CHAPTER 8.

“Watch where you’re going,” he muttered, his voice low and rough, like gravel sliding over stone.

I yanked myself free and took a step back, ignoring the way my skin burned where he’d touched me. “Maybe you should watch where you’re standing,” I shot back, lifting my chin defiantly.

His lips curled, almost like he was amused, and for some reason, that irritated me more. “You’re the one who ran into me, half-breed.”

My stomach twisted at the insult, but I refused to let it show. I had already decided Levi Parrish wasn’t worth my time, that he was just another arrogant prince who thought the world revolved around him.

And yet… my stupid heart didn’t get the memo.

He stared at me for a bit too long, as if waiting for a reaction. I gave him none. Instead, I rolled my eyes, stepped around him, and kept walking, forcing myself not to look back.

“You know, it’s my duty to watch over you.”

I heard a voice say, inches away from my eyes. He was following me, like a fly would its victim. I tried to ignore him, to act like him walking behind me didn’t make me all the more nervous.

“You’re going the wrong way,” he said again, over my shoulders, making my skin crawl.

“Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?” I teased.

He grinned. “I do, but unfortunately, my father doesn’t care.”

Right. I’d almost forgotten his father had told him to make sure I was well settled in. I didn’t need a babysitter, especially one like him.

I forced myself to keep walking, pretending I didn’t see him. Maybe if I ignored him hard enough, he’d disappear.

But no, Levi was hellbent on making me suffer just as much as he was.

“Okay, half breed….” he drawled, slipping his hand into mine and pulling me through a left turn, up the stairs and into an office.

“What the hell?!”

“Sort out your schedule, I’ll be waiting.” He pointed towards a woman behind a desk, then took a seat and crossed his legs.

I stood frozen for some minutes, the lingering feeling of his touch etched into my skin. Eventually, I moved to speak with the lady.

The main office smelled like paper, old coffee, and cheap air freshener. A middle aged woman with thin-rimmed glasses sat behind the desk, typing furiously on her keyboard. The gold nameplate on the counter read Mrs. Hendricks. She barely spared me a glance.

“New student?” she asked, still focused on the screen.

“Yes,” I replied quickly before stealing a glance at Levi to make sure he was still sitting, waiting for me. “Astra Finnegan.”

That finally got her attention. She adjusted her glasses and gave me a once-over. “Ah, yes. The Alpha mentioned you’d be starting.”

Of course he did. Because apparently, my entire existence in this school needed to be a pack wide announcement.

“I need my schedule.”

Mrs. Hendricks nodded, clicking a few more keys before opening a drawer and pulling out a crisp sheet of paper. “Here we go. Your classes are already assigned based on your transcripts. If anything needs to be changed, your teachers will let you know.” She handed it to me, her gaze flickering toward Levi. “I see the alpha’s son is escorting you.”

I exhaled. “Yeah.”

She gave him a look again, then leaned over the counter, closer to me. “I’d be careful about that one,” she said hurriedly. When she pulled back, I saw the worried look in her eyes.

“Thanks?” I furrowed my brows, not sure how to respond.

“You done?”

Suddenly, Levi was behind me, hovering over my shoulders again. He cast a look upon Mrs. Hendricks, then down at me, his grey eyes now stained with little orange specks. I watched his face harden, and knew he had heard her words.

Levi’s breathing changed, his fists clenched, his anger ready to be unleashed. Mrs. Hendricks gulped in fear, and even though I didn’t understand why, I was still scared for her.

Levi was vibrating when I put my hand in his, and squeezed. “Let’s go,” I gave him an unusual smile, felt his body loosen up as his eyes reverted back to their natural color.

She spoke again, but this time a little frightened. “You can show her where to pick up her textbooks.”

Levi’s eyes remained on her. I held my breath, waiting for disaster to strike. But then, a smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes relaxed on me instead.

He tilted his head toward the door. “Come on, half-breed.”

Mrs. Hendricks sucked in a sharp breath, looking mildly horrified. We held on to each other’s hands as we silently walked out of the office. I wanted more than anything to ask what that had been about, but I was trying to be cautious.

The woman behind the counter was seriously terrified, and what was up with what she had told me? Why did I need to be careful?

I had to find out, everything that had taken place was too tense to not have follow up questions. He was acting like everything was fine, and I was not okay with that.

As soon as we turned the corner, I yanked my hand out of his grip and took a step away. “What the hell was that?”

Levi didn’t answer right away. He walked ahead, his strides long and confident, like he owned the entire hallway. I had to practically jog to keep up.

“If you’re going to be my shadow all day, the least you could do is answer me,” I snapped.

He didn’t slow down, didn’t even glance at me. “What do you think it was?” His voice was sharp, laced with something unreadable.

I scowled. “I think Mrs. Hendricks was warning me about you, and I think you scared the hell out of her.”

His lips twitched, like he was amused. “Smart girl.”

I stopped walking. “So what? You’re not even going to deny it?”

Levi finally turned to face me, his grey eyes glinting under the fluorescent lights. “Why should I? She’s not wrong.”

My breath hitched, but I refused to show weakness. “You’re seriously messed up.”

He took a step closer, closing the space between us, his gaze dropping to my lips for half a second before meeting my eyes again. “And yet, you’re still here.”

I clenched my fists, hating the way my heart pounded just from him standing so close. “Only because I have to be.”

Levi smirked, leaning in just enough for his breath to fan against my cheek. “Then let’s get something straight, half-breed. We’re not friends and we never will be, so you don’t have to worry about being careful around me.”

A chill ran down my spine, tears forming around my eyes. If only he knew the effect his words had on me. I gave a nonchalant shrug, hoping it looked authentic enough.

“Where do I get my books?” I hissed, hating myself for how fragile my voice sounded at this very moment.

Levi didn’t answer. Instead, he straightened, shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned away. “Follow me.”

He started to walk ahead of me, but I stopped him.

“Just give me directions,” I said, refusing to look him in the eye. “We don’t have to go everywhere together, wouldn’t want anyone thinking we’re friends.”

His eyes went wide, he opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind. He ended up pointing out the way, no words exchanged. I walked away from him quickly, making sure not to look back to give him another glance.

But even as I reached the entrance, I could still feel his eyes on me, like a leech I couldn’t shake. And the worst part was I wanted to shake him off, but something inside me refused to let go.