Chapter 2

“…. May your hands forever be there to lift each other's heads and your hearts full of love, congratulations Lana and Draco, to the happy couple.” Callum toasts to the new couple.

Ceremonies like these are especially hard for him and I. I feel his eyes lock on mine, my every move, every breath I take his eyes trail. Till I finally give in and look back at him, he takes a slow dragging breath before he realizes I’m staring at him and realizes that he was staring and fills his face. He smiles sheepishly and apologetically and turns away from me.

I remember vividly the day we realized. I was 14 and he was 17, a crazy age gap, but it didn’t feel that way, we had grown up close together for some reason. Always close, for as long as I could remember. I always wondered why my parents lived so close to the enclave and why they never batted an eyelash over our families closeness. A human and a wolf, it was more common nowadays in this town but I imagined it hasn’t always been that way.

We were walking through the woods from school, I had a serene smile on my face, a boy had flirted with me today. It was a feat. I’d never had that, I wasn’t ugly, at least, to the best of my knowledge. My long black curly hair and sandy brown eyes complimented my angular face and sharp bone structure, softened with my pink pouty lips. So far, it seemed it was only my mom that noticed that, up until that day. 

Varun had walked up to me in the hallways after school with a smirk, he said, “Cheryl..?”

I looked up from my locker, using my free hand to flick my hair from my face. 

“I don’t know if you know me, I’m Varun, the captain of the Lacrosse team… I uh, I’ve seen you around … I.”

I knew him, I definitely knew who he was, he was an upperclassman, every girl in school probably knew him. He had jet black hair, brown skin and red lips, with cute freckles all over his face. Like me, just that mine were across my nose and both cheeks, complimenting my dark skin. They weren’t as noticeable as his but they were there and I thought they were cute. 

“I think you’re really pretty, and… well not that I’m only talking to you cause you’re pretty, but not that you’re not pretty, cause you are I just…” he trails off running his right hand through his hair. 

I push my escaped hair behind my ear and smile.

He stutters. “I’m sorry I.. I should start over I…” his eyes go wide seeing something behind me and he trails off. “I should go, I’m sorry.” He says quickly, immediately turning and briskly walking off.

I’m left standing there perplexed. I turn to look behind me and there’s no one there but to look. He has a scowl on his face but there’s no one else. I wonder if he saw a teacher.

As short and awkward as that conversation was it was still enough to get me giddy… a boy talked to me, I’m not a complete social pariah. 

“What are you smiling at?” Luke grumbles and I scowl immediately. 

He’s obviously in one of his wolf moods. 

“I’m just smiling. What about it?” I’m not going to allow him to ruin my mood today.

“Varun’s a dickhead, you know.”

“You’re a dickhead.” 

“If you’re going to date him, you should know he gets around. He probably will give you STDs.” 

“What’s your deal? I’m not dating him, he was so awkward today anyways.” I say annoyed. 

“Then why are you smiling?” I’m smiling because I’m happy, you dimwit. I don’t say that I instead ignored him, I was practicing being a mature young woman, like Grace Kelly. I’m sure she didn’t argue with annoying teenage boys.

“Cher,” he calls. “Are you even listening?”

“I don’t want to have an argument Luke.”

“Do you like him?” He asks.

What does this even matter? “I don’t know. I’ve barely said a word to him.”

“That’s not an answer, Lukey,” I say, trying to move on from the conversation.

“Do you?” He asks again more seriously.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t even matter. I’m pretty sure you scared him with your wolf glare.”

He smiles almost satisfied at me mentioning him scaring Varun off.

“Don’t look so smug.” I roll my eyes at the smug look on his face.

“You don’t want a player who’s a coward now, do you?”

“You can’t do things like that. You’re acting like a territorial animal.” I say picking up my pace so I don’t have to walk next to him again, my hair sashaying as I walk.

He takes a breath, “And why can’t I?”

“Why can’t you? Are you even listening to me? Why can you?” I flip my hair back and swivel to stare at him.

His eyes darken, fangs coming out, he takes a deep breath as if smelling me for the first time. His voicedeepens and he calls out. “Mate.”