“I’m off to class.”
With that, I gave Zeus a quick pat on the head. My parents owned the apartment—and thank Stephen for that, because finding a place that allowed a pet like Zeus would’ve been impossible. I saluted Spiky and paid my respects to Gertrude B. Elion’s shrine before exiting the apartment. I wasn’t superstitious, but I was a creature of habit—and a fan of remembering important women.
“See you at The Baxter tonight!” Tiziano called after me.
Oh, right. The bar.
I had also noted that on my agenda. Social plans needed to be fit in as well.
I skipped down the stairs and paused at a specific door one floor underneath ours. With my hands full and a croissant sticking out of my mouth, I knocked on the door with my knee.
“Coming!” I heard a sleepy voice call, followed by laughter. Lachlan lived with four wereball buddies, all from our pack. Their place was the ultimate hangout spot, while ours had earned the nickname ‘The Doctor’s House.’ Not that we minded—we embraced it fully.
The door cracked open.
“Morning, Ivy.” Gaius yawned so wide that I got an unsolicited view of his healthy-looking uvula. He stretched with a crack of his back, standing there in nothing but his striped boxers, face all sleepy and disheveled.
I waved at Lachlan’s best friend, the man who was totally head-over-paws for Makena.
“How are the roommates today?” he asked. As expected, the first question was about her, in that cowardly, casual sort of way. I smiled around my croissant, a slice of almond dropping onto my shirt.
From dating to being on the verge of marriage to a brutal breakup, they were stuck in this endless cycle of hurting each other and seeking revenge. Like a real-life soap opera.
“Everyone’s healthy,” I replied, matching his vague question with a vague answer. “Some are studying hard, some just got back from partying. You know, the usual.”
Gaius narrowed his yellowish eyes at me, rubbing his chest.
Before I could change the subject, Lachlan bumped into Gaius. Both their athletic forms couldn’t fit in the door at the same time.
“Was that Sabrina I heard when you were showering?” Gaius questioned him, dark brows raised and a playful smile on his lips.
“It’s weird when you listen in, man.”
“Just looking out for you. You were singing ‘Please, Please, Please!’”
“How thoughtful. Morning, Vy,” Lachlan grumbled. The ends of his wet, messy hair dripped on me as he leaned down to plant a kiss on my sugar-dusted cheek.
My twin had inherited all the classic Scottish genes—curly red hair, freckles, pale skin, and eyes as blue as the skies above the Highlands. Over the years, people had called him all sorts ofnames, from Black Catapult to just plain Lad. On the wereball field, though, everyone knew him as the Highlander.
I, on the other hand, only got the blue eyes of Loch Ness. I was a mini version of our dad, with hazel-brown hair and olive skin, though I never actually allowed it to tan.
Lachlan and I ate breakfast on our way to class, a routine we’d grown fond of as our schedules constantly clashed.
“You’ve got your volunteering gig today, right?” Lachlan stuffed the last of his croissants into his mouth.
“I do. Double shift.”
Lachlan tugged at the front of his blue hoodie, dislodging the sugar that had landed right on the big white number three.Team captain since his first year. Right away, he’d challenged the previous one, a chemist four years older than him—exactly what our dad did back in his day, before he finished college and took over as Alpha. “I’ll pick you up with lunch.”
“Then I’ll go with you to your training today.”
He grinned, showing that warmth that nobody else saw. It was a werewolf twin thing.
“I might hit up The Baxter with the guys if I can squeeze in some more studying between classes and volunteering,” I said, thinking out loud.
He winced at my words, then shook his head with a light smile.
“We could go all together,” I added.
