As I rush in, I trip over my own stupid feet and nearly land in the lap of a guy sitting on a stool. Of course, there aren’t any desks in Art, just easels and stools. Strong hands grip my arms, steadying me, and I inhale his scent. Clean, woodsy, and masculine. Wow.
I look up through my red hair, hoping this is a Human man and not a Wolf. I could be severely punished for this. It could be taken as an insult to touch a Wolf without hisconsent. Especially an Alpha. They make the rules, and even if it was an accident, my touch could be twisted into an insult or challenge.
Vibrant brown eyes surrounded by dark black lashes meet mine, and I freeze. Definitely a Wolf. Human men do not look that intense, confident, or vibrate with power.
“I’m so sorry, I tripped,” I quickly apologize, hoping he doesn’t punish me with everyone watching. The pain isn’t what I’m scared of, it's the humiliation. I hate that everyone perceives me as weak when I’ve taken more abuse than all of these Wolves combined. My body found a way to adapt and respond to punishments in the same way it would to a gentle kiss. My core clenches with the thought, and I shake my head to clear it before this Wolf scents my arousal. That would be mortifying, and hard to explain. I already know what Coal’s punishments do to my body. Given the fact that this man is insanely attractive… My chances of avoiding arousal feel minuscule.
He grunts and flicks his tongue out to wet his lips. I track the movement, my heart rate picking up.
“Is there an issue, Mr. Shay?” The teacher asks from across the room. Her glare is focused on me. I look down, trying to give off submissive vibes, hoping the Wolf lets this go without punishing me. At least not here. If he wants to punish me in private, I will gladly follow him to an empty room… Well, not gladly, but at least if his methods for punishment are similar to Coal’s, we’ll be alone.
I notice the tattoo on his wrist, a full white moon with a gray cloud covering the bottom, and I just know, this man is the Alpha’s son of the Shadow Moon Pack. What are the chances? They have to be pretty high since I have absolute crap luck.
“Take a seat,” the teacher snaps, and I attempt to take astep away from the man I now assume must be Dean Shay. The Wolf I’ve heard Coal cursing a few times. He allows me to step out of his grasp but nods to the seat next to him. I take the hint, and rather than try to escape, I place my bag beneath the stool and turn to the teacher.
I release a heavy sigh of relief when it’s clear Dean’s not going to beat me in front of my classmates.
The teacher explains our assignment for the period, and I mentally plan out what I’m going to do. The Wolves have first dibs on all the art supplies, so I stay put and wait my turn before I can go to retrieve what I’ll need for the next hour.
Dean puts his items down on his easel, before placing a few things in front of me. For a moment, I thought he was trying to have me do his assignment for him.
“What are you…” I start to say, but he’s already turning his attention back to his workstation. I look down at the cup of water, acrylic, and water paints, frowning. There’s an assortment of paintbrushes and even a sponge. Why the fuck would he grab my supplies for me?
I stare at the side of his head a little too long, wondering what game he’s playing. He has black hair with short curls on the top and buzzed sides. He’s got a sun-kissed tan and dark scruff growing on his jawline. His dark brown eyes seem so kind, that I’m left feeling a bit lost. I watch as he focuses on the canvas, biting his plump lower lip, and note he has a lack of scarring on his hands and arms that I would expect from a man who’s rumored to be so merciless.
I peek at the tattoo, mentally picturing the crest. That’s definitely Shadow Moon, so I’m not confusing him with another pack.
I shake off my curiosity and unwantedattraction. The kind gesture of retrieving my supplies threw me off big time.Seriously Delilah? One guy is nice to you, and you’re suddenly willing to throw yourself at his feet?
My mind drifts off as I wonder what it might look like to be Avowed to a kind and attractive Wolf. Of course, he might be faking. Maybe that’s his kink. Tricking Humans into thinking he’s all sweet and shit, and then once they think they’re safe with him, he strikes.
“Focus,” I whisper to myself. Draw a happy memory. Fuck, I don’t know. What does she mean by happy? Truly happy? Or, just like, a time when I wasn’t in immediate danger.
I mentally scroll through my life. Annie was nice, but I was hiding from the Alpha, and the Wolves she cared for weren’t exactly friendly when she left the room.
Mama is a happy memory in some ways, but there’s always been this impending doom looming over everything we did. Even in moments where it was just her and I, and I’d do her hair, or she’d do mine, we were both worrying about other things.
Bunny was a happy memory, for a while. Until he wasn’t. Until he broke my heart, and I cried over someone whose name I never even knew.
Genny and I had a lot of good times, but we spent so much time running from our problems, that I wonder if we were only happy because we weren’t in pain for just a few moments.
I stare at a blank page for so long that Dean must notice my lack of movement.
“No happy memories?” he asks casually, as if we’re friends. I’m not sure how to respond as he once again surprises me. He speaks to me as if I’m an equal, not in ademanding or cruel way, just conversationally. It throws me off-kilter even more.
I shake my head, not looking over at him, worried I’ll lose my train of thought again.
Using the only thing I can think of, I decide to draw a flower that grew outside of Annie’s home.
I focus on my task, trying to add as much detail to the delilah’s petals as I can.
Annie planted a delilah in the garden, just for me. She was kind, caring, and affectionate. Everything most Wolves aren’t toward Humans.
“Is that an unclaimed choker, meaning you’re free to be Avowed to anyone?” Dean asks at the end of class, sounding curious, as I’m gathering my stuff. I freeze. Oh shit, does he want to claim me? If all that was required was for me to do his assignments, carry his shit, or grab his food, I might not be so worried. But that’s just not the case. I’ll be required to submit to him. In any way he chooses. When Coal said he would claim me as his, he wasn’t just talking about using me to do his school work.
“Yes, but wouldn’t you want to claim a Human from your own pack, though?” I ask softly, worried I'll upset him, but also worried he wants to use me similarly to Coal. He towers over me at what must be six and a half feet tall. I’d heard some female Wolves talking about Dean once, saying how attractive he was. The way he stares at me, with his intense dark gaze, makes butterflies dance in my stomach. I bite my lip, staring at his full lips and not his eyes. I’m not trying to get my ass beat right now.
“Not when I already know how much worse Humans are treated in Primal Moon.” He watches me closely as I suck in a sharp breath. Does that mean he’d want to treat me better than Coal would?
