunker for extra security.¡± ¡°And what of the other Vnas?¡± Dous asked. ¡°You said it won¡¯t work for Vna¡¯s or curses.¡± ¡°Those I¡¯m still trying to figure out,¡± she muttered, annoyed by all these questions. ¡°Who are you targeting with this test?¡± Dous asked, furrowing his brows together as he stared at the stone circle. She opened her mouth to respond, but another voice beat her to it. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of magic and spells going on in the Hig school for shifters,¡± Raymond, a lowly bear, said as he approached. Categories Search¡­ Jazzy didn¡¯t particrly like bears, but she liked them better than she did wolves. Mainly because they were weak creatures that didn¡¯t pose much threat to her coven or anyone for that matter. She still was unsure why Alpha Jonathan chose a bear to work with, but he did seem like a good enough spy. He¡¯s been hanging around the school for a while and feeding Alpha Jonathan information, which Jazzy respected. How he was able to get on the campus and blend in was something Jazzy didn¡¯t understand though. They haven¡¯t told her how he was able to do it. ¡°And how exactly do you know this?¡± Jazzy asked, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°Because I heard talking,¡± he said simply, stopping only inches from her. ¡°We haven¡¯t really gotten a chance to talk since you¡¯ve been here. But I¡¯m Raymond¡ª¡± ¡°I know who you are, bear,¡± she spat at him, narrowing her dark eyes at him. He tensed, but only for a moment. ¡°Of course, you do,¡± he said, dropping his gaze from hers and staring at the ground. ¡°But my daughter attends the school and during our recent lunch she was saying she suspects another student is using magic to persuade votes of an uing election.¡± So, his daughter attends this school. That exined how he was able to get onto campus so easily. ¡°Is that so?¡± Jazzy asked; she was now intrigued by this information. ¡°Then maybe we can have a little bit of fun with that.¡± She smiled as she stared down at the cluster of ingredients that sat in the middle of her stone circle. She some gasoline and poured it on top of the stuff while she began her spell work. She spoke in her Latin tongue, allowing her voice to rise and be carried through the rapid wind flow. Dous and Raymond took a step away from her as the wind continued to blow crazily around them and her words grew even louder. The sky began to grow a hazy dark right before their eyes; it was something neither of them had ever seen before. But then the earth began to shake, nearly knocking the gentlemen off their feet. Just as the ground began to crack under them, Jazzy lit a match and tossed it on the circle. She didn¡¯t bother moving out of the way as the entire circle lit up into mes, creating a giant bonfire right in front of them. She felt the hot temperature of the fire dancing off her chilled features, but it didn¡¯t make her flinch. She knew the fire wouldn¡¯t really hurt her; she had a good rtionship with all things hot. The fire worked in her favor and did her bidding just as darkness did. She smiled into the mes as her Latin words carried on in the wind and she set her intention on the Hig School for Shifters. ¡­.. L¡¯s POV Everybody was in a frenzy; most of them not knowing how they had gotten there. The board members, along with my friends, were working at calming everybody down. Enzo and some of the faculty were doing the same, though I knew he was extremely worried about me for some reason. I could feel his worry and it was matching my own. ¡°Thest thing I remember was I was talking to Sarah¡­¡± one of the girls said and I recognized her as one of Sarah¡¯s followers. She was talking to Tiffany Prescott who kept asking the frenzy of students what was going on and why they were freaking out. ¡°She told me I needed to vote for her and then everything just went ck.¡± The girl was sobbing into her hands. Headmaster Prescott started to pat her on the back when another girl approached her. ¡°She must have done something to us because that¡¯s all I remember too. I don¡¯t remember thest few days¡­¡± All of their memories have been wiped from them? I furrowed my brows together and I continued looking around the room at the frantic students. I realized that not all of them were frantic though; some of them looked rather calm, although they were confused as to why everyone else was freaking out though. ¡°I need everyone to calm down,¡± Headmaster Prescott shouted to them. ¡°I will get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°I already know what happened,¡± A familiar voice spoke up through the crowd. Scott walked through the audience and toward the headmaster, though his eyes were fixed on Sarah. ¡°She did something. She has abilities that can alter the minds of people. I would know because she used it on me,¡± he seethed, his eyes growing dark with fury. ¡°She used it on me as well!¡± Another girl, also one of Sarah¡¯s followers chimed in. I looked at Sarah, expecting her to appear mortified or defend herself in any way. But it was like she didn¡¯t hear any of them. Her eyes were fixed on Brody, and they were unmoving. Brody was also staring at her, and his face waspletely red like a cherry. His shield around his scent must have been broken, just like the mind maniption on all the students that Sarah did. What the hell was going on around here? ¡°What are these usations against my daughter?¡± Alpha Jonathan hissed as he marched onto the stage. ¡°Enough with these lies.¡± ¡°With all due respect, Alpha. But I know when my students are lying and they aren¡¯t lying,¡± Headmaster Prescott surprised me by saying. He red at her through his auburn eyes, and I knew he was trying to keep his wolf under control. He gave me a chill that went down my spine. ¡°I¡¯m going to get to the bottom of this,¡± she continued and then she nced at Sarah who was still staring at Brody. I don¡¯t even think she¡¯s blinked. ¡°Sarah,¡± Headmaster Prescott said calmly. When Sarah didn¡¯t respond, she spoke louder. ¡°Sarah!¡± Sarah finally broke her eyes from Brody and looked up at Headmaster Prescott, straightening her body. ¡°Go to my office,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Now.¡± Sarah¡¯s face reddened and I thought she was going to burst into tears, but she didn¡¯t. She stood to her feet and her eyes found Brody once again, but it didn¡¯tst long. She tore her eyes from him and left without another word. Brody quickly stood to his feet, and I watched as he sprinted from the arena. Ba and Rachel stared after him with confused looks before looking up at me. I returned their questioning look; I wanted to run after him. ¡°I¡¯m going with you to your office,¡± Alpha Jonathan said through his teeth. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to speak to my daughter without me there. I don¡¯t need you using her of shit she didn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°I assure you, I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± she said in return. I was amazed by how calm she was. She went over to the other board members, and they spoke quietly for a few moments. Then, Headmaster Prescott walked over to the podium; students were already calming down, though most of them were still very confused and worried. ¡°Voting is now open. Once you vote, head back to your dorms.¡± On that note, she turned and left. I took that as my opportunity to leave as well. I stood up and quickly went behind the stage and ran through the various hallways until I reached the back door. I ran as fast as I could out of the Assembly Hall and in the direction of the School Board building, which is where I knew Brody was going. ¡°L!¡± I heard my name from behind me and I turned to see Enzo chasing after me. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I need to find Brody,¡± I told him quickly. He furrowed his brows together. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time to exin. I just¡ª¡± My voice trailed off when I got a glimpse of Brody in the distance. Sarah was in front of him, and it was obvious she¡¯d been crying. He seemed to be exining something to her, but she wasn¡¯t having it. I grabbed Enzo¡¯s hand and pulled him with me so we could get closer and hear what they were saying. ¡°I wanted to tell you; I was going to tell you¡­¡± ¡°When?¡± Sarah hissed. ¡°After you decided to reject me? I dreamt about the moment I¡¯d meet my real mate. It wasn¡¯t like this.¡± She turned and left him staring after her. He looked so defeated and worn out. When he turned and saw me standing there, his shoulders slumped. ¡°Brody¡­¡± I breathed, running over to him with Enzo on my tail. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°My mate hates me¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°What do you think.¡± ¡°I think she just needs time¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that, L,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°She manipted everyone¡¯s minds with her abilities; she was forcing them to vote for her and that¡¯s why everyone is so confused.¡± I had a feeling something like that was going to happen but hearing it from Brody made my heart feel heavy in my chest. ¡°My powers stopped working too,¡± he said, shaking his head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s how she knew you were her mate,¡± I said, getting lost in thought. I didn¡¯t form it as a question, but he nodded anyway. ¡°So, your powers stopped working at the same time as hers?¡± Enzo asked from beside me. ¡°Apparently,¡± Brody said as he ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. ¡°How could that happen?¡± I asked, looking up at Enzo. ¡°I think the question is, who made it happen.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org. Chapter 246 Chapter 246 Third Person POV Word had quickly gotten back to Jazzy that her spell had worked. All witches and those who were gifted by the moon goddess were powerless at the Hig school for shifters. That pleased her greatly. It meant that she was a step closer to riding the world of Vna wolves forever. Of course, this wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d be able to do alone. Not even Alpha Jonathan and his henchmen could help her with this next step. It takes something incredibly powerful and dark to take out all the Vnas. In order to do this, she needed to summon an old friend. Though, his visits don¡¯t oftene without a price. Hence why she hadn¡¯t summoned him in years, but now that the full red moon was soon arriving, she knew she couldn¡¯t wait much longer. Dous, a young warrior in Alpha Jonathan¡¯s pack, appointed to her protection, stood at her side as she ordered of him. He was no older than 18; a freshly new gamma warrior, and perfect for what she needed. She could smell his innocence from miles away and that pleased her very much. The Alpha did say that she could help herself to do whatever she needed, and this was exactly what she needed. She stood at the window of the room she was given, staring up at the moonlight and allowing the rays to dance off her bright and radiant features. She closed her eyes and thought about the day her parents died. She had watched with her own eyes as a Vna wolf bit into their raw flesh and tore them both to pieces. Their magic wasn¡¯t strong enough to defend themselves and Jazzy had screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of her parents meeting their fatal end. It was her older sister, Hazel, who had covered Jazzy¡¯s eyes from the gruesome scene and then got her out of there before the Vna wolf turned its attention, and sharp canines, to them. Jazzy had a mixture of emotions running through her, but the one that stuck with her was anger. Of course, at the time, she didn¡¯t want to admit such a thing. While others around their vige, including her sister, mourned the death of her beloved parents, Jazzy was stewing in her own anger. Furious that such a thing could happen and not a thing was getting done about it. It was during that time, that Jazzy had wept. The tears that escaped her eyes and soaked over her young features were filled with hatred; they were filled with anger. They were filled with darkness. It was those memories and that hatred that filled the tears she cried while staring up at the moonlight. They were tears that were filled with so much darkness that it was enough to summon the darkest of demons. As she cried and stared up at the moon through her window, she hummed the soft tune her mother used to sing to her as a child. A tune that stuck with her for all of her life; it was the same time that she hummed the night she summoned him for the first time by ident. ¡°It got cold in here¡­¡± the words of that young warrior broke through her thoughts. He was wrapping his arms around his body and shivering; he stared wide-eyed at Jazzy as she turned to him. Categories Search¡­ They were in silence for a long while and she admired that he was bold enough to speak first. ¡°You¡¯re crying,¡± he said, frowning. There was genuine concern on his face. Men were so easily manipted; all it took was a pretty face. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She walked over to the small ck cauldron she had set up in the center of her room and allowed a few droplets of her tears to fall inside. She heard it sizzle, though there was no heat applied. She turned to Dous and gave him a sweet and yet seductive smile. ¡°Tell me Dous¡­¡± she said, stepping closer to him, swaying her hips and drawing his eyes to her lovely curves. ¡°Have you ever felt the touch of a woman?¡± His brows rose at her question as he scanned her face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand your question, madam,¡± he said, annoyingly formal. She gave him another smile while biting onto her plump bottom lip, chewing on it as she looked him over. He was a tall boy withrge muscles and a nice face. But the scent of purity was evident to her. She ced a hand on his bicep and closed the gap between them. ¡°I mean¡­¡± she began, leaning toward his ear so she could whisper into him, allowing her breath to tickle the side of his face. ¡°Have you ever made love before?¡± She could see the hairs on his arms standing and his entire body tensed. Her tongue swept over his earlobe gently and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. She ran her slender fingers up his broad chest through his shirt and gripped his shirt gently. ¡°I¡­I have not¡­¡± he stammered, his voice dropping to a whisper as if he was afraid, they¡¯d be overheard. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but she stifled it. She ran her fingers up to his neck and rested her palm on his cheek, making him look at her. His breathing had deepened, as did hers. It was he who had closed the rest of the space between their lips. He crashed his mouth into hers and kissed her ravenously. He conquered her mouth and made it his own. His tongue was quick to enter her mouth; he kissed her like he was thirsty, and she was his water. He wrapped his strong arms around her curvy waist and pulled her into him; she allowed him to do it. She wanted him to have a little taste of what he was missing, and she wanted it as well. He was rather good-looking, and she liked his innocence. Dous had broken his kiss from her mouth and ran his lips and tongue down the nape of her neck; she even let out a small moan to show him that she enjoyed that very much. His strong hands had searched her body, desperate to get her clothing off. It was her that had unbuttoned her blouse, to give him a better view of her breasts; the lust that appeared in his eyes, when he looked at her, was enough for her to crave him. She ced her hands on the back of his head and pushed him into her chest so he could be buried in her breasts. He kissed and nibbled on her exposed nipples making her throw her head back in pure satisfaction. She ran his fingers through his hair as he kissed up her chest and went back to kissing her lips. She deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to explore his mouth curiously while running her fingers up his bare chest under his shirt. She pressed her palm to his heart and felt it beating under her touch. It was a rhythmic heartbeat; like it was pumping to the beat of a song. She enjoyed the feeling of it; she enjoyed it a lot. Her fingers had curved as she continued to kiss him; he waspletely hooked to her like she was some sort of drug. A smile tugged at her lips at the very thought of it. Just as her fingers had punctured Property ? N?velDrama.Org. through the flesh of his chest, she heard him gasping with her kiss. But she didn¡¯t stop kissing him, nor did he stop kissing her. She felt the warm pool of blood, dripping down her forearm and soaking to the ground around their feet. He gasped again as pain seared him and her fingers dug deeper into him. His shirt waspletely red and soaked with his blood. His entire body stilled as she pulled her lips away from his and stared up at his terrified and hollow eyes. He waspletely frozen, unable to move a single muscle. Her fingers dug even deeper, eager to get to their destination. He only let out a squeak of pain, but nothing more. Soon, her hand was wrapping around that beating musical heart that she¡¯d come to love so much. It continued to beat in her grip. His entire body began to tremble violently as horror and realization of what was happening surfaced in his mind. He didn¡¯t have much longer to think though, because soon she was ripping her hand out of his chest. He stared down at her hand, only a couple of seconds of life left in him. Thest thing he saw before meeting his fatal end, was his beating heart, still beating, and out separate from his body. He first fell to his knees, covering the rest of his body in blood, and then he fell face-first to the ground. Dying. A smile gleamed on her lips as she turned to the cauldron; she could already see the darkness luring around it, eager to be set free. She smiled at it; weing it back to thend of the living. She had missed it and longed to see it again. Jazzy watched as this darkness slithered out of the cauldron, taking the form of the familiar snake that hade to her days after her parent¡¯s death. It had golden eyes and venomous fangs, poisonous to the touch. It looked at her with recognition in its eyes. She wasn¡¯t afraid of it; she would never be afraid of it. She rose the still beating heart in the air and the snake rose its head to it. ¡°I feed you the heart of purity, just how you like it,¡± she spoke to the snake who hissed in pleasure at her words. ¡°I will feed you even more to keep you with me for as long as it takes to rid this world of Vna wolves. A dream we¡¯ve had for a long time that can nowe to reality. We finally have the girl, the strongest Vna to ever exist, in our grasp. With her, we can finallyplete our n. Feed, my love.¡± She squeezed the heart until blood poured from it; the snake snapped its teeth at the heart and then hissed as it opened its mouth wide, taking in every drop of blood offered. Then, Jazzy dropped to the still heart to the ground and watched as the snake devoured it whole. Soon, the snake was bowing its head at her. Darkness returned to it, covering it and hiding the snake from her viewing. She took a steady step away from it and watched as the darkness only grew to cover what was being born within. She waited with anticipation and a pounding heart until the darkness began to fade away and, in its ce, stood a tall, broad, and naked gentleman. He was devilishly handsome with long, sleek, ck hair and golden eyes that poured into her. The familiarity of his appearance spoke to her in a way that no other could and she could no longer contain herself. ¡°Zagreus,¡± she spoke his name in a choked whisper as she ran and threw herself into his tight embrace. ¡°Oh, how I¡¯ve missed you, my love.¡± Chapter 247 Chapter 247 L¡¯s POV ¡°L,e to my office as well; I¡¯d like to speak with you and Sarah together,¡± Headmaster Prescott said to me, trying to be heard over the crowd of frantic students. Those affected by Sarah¡¯s mind maniption were freaking out because of the time they had lost and their free will being taken. The witches and those with abilities were frantic because they were powerless. Everybody was powerless. My heart began to beat rapidly in my chest as I looked up at the headmaster. She didn¡¯t think I had anything to do with this, did she? ¡°Am I in trouble?¡± I asked; I couldn¡¯t hide the nervousness from my tone. ¡°No, of course not. But I¡¯d like you to be there so I can get the full picture of this situation,¡± she simply said. I met Enzo¡¯s eyes from across the room; he was now standing and watching me with worry in his eyes. I gave him a small smile to assure him that everything was okay and thankfully, he returned it. ¡°Enzo,¡± Headmaster Prescott said as she approached him. ¡°Get everybody to settle down. They can still vote to keep their minds off the situation¡­ not that it¡¯ll matter much anymore. But then I¡¯d like them to return to their dorms for the rest of the afternoon. I¡¯m canceling evening sses. But I¡¯ll make an announcement, once I¡¯m done speaking with the girls.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have some of the staff help me get everything organized,¡± he assured me. She nodded at him, pleased by his quick response. ¡°My powers!¡± I heard someone sobbing. ¡°My powers are gone!!!¡± ¡°What happened to me!¡± I heard someone else shouting. ¡°Why did I do these mean things to people??¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember anything from the last two days!¡± A boy asked as I passed him. I wanted to say something to him that reassured him, but I wasn¡¯t sure what could make things better. My heart was squeezing painfully in my chest for them. Headmaster Prescott was already gone and I knew I couldn¡¯t keep her waiting any longer. Enzo was already getting to work with the other professors to get the students to settle down. The board members were lining students up to vote in the back room and ordering the really frantic ones back to their dorms. I shook my head at the sight and turned away; I couldn¡¯t watch anymore of this. When I got to her office, I was surprised to see that Alpha Jonathan was already there. I didn¡¯t even see him leaving the auditorium. He was looking anything but happy. Sarah sat in the seat in front of the office door while he towered over her. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, and it looked like he had just finished yelling at her. The secretary who sat at the desk in the corner of the room looked pale-faced and wideeyed, confirming my suspicions. Tiffany Prescott cleared her throat, getting their attention. ¡°Come into my office,¡± she ordered them without giving them a second look as she opened her office door. Alpha Jonathan¡¯s gaze found mine. ¡°What is she doing here?¡± He asked the headmaster as if I wasn¡¯t standing right there. I felt my face warming. ¡°I asked her to join us,¡± she answers. ¡°For what reason?¡± ¡°I have my Categories Search¡­ reasons and I¡¯ll exin once you are inside my office, Alpha,¡± she said firmly. I was surprised by how assertive she sounded knowing that Alpha Jonathan owned this school. He didn¡¯t argue with her, much to my surprise. He turned away from me and stormed into the office. I nced at Sarah who also looked up at me; I couldn¡¯t read her expression, but she looked pale. She visibly swallowed and stood to her feet. She didn¡¯t say anything to me as she turned and went into the office. I followed closely after them. Headmaster Prescott had pulled up an extra chair and sat it in front of her desk before taking her seat behind her desk. ¡°Please sit,¡± she instructed all of us. We did as she said, only Alpha Jonathan hesitated slightly before sitting beside his daughter who still appeared pale in the face. I¡¯m not sure if that was because she was sick, or because she was terrified. ¡°I need a full exnation of what happened today,¡± she said, staring directly at Sarah. She was surprised by the remark and nced at her father who let a growl emerge from his throat. ¡°Do I need to call mywyer, Headmaster?¡± He asked through his teeth. She looked at him with a frown. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Alpha,¡± she assured him. ¡°I just Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. want to get to the bottom of things. The students are very distraught and they seem to believe that your daughter has done something to them. I would like to know exactly what happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what happened¡ª¡± he began to growl, but Headmaster Prescott held up her hand, stopping his words. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Alpha. I¡¯d like to hear it from Sarah,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡± He went to open his mouth again, but this time, Sarah was the one who spoke. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± she croaked and when I looked at her, she had tears pouring out of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°How about you start by telling me exactly what happened, Sarah,¡± Headmaster Prescott said, giving her a look of remorse, and yetpassion. Sarah swallowed hard and kept her eyes fixed on her fingers which she was tugging nervously. ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Alpha Jonathan spoke her name like a warning as he clenched his jaw. ¡°I can¡¯t keep lying, Father. I could get in even more trouble,¡± she said softly, ncing up at him through her tear-filled eyes. ¡°I own this school; nothing is going to happen to you,¡± he assured her, but his tone was anything but reassuring. It was hard and sent a chill down my spine. ¡°I just can¡¯t anymore, Father¡­¡± she said in a broken whisper, turning her attention to Headmaster Prescott. ¡°They were telling the truth. I did do this,¡± she finally said as more tears fell from her eyes. ¡°I have the ability to manipte minds and I told them they needed to vote for me. During their campaigning, I kept erasing their memories for different reasons, so they lost a lot of time. I had them do things for me as well¡­¡± I held my breath while Headmaster Prescott stared at her, unmoving. ¡°This is a very situation, Sarah. You do realize that, don¡¯t you?¡± Headmaster Prescott said finally after a long silence. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s saying, my daughter is unwell. Can¡¯t you see how pale and thin she is,¡± Alpha Jonathan stated, not even looking at Sarah who had looked up at him with shock. ¡°Enough, Father,¡± she said with wide eyes and surprised assertiveness in her tone. ¡°I¡¯m done lying and I¡¯m done cheating. I won¡¯t do it anymore. She needs to know the truth.¡± ¡°You will be silent,¡± her father said through gritted teeth. Headmaster Prescott sighed and turned to me. ¡°L, do you have anything you¡¯d like to say?¡± She asked, eyeing me carefully. I felt my cheeks ring with heat. ¡°Me?¡± I asked,mely. She nodded and kept her eyes locked on mine. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°You are her opponent, and this affects you just as well as it affects all the other students. I asked you here so you can share your thoughts as well.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I breathed, staring down at my hands. ¡°I guess I¡¯m still in shock. I had a feeling Sarah had special abilities, but I really didn¡¯t know she was manipting everyone to vote for her like that. I didn¡¯t know they were all under her spell for this long. Makes me wonder what else she had done.¡± I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but Scott came to mind. He was saying that Sarah was the one who put him up to vandalize the art exhibit. Because of that, he was sent to jail and had to stay there for months until the official trial. The trial was dyed because Cassidy- Ann was in Monstro and plus, she wanted him to rot there and think about what he had done. Then, his family was forced to pay for the repairs of the exhibit along with pain and suffering. He almost got expelled from the school, but they decided that he suffered enough and decided to give him one more chance like they gave Sarahst year. Besides, it¡¯s not like the exhibit had anything to do with the school. But he isn¡¯t a student and student behavior represents the school. Scott faced a lot over these months; people are still looking at him strangely. He was kicked off the football team and lost most of his friends. Sarah dumped him as well, so he lost his girlfriend too. Since he returned to the school this semester, he¡¯s mainly been keeping to himself. I see him asionally in the halls, but not much. He never talks to me, not since his warnings against Sarah and her abilities. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the thought that Sarah could have actually used her abilities and forced him to vandalize the exhibit, ruining his entire life. ¡°Well, Sarah¡­ considering who your father is, it¡¯s not like I can expel you,¡± Headmaster Prescott murmured, peering up at Alpha Jonathan who huffed through his nose like a bull. ¡°But even the owner of this school must know that there are consequences to such actions like this.¡± ¡°Do what you must, Headmaster,¡± he said through his teeth. She cleared her throat and looked back at Sarah. ¡°You are banned from any extra curriculums and school activities. You are hereby grounded for the next 4 months. This means you will not be allowed anywhere on campus besides your sses, the library, the dining hall, and your dorm. I¡¯ll appoint a guard to standby to make sure you stay in those specific areas.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a prison!¡± Alpha Jonathan protested loudly, shaking the entire room. ¡°That¡¯s punishment for her actions,¡± Headmaster Prescott Surprised me by shooting back. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Alpha Committee would love to hear that you stood in the way of my job, Alpha. Isn¡¯t L¡¯s father in charge of thatmittee?¡± He swallowed hard and red at me; suddenly it dawned on me as to why she truly asked me to be here, and I felt my face warming once again. The headmaster looked back at Sarah. ¡°Or, option B is expulsion,¡± she said simply, pressing her lips together. ¡°I¡¯ll take option A,¡± Sarah said quickly, bowing her head in respect. ¡°Thank you.¡± Alpha Jonathan let out a low and threatening growl, which Headmaster Prescott managed to ignore while she nced at me. Her gaze softened and she even gave me a small smile. ¡°Congrattions, L. By default, you are now the President of the Student Committee.¡± Chapter 248 Chapter 248 L¡¯s POV ¡°L! Are you okay? What happened?¡± Ba asked as she caught up with me. I was walking toward the student lounge after I left Headmaster Prescott¡¯s office and my head was still whirling from all the information that was just given to me. I looked at Ba who stared back at me with concern in her eyes. I went to open my mouth to answer but then the crackling of the campus speakers stopped me. ¡°Good afternoon, students. This is Headmaster Tiffany Prescott. I know you are all wound up after the events that unfolded earlier today, and I wanted to personally apologize to each of you for not realizing something was going on and putting an end to it right away. Going forward we are going to be putting in some extra security to ensure that nothing like this happens again. The school counselor is also opening her doors to any students for the next couple of weeks so you can see her without an appointment. My doors, along with my fellow board members¡¯ doors, will also be open to anyone needing some extra guidance in these unforeseen weeks. I assure you that the issue at hand has been dealt with and nothing like this will ever happen again. I¡¯d like to remind students that using their abilities on one another is forbidden and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If you or anyone you know is in fact using their abilities on their peers, I advise that youe forward. We will be looking into all students with abilities and if we find you are using your abilities dishonorably, we will be forced to take measures. I know it¡¯s been a long day for many of you so I¡¯m canceling sses for the rest of the day and I suggest each of you get some rest to recoup. Dinner will be served per usual in the dining hall at 5 pm.¡± She paused for a moment; only allowing the light buzzing of the speaker to roam around the campus ground. Ba and I stood, staring up at the sky as if Headmaster Prescott¡¯s face was there. ¡°Also, let me be the first to congratte L for winning the election and bing the firstever President of the Student Committee. First thing Monday morning L will begin her duties and her first meeting with be held Monday at 2 pm. If anyone wants to join themittee, please see L. With that being said if anyone has any questions or concerns, please speak with your assigned advisors, or speak with me directly. Thank you and have a very blessed day.¡± The speakers cut out and the entire campus waspletely silent. I couldn¡¯t even hear anyone breathing. After what felt like an eternity, everybody erupted into cheers and apuse. Ba was the first to hug me tightly with arge smile spread across her face. ¡°Congrattions L!!¡± She cooed excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you!!!¡± Others who were passing by also stopped to give me quick hugs and congratte me. I smiled at them and hugged them back, pretending to be as excited as I could be. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was very pleased to be in charge of the studentmittee. It was exactly what I wanted, but I didn¡¯t like how it happened. I Categories Search¡­ only won by default because Sarah cheated and got disqualified. I also couldn¡¯t seem to get Scott out of my head and all that he¡¯s been going through thesest few months because of Sarah. Then, another thought popped into my head and my heart fell directly into my stomach as I quickly turned to Ba who was chatting with a few other students about how excited they were for me. ¡°Where¡¯s Brody?¡± I asked her. She frowned at me and nced at the student lounge. ¡°He said he was going to sit in there until your meeting was over,¡± she said. I didn¡¯t say anything more, I turned away and ran right into the student lounge where I was met with a crowd of students who were all cheering for me. I smiled at them, trying ot get past them, but they wouldn¡¯t let me go any further without hugs and praises. As much as I appreciated it, I really needed to see Brody. Thankfully, he appeared amongst the crowd and though I could see the worry and sadness lingering in his eyes, he met me with arge grin and opened his arms out for me to walk into. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you,¡± he said as he tightened his hold on me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, peering up at him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He didn¡¯t answer me, but he gave me a sad smile. ¡°Can we talk somewhere?¡± I then asked. He nodded and pulled me through the crowd of students who finally broke apart to return to whatever they were doing. We sat at our usual table in the back of the student lounge, and he slumped down in his seat, looking all sorts of worn out. ¡°Sarah got into a lot of trouble,¡± I finally said after a long silence. He nodded, not looking at me. ¡°I figured,¡± he murmured. ¡°She didn¡¯t get expelled though,¡± I said. ¡°But she is kind of grounded. She can¡¯t go anywhere other than the dining hall, her sses, and the library. Oh, and her dorm.¡± He met my eyes. ¡°So, she didn¡¯t get kicked out?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± I said, giving him a small smile. ¡°She did not. She also owned up to her mistake, despite her father trying to get her to shut up. She admitted she manipted their minds and that she¡¯s at fault.¡± A small smile appeared on his lips. ¡°She did?¡± I nodded, keeping my eyes locked on his. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t excuse her actions, Brody. She did a lot of shitty things with her powers. I have a feeling she had more to do with that vandalism than she¡¯s saying.¡± He raised his brows at my words. ¡°The vandalism at the art exhibit?¡± He asked, cocking his head to the side. ¡°I thought it was Scott who did that?¡± ¡°It was,¡± I admitted. ¡°But Scott was the one who told me about Sarah¡¯s abilities and that she used it on him and her group of friends a lot. He told me it was her that got him to vandalize the exhibit. I didn¡¯t believe him at first¡­¡± I paused to gather my thoughts. ¡°But I think I believe him now.¡± He lowered his gaze. ¡°Are you going to turn her in?¡± I was quiet for a moment; truth be told, I wasn¡¯t sure. But after a moment I sighed. ¡°No¡­¡± I finally answered. ¡°But I think Sarah needs to do the right thing and turn herself in. Scott lost a lot because of that. His family paid a lot of money to get that exhibit fixed. Scott was also kicked off the football team and lost most of his friends and the respect of his peers. He also now has a police record. It¡¯s not fair to him to get in trouble for something he had no control over. I think Sarah needs to do right by him.¡± ¡°And you think I can convince her to do that?¡± He asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°I doubt she will listen to a thing I say.¡± ¡°No; I¡¯m not asking you to speak to her. I¡¯m trying to get you to understand that Sarah is not a walk in the park and if you want to be with her, you have to understand who you are signing up for¡­.¡± I paused for a moment when I saw the struggle on his face. I reachedExclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. my hand across the table and took hold of his hands in mine. ¡°Brody, I care about you. You¡¯ve be one of my best friends and I have so much respect for you. I would hate for Sarah to turn you into something you¡¯re not like she did with Scott. I want you to keep yourself protected.¡± ¡°I think I can handle myself just fine, L. I¡¯m not exactly a weak boy like Scott¡­¡± He sounded bitter when he spoke Scott¡¯s name. Not that I could me him. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that,¡± I said softly. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been wanting to talk to her. She should be leaving the board building right about now and probably heading to her dorm. It¡¯s not like she can go anywhere else other than the library and I somehow doubt she went there. You can probably catch her on her way there.¡± He quickly stood to his feet. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to me, bowing slightly. ¡°Oh, by the way, can I still be part of themittee? Like I wasst year?¡± I smiled fondly at him. ¡°Of course,¡± I said in return, standing to my feet. ¡°I have to do some recruiting to see who wants to remain on themittee and who wants to join. I¡¯m d to have you on board.¡± His grin widened. ¡°Despite Sarah being my mate and our future being up in the air; I¡¯m d you won.¡± I smiled in return, trying to make it as genuine as possible. ¡°Me too,¡± I said in return. ¡°Oh, before you leave, have you seen Rachel anywhere?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not since the election. She disappeared when everything got weird,¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°Actually, she left very quickly. I blinked and she was gone. I was so focused on Sarah that I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡± ¡°Hmmmm,¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°Okay, well thanks.¡± He gave me a wave before running out of the student lounge, leaving me alone with my thoughts. ¡°Looking for Rachel?¡± A girl asked as she walked by my table. ¡°Yes, have you seen her?¡± I asked, standing to my feet. ¡°I saw her leaving campus a couple of minutes ago. I think she was with her father and Alpha Jonathan.¡± Chapter 249 Chapter 249 Third Person POV ¡°Dad?¡± Rachel gawked as she stepped out of the auditorium. Her father, Raymond, stood before her. ¡°What are you doing here? When did you get here?¡± ¡°Only a little bit ago,¡± he answered, though there seemed to be something more he wasn¡¯t saying. ¡°Come with me.¡± He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the student she was aiding. ¡°Right now?¡± She asked. ¡°I was in the middle of something.¡± She turned back to see L speaking with Headmaster Prescott. Both Brody and Ba remained frozen in their seats; neither noticed Rachel was gone. ¡°There¡¯s something we need to talk about,¡± her father said, pulling her away from the auditorium. Once they reached outside, he finally released her arm. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± She asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I didn¡¯t like that, and I don¡¯t want you involved.¡± Rachel raised her brows at her estranged father. She didn¡¯t have a great childhood with him around; since her mother died her father has been nothing but cruel and abusive. He was the main reason she was driven to drugs and alcohol and had to go to the horrid rehab in Elysium. He even knew of the horrid conditions she was in while in that rehab facility and he did nothing to help her. It was something she could never forgive him for and he¡¯d been out of her life for many years after that. It was her recent exboyfriend that got her out of that situation; as much as she loves her ex and always will, she found out over the summer that he wasn¡¯t her mate. He ended up transferring schools after he got out of the hospital because he couldn¡¯t handle returning after what had happened at that party. He almost died and as a result of that, Rachel ended up rpsing and then overdosing. It was a lot of stress, and she wasn¡¯t even his mate, which was found out after the fact. He was never going to be able to concentrate on his education in an environment like that and decided to transfer schools. At first, Rachel was hurt because she loved him, and they¡¯d been together for so long. They have gone through a lot together. But then she realized it was probably for the best. She always dreamt about being with her true mate and it was clear that he was not. It was clear that their rtionship would eventually kill them both if they weren¡¯t careful. Rachel has been dealing with being alone since the school year started, but thankfully she has the love of her friends to help her. However, recently, her father has returned to her Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. life and is wanting to start anew. He wants to make up for all the damage he has done in the past and begin a real father-daughter rtionship with her. She¡¯s still skeptical, despite what she told L about giving him another chance, but she¡¯s also excited to have the chance to get to know her father again after all these years of having no contact. But that doesn¡¯t mean she trusts him. ¡°So, now you decide to act like a father?¡± She shot at him, narrowing her eyes in his direction. ¡°Getting me out of a tough Categories Search¡­ situation isn¡¯t really a thing you do, Dad.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m trying to be a better father,¡± he said, pressing his lips firmly together like he was trying hard not to say anything more. ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± ¡°I came to see you,¡± he answered. ¡°There¡¯s something we need to talk about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better if¡ª¡± ¡°Raymond, good to see you. I need to speak with Headmaster Prescott, but then we will go to lunch,¡± Alpha Jonathan said as he walked out of the auditorium. Sarah was walking in front of him with her head held down. Rahel furrowed her brows together; confused. She didn¡¯t know her father and Alpha Jonathan knew each other, let alone friends. ¡°Sounds great,¡± Raymond said, bowing his head. Alpha Jonathan nced at Rachel briefly. ¡°Feel free to bring your daughter. I¡¯d like to speak with her as well,¡± he said, giving Rachel a head nod. Rachel said nothing but Raymond nodded. ¡°I was just about to ask her to lunch,¡± Raymond said. ¡°How about it, Rachel?¡± Rahel was at a loss for words, but she didn¡¯t want to say no in front of them both so she just nodded and forced a smile. ¡°Great,¡± Alpha Jonathan said with a pleased smile. ¡°See you both soon.¡± He looked back at Sarah who remained in front of him and looked mortified and defeated. ¡°Go,¡± he ordered her. She said nothing, but she turned in the direction of the board building and began to walk with Alpha Jonathan trailing behind her. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Since when are you and Alpha Jonathan¡¯s friends?¡± I asked, peering up at him. ¡°Since we became business partners,¡± Raymond said, meeting his daughter¡¯s eyes. ¡°Business partners?¡± Rachel nearly spat; she stared at him with disbelief. ¡°You are working with him?¡± Rachel¡¯s father owned a small restaurant that was doing fairly well. Everybody spoke about it; it¡¯s hard to believe that he would sell out and decide to give Alpha Jonathan half of it even though he owned literally everything. ¡°He said he could expand the business across the nation,¡± Raymond exined. ¡°This would be good for us.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t be trusted, Dad,¡± she said firmly, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°He¡¯s going to take over.¡± ¡°I already signed the contract, and I had mywyers look it over carefully. I¡¯m getting a lot of money from this deal and I¡¯m still in full control of my restaurant. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have to shut it down.¡± ¡°Shut it down?¡± She asked with wide eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I thought the business was going well.¡± ¡°We have lost a lot of business,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not enough to keep us running. But Alpha Jonathan promised the business sess and I took him up on the offer.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s it? No discussion. You already signed the contract?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you wanted anything to do with me or the business.¡± ¡°Can you me me?!¡± She shouted; suddenly d everybody was preupied in the auditorium. He sighed. ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t. But it¡¯s still my business and my decision,¡± he sighed. ¡°You are expected to join this lunch so I want you to put on a winning smile and be polite. Understood?¡± She said nothing for a long while, but she soon sighed and nodded. Thirty minutes had gone by, and Alpha Jonathan had finally arrived in front of the school in a ck limo. Rachel had never been inside of a limo before but knowing who it belonged to didn¡¯t make her excited. The door of the limo opened, and Alpha Jonathan sat inside on the dark leather seats motioning for them to enter. Rachel looked up at her father with a worried expression, but he gave her no expression in return as he slid into the limo. She had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she swallowed it down and slid into the limo as well. She was surprised that Sarah wasn¡¯t there as well, but she saw a woman with long dark curls and bright green eyes seated beside Alpha Jonathan. She wasn¡¯t someone Rachel had ever seen before, but she looked young. Not as young as Rachel, but too young to be Alpha Jonathan¡¯spanion. ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet a friend of mine, Jasmine,¡± Alpha Jonathan introduced. ¡°Jazzy, this is my new business partner Raymond and his daughter Rachel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both,¡± she said; her voice was as smooth as silk and yet had a bit of yfulness in her tone as she leaned forward to look at Rachel intently. ¡°You are quite a beautiful girl; you must get your looks from your mother.¡± Rachel¡¯s face red; there was something off about this girl, but Rachel couldn¡¯t figure out what I was. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you,¡± she said, giving Rachel a beautiful smile. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get to know you better. We are going to be such great friends.¡± She reached out to grab Rachel¡¯s hands and Rachel saw all the jewelry that upied her hands and fingers. She had never seen anyone with so much jewelry before and she was amazed by it. One of her rings she recognized the symbol and Rachel realized that this woman must have been a witch. Maybe that¡¯s why she seemed off. The limo began to drive off campus and the further they got from campus the more unsettled Rachel felt. While Alpha Jonathan and her father spoke about business, the woman, Jasmine, stared at her, like she was studying her. Rachel wanted to sink into her seat and disappear. Rachel tried her best to keep her eyes from staring at Jasmine, but at some point, she couldn¡¯t help it. She wished she did though; as soon as she looked at Jasmine, she saw this strange swirl of darkness circling her, reminding Rachel of a snake. It slithered around her arms and down her legs, its eyes glowing gold. She nced at her father to see if he noticed it too, but he was too engrossed in his conversation to notice anything going on around him. She looked back at Jasmine who was watching her intently and smiling; her eyes growing even darker. ¡°Is something wrong, dear?¡± She asked innocently. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rachel stammered. ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± she stopped talking, unsure of what to say and how to exin it. ¡°Um¡­¡± Jazzy¡¯s grin widened and now the snake-like darkness was inching close to Rachel, making her jerk away almost violently. She grabbed the door handle, unsure if she should open it, and flung herself out of the moving limo; all she knew was she didn¡¯t want this snake thing to touch her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you,¡± Jazzy chuckled. ¡°It¡¯ll only hurt worse.¡± Rachel¡¯s heart fell deep into her stomach and then she let out a shrilling scream that pierced the limo just as the snake flung at her Chapter 250 Chapter 250 L¡¯s POV When I got back to my dorm, Ba was already there. She was curled up on the couch and reading a book. I quickly mindlinked Enzo to let him know I was going back to the dorm knowing that he was busy helping the board clean up after the election and make sure students were okay. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up later,¡± he had told me after telling me how much he loved me. He always knew what to say to make my heart skip a beat. Ba looked up at me with worried eyes when I entered the room. ¡°Did you find Brody and Rachel?¡± She asked. ¡°I found Brody and talked to him,¡± I told her. ¡°But not Rachel. Someone told me they saw her leaving campus with her father and Alpha Jonathan.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be worried about her. ¡°Alpha Jonatan?¡± She asked, raising her brows. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he in a meeting with you and Sarah?¡± ¡°Yes, but this was after the meeting,¡± I told her. Her brows furrowed together. ¡°Why would he be with them?¡± She asked. ¡°And what was her father doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± I said honestly. ¡°But I¡¯m kind of worried.¡± ¡°Did you try calling her?¡± ¡°I left my phone here,¡± I told her as I went toward my bedroom door. ¡°I¡¯ll try her right now.¡± As I walked into my familiar little room, I felt like I could finally breathe. It was nice that I was alone after the long day that I had. All I wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep, but I had so much to do these next few days. I had to getmittee members and n for our very first meeting. I already knew what I wanted to talk about during this meeting, but I needed a steady n for the future. I also needed to make sure Rachel was okay and maybe even speak to Scott. I couldn¡¯t let him take repercussions about everything and allow his life to be ruined. I shook my head at the very thought of Sarah manipting his mind this entire time. He tried to warn me, and I wasn¡¯t listening to him. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. He must be so upset; no wonder he¡¯s been avoiding metely. I brought up Rachel¡¯s number and attempted to call her, but it went straight to voicemail. My heart fell into my stomach. I tried her again, but it went to voicemail again. I decided to text her. ¡°Call me when you can.¡± I added another text. It¡¯s important.¡± I sighed andy on my bed, staring up at my ceiling and feeling my entire body rxing into my bed. One thing about this school was that they supplied veryfortable beds. They felt like clouds and my body nearly melted into the This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. fabric of the bed. Soon, my phone started to ring, and I grabbed it quickly, expecting the screen to sh: Rachel. But instead, it shed: Bri. I was happy she called, but I was really hoping it¡¯d be Rachel. ¡°Hey!¡± I said, sitting up in bed. ¡°What were the results?¡± ¡°A lot has happened since we talked yesterday,¡± I told her honestly. ¡°Do tell; I could use the distraction.¡± ¡°Well, you know how I suspected that Sarah could manipte minds?¡± I asked. She gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she actually has been cheating,¡± Bri said, lowering her tone like she was afraid someone could hear her. ¡°More than that,¡± I told her. ¡°Something Categories Search¡­ unexinable happened. Witches at this school are powerless and all spells have been canceled or something.¡± ¡°Canceled?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, like everyone that Sarah manipted restored their memories and gained their free will back,¡± I exined. ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± she gasped. ¡°How did that happen?¡± ¡°Nobody knows; at least not yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Bri breathed. ¡°So, what¡¯s going to happen to Sarah?¡± ¡°Get this¡­ Headmaster Prescott grounded her.¡± Brianna was quiet for a moment before she burst into giggles. ¡°Grounded?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yeah; she can¡¯t go anywhere besides her sses, the dining hall for meals, the library for studying, and then her dorm.¡± ¡°Oh my goddess,¡± Briannaughed. ¡°And now you are the president of themittee?¡± ¡°By default, yes,¡± I answered. ¡°A win is still a win,¡± she said in return. ¡°You would have won regardless; there¡¯s no better president than you.¡± ¡°Thanks, I appreciate that,¡± Iughed. ¡°So, how¡¯s your mate?¡± She asked and I knew she was wiggling her brows without seeing her. I frowned though. ¡°Are you sure you want to talk about that?¡± I asked. She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t mind talking about it. I know things are weird considering Alex is following you around like a dog. But I¡¯m fine¡­ honestly.¡± ¡°Bri¡­ he was your mate and he rejected you. Your wolf is still in mourning over that,¡± I told her softly. ¡°It¡¯s okay to not be okay.¡± She was quiet for a long while and for a moment, I thought she was going to hang up. ¡°I will be okay,¡± she corrected herself. ¡°Until then, I don¡¯t mind it when my best friend talks about her mate.¡± I opened my mouth to reply but then I heard the front door of the dorm opening and then shutting. I soon heard Ba speaking and another female voice. ¡°Bri, can I call you backter? I think Rachel just got back,¡± I said quickly into the phone. ¡°Yeah, of course. Love you!¡± ¡°Love you always,¡± I said in return just before clicking the end button and throwing my phone on my bed. I jumped up from my bed and ran to my bedroom door, swinging it open. I was relieved to see that Rachel was in fact back and she was seated on the couch with Ba. Alex, per usual, was seated at the kitchen counter and reading a book. I had to stifle an eye roll whenever I looked at him. But I fixed my attention on Rachel who smiled pleasantly at me. ¡°Congrats on the big win,¡± she said kindly. ¡°Where have you been?¡± I found myself asking. She frowned, furrowing her brows together. ¡°I had things to do,¡± she murmured. ¡°I was worried about you. You weren¡¯t answering your phone.¡± Her frown deepened. ¡°I had it shut off,¡± she shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal, you aren¡¯t my mother.¡± ¡°Someone told me you left campus with your father and Alpha Jonathan, Rachel. They are both bad news.¡± ¡°He¡¯s my father, L,¡± she said through her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t need your permission to go anywhere with him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember all the stuff he put you through growing up?¡± I asked, moving closer to her. ¡°People change,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°He¡¯s changed.¡± ¡°Guys like your father, don¡¯t change,¡± I said simply. ¡°Alpha Jonathan is bad news too. I don¡¯t trust him.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to trust him. I do,¡± she said in return. ¡°What did they want?¡± I finally asked. She was quiet for a moment and then she took a deep breath before answering. ¡°They are going into business together; it was a celebration lunch,¡± she answered. ¡°Business? What kind of business?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the third degree?¡± She shouted, standing to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, you are,¡± she interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t ask you where you are every second of the day. I¡¯m not the one fucking my professor unlike you. Stay out of my business.¡± On that note she turned and stormed into her room, mming the door shut behind her and leaving Ba and me in a shocked silence. ¡­. Enzo¡¯s POV After two hours of tirelessly cleaning the auditorium after the rampage of students made a mess out of the ce, it was finally looking a lot better. A few other faculty members along with myself stayed behind to help clean and gather up the remaining students who were too shocked to move. There were a lot of students who had lost time and memories over thest few days; some had lost over a week of memories. Then, there were the witches and those who have abilities that found themselves powerless and freaking out over the fact that they can¡¯t use their magic and abilities. It was mayhem but at least it was starting toe to an end. A headache was brewing at my temples; as I leaned against the wall of the assembly hall, I rubbed the bridge of my nose between my pointer finger and my thumb, trying to ease some of the tension. ¡°Are the students back in their dorms?¡± Headmaster Prescott asked as she returned to the assembly hall. ¡°I believe so,¡± I answered. ¡°Some could have gone to the student lounge.¡± ¡°As long as they aren¡¯t making a mess,¡± Prescott murmured, sighing. She looked exhausted. ¡°Did you find out what happened?¡± Emily, the art professor, asked, approaching us. ¡°It was Sarah,¡± Prescott answered, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. ¡°She used her abilities on them to get them to do her bidding and have them vote for her. As for why everyone is suddenly powerless, I¡¯m unsure. But I have my board members looking into it as we speak.¡± ¡°Will there be consequences for Sarah?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Of course,¡± Prescott answered, meeting my eyes. ¡°I grounded her.¡± ¡°Grounded?¡± I asked. ¡°She should be expelled.¡± ¡°Her father would never allow that,¡± she replied, her frown deepened. ¡°I did as much as I could.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bullshit,¡± I murmured, turning away from them. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some rest.¡± I left the building without another word, feeling waves of annoyance and fury. Sarah nearly cost this entire election for L; not to mention upset all the students in the school. This was supposed to be her second andst chance since she fucked upst year. I couldn¡¯t help the growl that emerged from deep in my throat. Soon, my phone was ringing, and I found myself even more annoyed. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and without even looking at the screen, I barked, ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± I heard a familiar voice on the other end. ¡°Is that any way to speak to a friend?¡± I froze entirely upon hearing her voice and soon, most of my anger was descending. ¡°Connie?¡± Chapter 251 Chapter 251 L¡¯s POV It¡¯s been an hour and Rachel hasn¡¯t left her room. I felt awful for upsetting her. She was right; I had no right to question her like that. I¡¯m not sure what came over me and I felt so ashamed. Ba was already in bed sleeping and I could see the faint light under Rachel¡¯s door, indicating that she was awake. I knocked on her door lightly and I heard her faint voice saying, ¡°Come in.¡± I took a deep breath before opening the door and poking my head in. She was curled up on her bed and her eyes were red like she¡¯s been crying. It made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest; I had hurt her. ¡°Hey¡­¡± I said softly. When she didn¡¯t say anything, I stepped into her room. ¡°Rachel, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I breathed, shutting the door behind me. ¡°I was a total monster, and you didn¡¯t deserve that. You were right; it wasn¡¯t my business. He¡¯s your father and I don¡¯t have a right to tell you what to do.¡± ¡°He wants to have a better rtionship with me¡­¡± she murmured, lowering her gaze. ¡°I want to give him a chance to redeem himself.¡± ¡°I understand thatpletely. I¡¯m sorry I gave you the third degree¡­¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t trust Alpha Jonathan, but he¡¯s not that bad, L. He saved my father¡¯s business. Without him, my father would have gone bankrupt. We owe him a lot for that,¡± she said, meeting my eyes. Suddenly, I was getting a weird feeling. Alpha Jonathan always had an alternative motive when it came to things like that. He¡¯s a wealthy businessman and owns basically everything; what would he want with a small restaurant that was on the verge of bankruptcy? I wanted to ask her, but I decided it was probably better if I didn¡¯t. So, I kept my mouth shut. ¡°Can you please just give them a chance? For me?¡± I sighed, not wanting to argue with her anymore. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, forcing a small smile. ¡°I will give them a chance, for you.¡± She smiled widely at me and leaped to her feet, running toward me and wrapping her arms around me. ¡°Thank you, L,¡± she breathed. I hugged her back, but I couldn¡¯t shake that nasty feeling that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach. ¡­. The next day. It was finally Saturday, which meant I had two days to prepare for my first real studentmittee meeting of the year. I was beyond excited but also incredibly nervous. I learned a lot about these things from my father. When I was young, I used to sit in on his Alpha meetings, so I knew how to speak in front of small crowds and get my points across effectively. I just hoped enough students wanted to join themittee. I was going to need a handful of students if I wanted thismittee to be sessful. Categories Search¡­ Rachel finally agreed to be a part of it;st year she wanted no part in it. But this year she wanted to join. I also had Brody, Ba, and a couple of others who were a part of themitteest year. But so far nobody else has asked to join, which made me nervous. ¡°How about we create flyers?¡± Ba suggested. We sat in the dining hall eating our breakfast and talking about themittee. Rachel hadn¡¯t joined us yet, but at the table sat Brody, Ba, and our new fairy friend, Kay. She had just told me she wanted to join as well, so at least we were one person closer to having a fullmittee. I wanted at least 10 members and so far, we had 7. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± I said, writing that down in the notebook that sat beside my te. Every Saturday the dining hall had a buffet for breakfast. It consisted of every breakfast food imaginable. Most of the time I¡¯m usually in the calypso pack by now, but Enzo had a few things to do this morning, and I wanted to brainstorm some of Monday¡¯s meeting with my friends, so we decided not to return untilter this afternoon. My father was still at the pack interrogating Xander and searching for Jazzy with the warriors. My mother was still in the rogue vige keeping the shield in ce while Hazel recovers in the hospital. It won¡¯t be long now until she can return to the vige herself and my mother can return to the Nova pack. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s probably exhausted and missing my father terribly. I looked at Kay who was nibbling on her fruit sd. ¡°Did you get your abilities back yet?¡± I asked. She frowned and nced up at me; I could see sadness in her eyes as she shook her head. ¡°Not yet,¡± she murmured. ¡°Has the board said anything to you about when we could be expecting them back?¡± ¡°I think they still need to figure out what caused them to disappear,¡± I admitted. ¡°Hopefully soon.¡± She sighed and nodded as she took another bite of the fruit. ¡°I hope so¡­¡± she said, sounding all sorts of defeated. ¡°Has anyone seen Rachel?¡± Ba asked. ¡°She was gone before we woke up this morning, which is very unlike her.¡± It¡¯s true that Rachel is usually thest of us to wake up on weekends. It was strange that she was already awake and gone this morning. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her at all since yesterday,¡± Brody answered. Ba looked at him and then narrowed her eyes like she was just remembering something. ¡°So¡­ you and Sarah, huh?¡± She then asked, making me nearly choke on the bacon I just put in my mouth. Brody froze and looked at her; I could see the redness intensifying around his face. ¡°Why did you tell me you were mates?¡± Ba proceeded to ask. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone besides L,¡± he admitted. ¡°I guess it was because I was still trying to figure out my feelings.¡± ¡°What¡¯s to figure out? You are mates. Your wolf will automatically love her regardless of who she is,¡± Ba shrugged as she took a bite of her eggs. ¡°How did you hide this from her?¡± He was quiet for a moment, and I watched as he put down his fork; I found myself holding my breath, waiting for him to respond. ¡°I hid my scent from her¡­¡± he admitted, making Ba raise her brows at him. ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s why your scent and aura are strange,¡± Kay said, staring at him with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a witch.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Ba gasped. ¡°You are?? Since when?¡± ¡°I¡¯m half witch,¡± Brody answered. ¡°It¡¯s from my mother¡¯s side. I used magic to hide my scent from her since I found out she was my mate over the summer. But when everyone¡¯s powers went away during the election¡­¡± ¡°Yours did too¡­¡± Ba finished for him; realization dawned on her. ¡°She sensed you at that moment.¡± She didn¡¯t phrase it as a question, but he still nodded as an answer anyway. ¡°Did you get a chance to talk to her?¡± I asked, peering up at him. He was quiet for another moment like he was trying to figure out how to answer that question. ¡°Not exactly,¡± he murmured. ¡°Not exactly?¡± I asked, raising my brows. Ba and I exchanged looks before fixing our eyes back on him. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ba asked. ¡°I tried to talk to her. I went to her dorm. But she didn¡¯t want anything to do with me and mmed the door on my face. So, I guess I got my answer,¡± he shrugged, taking a big bite of his bacon. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. I couldn¡¯t believe she wouldn¡¯t even give her actual fated mate the time of day and that she had the actual nerve to shut the door in his face. I was suddenly angry at that fact but then there was a part of me that wondered if she had a reason behind that. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter anymore; it¡¯s over,¡± he murmured as if he was reading my thoughts. I shook my head at him, still in disbelief. ¡°Did you reject her?¡± I asked. He looked at me. ¡°No, of course not,¡± he answered. ¡°And did she reject you?¡± Ba asked, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°No¡­¡± he answered, ncing down at his te. ¡°Then, it¡¯s not over,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Don¡¯t give up so easily, Brody.¡± He nodded and continued to eat his food. Later, I went to my dorm to try and find Rachel, but she wasn¡¯t there. I sighed and went into my room to grab my phone to see if maybe she left me any messages but there weren¡¯t any messages either. I wasn¡¯t sure why I¡¯d been so worried about hertely; I just had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Soon, the door of the dorm was bursting open, scaring me. I ran into the living room to see Ba and Brody gasping for breath as they ran into the room. ¡°You have to hurry! There¡¯s a fight on the school greens,¡± Ba said with arge amount of fear and worry in her eyes. I didn¡¯t have time to think, I ran past them as fast as I could. I ran through the dorm building until I reached outside. There weren¡¯t many students on campus; most return home during the weekend or go out around now. I wondered who would be stupid enough to fight on school grounds like this and where was the board? The school greens were in the center of the campus. It was just a huge grassy area that students had pics on, yed outdoor sports, or just hung out on. Basically, it was the campus field. Ba and Brody trailed Property ? N?velDrama.Org. after me as I ran across the campus and neared the campus. I didn¡¯t stop until I saw a tall figure standing in the center of the green field and then my entire body froze when I realized there wasn¡¯t a fight at all. It was Enzo. ¡°Whaaa?¡± I began to ask but Brody and Ba stopped beside me,ughing. ¡°Surprise!¡± They both said at the same time, pointing to Enzo who stood before me with a wide grin, and then he pulled out arge bouquet of flowers. Chapter 252 Chapter 252 L¡¯s POV ¡°What is all of this?¡± I asked, smiling up at my mate who stood before me with arge bouquet, and my giggling friends standing behind me. ¡°I asked them to get you here discreetly,¡± he said, looking behind me to eye my friends suspiciously. ¡°Hopefully they didn¡¯t cause too much stress.¡± I nced behind me, and they both turned away innocently, avoiding my eyes. I shook my head, but I couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off my face. ¡°Not at all,¡± I said, turning back to Enzo. ¡°I wanted to take you out tonight to celebrate your victory,¡± he said, handing me the flowers. I took them and smelled them, smiling even wider at the amazing scent. ¡°I won by default,¡± I reminded him. ¡°You would have won regardless,¡± he said. ¡°You had that in the bag.¡± I stepped into his open embrace and allowed him to hold me tightly. It felt like it¡¯s been so long since I was embraced by this incredible man. I loved him so much and I truly missed him. ¡°So, what do you say? Wanna get out of here?¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not even dressed for a date,¡± I said. ¡°You look beautiful,¡± Ba said, giving me a wide smile. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Enzo agreed. I smiled at my mate. Ba stepped beside me and took the flowers out of my hand. ¡°I¡¯ll put these in a vase for you,¡± she said, winking at me. ¡°Have fun you two,¡± Brody said, waving as they began to walk away. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted after them, making them both stop and look at me while I leaned against Enzo who kept me wrapped in his arms. ¡°Thank you.¡± They both smiled widely and turned away, leaving me alone with my mate. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, pulling me along with him. ¡°I really missed you thesest couple of days. I feel like I haven¡¯t seen you much¡± I said to him as we neared his waiting car. ¡°That¡¯s why I figured we could use some time alone together,¡± he said in return. He opened his car door for me, making me laugh. ¡°Such a gentlemen,¡± I teased. ¡°Only the best for mydy,¡± he teased in return. We only drove for about 15 minutes until we reached the heart of the city. Once we got to the parking center, he quickly got out and opened my car door, making meugh again. ¡°You know I¡¯m capable of opening my own door, right?¡± ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°But my future Luna shouldn¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I think I can get used to this.¡± This time it was Enzo whoughed. ¡°So, are we going to a fancy Italian restaurant?¡± I asked; usually, Property ? N?velDrama.Org. when he takes me out, it¡¯s the fanciest Italian restaurant, so I assumed it¡¯d be the same this time around as well. ¡°Not exactly,¡± he said taking hold of my hand. We began to walk the busy city streets. I loved the city at this time in the evening; the sun was still a couple of hours away from setting, but the city was so alive and filled with light. I¡¯ve only been here a couple of times for shopping; I was excited to see where Enzo was taking me. I had to admit though, I was a bit nervous. I wasn¡¯t exactly dressed properly for a fancy date. I wore a dress, but it wasn¡¯t that fancy. It was a casual yellow sundress that was covered in lilies, and I wore a cardigan to keep me warm from the cool fall breeze. My hair was lightly curled and Categories Search¡­ fell around my shoulders, only pinned on one side with a lily hair piece to keep my hair out of my face. I rarely wore makeup, but I was wearing a little mascara and lip gloss. We talked for a little while as we walked hand-in-hand down the city streets. There were so many people swarming around us that I wasn¡¯t worried about being seen by those we knew because we blended in with the crowd. Then, Enzo stopped walking and stared up at the building that sat beside us. I frowned, looking up at it as well, and then I gasped as realization dawned on me. ¡°Chinese?!¡± I gasped. Heughed and nodded. ¡°I figured we could do something different; a little more casual,¡± he exined. ¡°Yes!!¡± I shrieked, throwing my arms around him and hugging him tightly. He bent down and smashed his lips against mine, kissing me hungrily and possessively. I loved every second of it. I smiled into his kiss before pulling away, breathlessly. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the restaurant. ¡°Good evening, Alpha. Your table awaits you,¡± the waiter said, motioning for us to follow him. ¡°You called ahead?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Enzo said, smiling. We sat down in the back of the restaurant and another waiter instantly brought us a scorpion bowl for two. ¡°We didn¡¯t order this,¡± I said, ncing at Enzo curiously. ¡°I ordered our food ahead of time. There¡¯s more to this evening and I wanted to make sure we had time for everything.¡± I raised my brows, but I didn¡¯t argue. I was excited to see what he ordered. I loved Chinese food and rarely had something I didn¡¯t like. I sipped on the Scorpion Bowl while listening to Enzo speak about his day. ¡°Connie called mest night,¡± he said, peering at me from across the table. I stopped drinking and looked up at him, curiously. Connie was his best friend, and she was also in love with him for a very long time. She even went as far as following us to Monstro and trying to take Enzo away from me. But then she met her mate while there and decided to stay in Monstro to get to know him. Admittedly, part of me was always afraid that she was going to change her mind and then return to Enzo and try to get him again. ¡°What did she want?¡± I found myself asking, d that my voice didn¡¯te out as nervous as I felt. ¡°She¡¯s returning to town in a couple of weeks,¡± he answered. ¡°She wanted me to be the first to know.¡± My heart fell into my stomach; my fears were bing a reality. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°So, things with Tyler aren¡¯t going good?¡± I asked, afraid to know the answer and the reasoning. He looked at me, furrowing his brows. ¡°No, actually things are going great with them. They are returning here together,¡± he answered. I felt my entire body rxing at his words and I looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Wait really?¡± I asked, trying and failing to keep that smile off my face. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, meeting my eyes. ¡°They are nning their wedding and want to get married here.¡± ¡°Oh, my goddess!¡± I gasped. ¡°That¡¯s incredible news!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± he said in return. ¡°She asked me to be part of the wedding party. I think she wants me to either be a groomsman on his side or a bridesmaid.¡± He shook his head at the thought as I started to giggle. ¡°A bridesmaid?¡± Iughed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have many friends and neither does he,¡± he exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they are nning, but I guess we will see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so happy for them,¡± I said smiling. ¡°Me too,¡± he said in return, meeting my eyes and holding them for a long while. Before any more words could be exchanged the waiter was bringing the food. There was so much food I couldn¡¯t even wrap my head around all the assortments. Three different waiters kept bringing us tter after tter and my mouth nearly dropped open. It all smelled and looked so delicious my mouth was watering. ¡°We are never going to be able to finish all of this,¡± Iughed. ¡°Sure, we can,¡± he teased, grabbing his fork. ¡°Dig in.¡± Once we finished eating, Enzo paid the bill and then we left the restaurant. I assumed we were going to take a walk to digest all the food we ate, but as soon as we stepped outside, I saw a giant white stallion attached to a pearly white carriage. I stared at it with my mouth hanging open. Enzo grinned at me. ¡°How about a sunset ride around the city?¡± He asked, walking toward the carriage doors. ¡°You rented a horse and carriage?¡± I gawked. Heughed and opened the door to the carriage, motioning for me to get in. Seats were made of this soft leather that I nearly melted in when I sat down. There was a minibar as well with a couple of wine sses, waiting to be filled. Enzo sat beside me and took my hand in his. The horseman set up the attachable tables in front of us and poured a couple of sses of wine for us. ¡°Enjoy the ride,¡± he said, tipping his hat to us as we got into the front and took hold of the reins of the horse. He shut the little window that separated us to give us some privacy. ¡°This is incredible, Enzo,¡± I breathed, staring up at him. ¡°Only the best for you, my love,¡± he said, bending down to press his lips against mine. As soon as our lips made contact, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I felt a light electrifying sensation coursing through my body, making me shiver and melt into him. He wrapped his arms around me and deepened the kiss. His tongue explored my mouth curiously, twirling around my tongue and conquering my mouth as his own. I knew for certain that I belonged to him, and he belonged to me. regardless of our stresses in life, I knew as long as we were together, everything was going to be okay, and I was more than fine with that. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at him as he continued to kiss me. He soon pulled apart and kissed the tip of my nose gently. ¡°I love you,¡± he breathed. ¡°I love you too,¡± I breathed in return. I heard his phone ringing in his pocket just as he was about to kiss me again, causing us both to groan miserably at the interruption. He nced at the caller ID, and I saw his lips turn downward into a worried frown. ¡°Yes?¡± He paused for a moment, furrowing his brows together. ¡°Wait, slow down. I can¡¯t understand you. What are you talking about?¡± My heart started to pound quickly against my chest. Something must have been seriously wrong. ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± He paused again to hear the response; did I hear a female voice on the other end? ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± He hung up the phone and knocked on the window to get the horseman¡¯s attention. The window suddenly opened. ¡°We need to get back to my car, right now,¡± Enzo ordered. ¡°Yes sir,¡± he said without hesitation. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s Hazel,¡± he answered, meeting my eyes. ¡°We need to get to the hospital.¡± Chapter 253 Chapter 253 L¡¯s POV Hazel was in her hospital bed when we arrived at the Calypso Pack Hospital. It only took us about 25 minutes to get there from the city. We wasted no time. She was looking for a lot better than when Ist saw her. Hazel¡¯s wounds were healing nicely, and she didn¡¯t look as thin and wasted away. She was still hooked up to a couple of different machines; one was monitoring her heart rate and the other was pumping her with a liquid fluid. The heart monitor had a steady rhythm, which was definitely a good sign. As we entered the hospital, her assigned doctor was the first to greet us. ¡°She will be able to return home in the morning, Alpha. She¡¯s going to need plenty of rest and to keep up her hydration. But she¡¯s looking good,¡± he said, ncing at Hazel with a fond smile. ¡°Thank you for caring for her, Doctor,¡± Enzo said in return. ¡°You look exhausted,¡± I pointed out, sitting by her bedside. She gave me a faint smile. ¡°I was given some medication yesterday that kept me asleep all eveningst night and day today,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping much because I¡¯ve been so worried about the vige, and they thought it would help me. I don¡¯t think they anticipated I¡¯d be asleep this long.¡± ¡°You mentioned on the phone that you can feel Jazzy¡¯s magic,¡± Enzo said, stepping toward her. My eyes widened at his words. ¡°What?¡± I gasped. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ I can feel her dark magic at y. But it¡¯s more than that,¡± she said, her eyes darkening. ¡°I can feel darkness.¡± ¡°Darkness?¡± I asked, furrowing my brows together. ¡°I¡¯ve only felt this once before,¡± she exined. ¡°A long time ago. Jazzy has conjured it before.¡± ¡°She conjured darkness?¡± Enzo asked. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°It takes a very dark heart and a sacrifice to do it,¡± Hazel exined; her expression was grave. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she could want with darkness though. The first time it was only to cause mayhem to let out the anger she felt when our parents died.¡± ¡°Mayhem¡­¡± I breathed; it wasn¡¯t a question. I grabbed Enzo¡¯s arm as the thoughts of the mayhem at school yesterday surfaced in my mind. ¡°Enzo, could it have something to do with what happened at the election yesterday? ¡°What happened?¡± Hazel asked us quickly, looking between us. ¡°We were having an election for President of the studentmittee, and during this election everybody who has magic became powerless,¡± he exined; her face turned mortified as he exined the events that unfoldedst night. I thought, for a moment, that she was going to jump out of bed and run from the room. I had never seen anyone look quite as terrified as Hazel felt and it made my stomach twist into a tight and unsettling knot. ¡°That sounds like the mayhem she would cause, yes¡­.¡± She said, shaking her head with a worried expression. ¡°He has returned to ournds; but for what reason, I am unsure.¡± ¡°He?¡± Enzo asked, furrowing his brows together. ¡°Darkness is a person?¡± ¡°It takes the form of a man; though, it can take many different forms. He goes by the name Zagreus. He¡¯s a dark demon that if given a sacrifice will do her bidding.¡± Categories Search¡­ ¡°Darkness acts as her ve?¡± Enzo asked. ¡°She can control it?¡± ¡°Nobody can truly control darkness; but if they have amon goal, he will work with her and do as she please. Just as long as she does what he pleases as well.¡± ¡°A sacrifice?¡± I asked, finding it difficult to use my voice. ¡°In order for him to form fully, he needs a sacrifice. He feeds off the blood and beating heart of purity. But that one sacrifice won¡¯t be enough to keep him around. She will need to sacrifice again soon if she wishes to keep him even longer. Like a payment for his deeds.¡± ¡°Why would they make students at the school powerless?¡± Enzo asked, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s not making sense.¡± Hazel was quiet for a moment as she thought about how to answer that, but then her eyes widened. She didn¡¯t have to say anything for me to understand Property ? N?velDrama.Org. where her head had gone. This time, it was me who answered. ¡°Darkness enjoys mayhem; so, if it caused mayhem at your school, then that pleases him. However, I fear it¡¯s more than that. Jazzy wouldn¡¯t conjure him again unless she truly needed something from him.¡± ¡°Could it have been a test?¡± I asked, looking up at Enzo. Enzo looked at me with a worried frown. ¡°A test? Like she was trying to see if the spell would work?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°But what could she be nning that requires everyone to lose their magic and abilities?¡± We were quiet for a moment as that question weighed in the air. ¡°How did she even align herself with darkness in the first ce?¡± Enzo asked and I could see he was growing angry. ¡°How did she discover this Zagreus?¡± We both looked at Hazel who had gone pale. ¡°When we were young, our parents died because of a Vna wolf¡­¡± Hazel began to exin, making me gasp in horror. ¡°It was difficult for us both, but Jazzy was much younger and took it even more difficult. She grew angry and self-isted despite my efforts to get her to open up and talk to me. She spent a lot of time in my mother¡¯s garden. I¡¯m not sure how it happened because I wasn¡¯t there¡­ but I ended up finding our gardener dead. That¡¯s when my sister started to be a dark witch. This darkness she called Zagreus was the one who gave her dark magic. I never understood it myself, but something happened that hurt him enough to slither back to wherever he came from.¡± ¡°If Zagreus really has returned to ournd, what are we going to do?¡± I asked, staring up at Enzo who had a grave look on his face. ¡°You must stay away from her,¡± Hazel warned. ¡°She¡¯s incredibly dangerous and now that Zagreus has returned to her, she¡¯s even more dangerous. There¡¯s no telling what she will do. Especially because you are a Vna wolf. She hates Vna¡¯s more than anything. I don¡¯t doubt that it has something to do with your kind.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know where she is,¡± Enzo murmured, clearly aggravated. ¡°If I can feel her magic, she isn¡¯t far,¡± Hazel said. ¡°I¡¯ll send my warriors back out and look for her again,¡± Enzo assured her. ¡°We also need to figure out how darkness was defeated the first time,¡± I said. I shivered at the very thought; I stepped closer to Enzo, not wanting to be apart from him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to you,¡± he said, wrapping me in his arms. ¡°That¡¯s a promise.¡± Hazel looked uncertain and worried. ¡°We will return tomorrow to help you home,¡± Enzo assured her, grasping her hand gently. ¡°Get some rest.¡± ¡°I will,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get back to my vige and to my own bed. I¡¯m sure Luna Selene is doing a fine job at keeping them protected, but with this new knowledge that darkness has been conjured, I worry for them.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Enzo said. He took a hold of my hand. ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± I said to her as we left the hospital room. My heart was pounding rapidly against my ribcage; I felt so sick. By the time we got back to his car, I was deep breathing and trying hard to contain myself. ¡°Hey,¡± he said, reaching over and taking hold of my hand again. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay. I promise.¡± ¡°If darkness really is lurking around, I¡¯m not sure how we are going to protect the nation from it. What do you think she¡¯s nning on doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m going to find out.¡± ¡°Do you think Xander would know?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯re working together, do you?¡± He was quiet for a moment as he thought about that. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he admitted. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°We should find out.¡± ¡°I will find out,¡± he said, putting extra emphasis on the word I. ¡°You are going to stay far away from all of this. It¡¯s too dangerous for your involvement.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just do nothing,¡± I said, pressing my lips firmly together. Sitting around and doing nothing has never been in my nature. ¡°You can¡¯t get involved in this, L. Especially because you don¡¯t have your wolf right now.¡± I knew he was right, despite not wanting to believe it. I decided not to argue with him any further; I stared out my window as Enzo drove through the pack ground and toward the packhouse. I stared up at the night sky I frowned; it seemed even darker and hazier than usual. There wasn¡¯t a star in sight, and yet it didn¡¯t seem all that cloudy. I wondered if it had anything to do with Jazzy¡¯s darkness. ¡­. Enzo¡¯s POV Xander was exactly where we left him, rotting in the dungeon cell under the packhouse grounds. He wore cuffs that kept his wounds from healing. He had two ck eyes and some nasty cuts on his face. He was bruised all over and his clothes were badly torn and covered in his blood. I found myself smiling at his tormented state. Bastien must have had a lot of fun with this asshole. Xander sat against the cold cement walls, trying to maintain his unsteady breathing as he red up at me though his swollen eyes. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough?¡± I asked stepping toward his locked cell and staring down at his pathetic body. ¡°I could end your suffering if you just tell us the information we seek.¡± I swear I saw a smile glimmering on his lips. ¡°And what information is that, Alpha?¡± ¡°Cut the shit, Xander,¡± I seethed, grabbing onto the cell bars. ¡°Who sent you here?¡± He choked out augh, spitting blood onto the ground. ¡°I gave an oath I wouldn¡¯t say, and I don¡¯t break my oaths,¡± he replied. ¡°Are you working with that dark witch, Jazzy?¡± I asked in a growl. ¡°Did you help her escape?¡± ¡°And align myself with darkness? I think not,¡± Xander scoffed. ¡°Why are you after L then?¡± I asked, my anger boiling over. ¡°Who said I was after her?¡± He asked as he coughed more blood onto the ground. ¡°You kidnapped her, you asshole!¡± ¡°And yet she couldn¡¯t escape on her own without you helping her,¡± Xander hissed. ¡°She¡¯s doomed for what¡¯sing.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± I found myself asking. ¡°Let me out, Enzo,¡±Max whined within me.¡°I want to rip his throat out and tear into him. Let me out so I can fuck him up!¡± ¡°You better talk soon, or I¡¯ll let my wolf have you,¡± I warned. Xander onlyughed which turned into a gross hack. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough and when you do, you¡¯ll wish you never locked me in this cage. Mark my word, Darkness ising and he¡¯sing with a vengeance. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!