“Yeah, I thought so too.”
“Listen, when I’m not around, look after her, okay?”
He scoffed, shaking out his floppy brown hair. “You don’t have to tell me that. There’s something about that girl that makes me want to protect her.”
“Yeah.” A wide smile spread across my face as she popped into my mind. “There is.”
TEN
Wren
ThefirstdayatFate Hollow Academy had been a bit overwhelming.
Damien stalked me every second of the day, but I couldn’t imagine him not lurking from the shadows. He’d stood up for me and made me feel things I thought I could only feel with a mate. That thought had crossed my mind a few times.
If Damien turned out to be my mate, I’d be overjoyed.
Kian was a sweetheart, and he was a lot like me in certain ways. I wanted to protect him, and by the look in his eyes when he glared at Grayson, he wanted to protect me too. I wanted to learn more about him. I knew little to nothing about necromancy, but it was really interesting.
Kian would be a good mate too.
Wait... Why was I thinking about mates? Just yesterday I thought I’d be mateless forever.
I shook my head as I pulled my hair up into a ponytail with a scrunchy Trixie had given me. She’d said having my hair down would make me hotter, and even though it was autumn, it was sweltering compared to the arctic climate of Briesia.
Glancing around the back of the dormitory, I made sure nobody was wandering around before I started walking into the Bestial Forest. Leaves crunched under my bare feet as I passed the threshold to the forest.
Dapples of moonlight streamed through the leaves left on the branches of the thick trees, and I sucked in a crisp breath at finally being alone. I needed to be in the woods, surrounded by nature.
The rumors about the werewolf who had been found in the forest came to mind, but I pushed them away. Like Lachlan had said, they were only rumors. Plus, the academy had wards. Humans couldn’t break through wards without someone knowing about it. Especially since our headmaster was actually a firedrake.
Just thinking of Lachlan sent butterflies through my stomach. He was extremely attractive, in a rugged kind of way. He had the makings of a beard, and it looked good on him. I’d love to know how it would feel against my skin.
A shiver racked through me, and I let out a frustrated groan. “What’s wrong with me?” I muttered, continuing my trek through the forest and soaking in the cool night air.
There was so much happening. My entire life had been flipped upside down, and yet, all I could think about were these men.
But they made me feelalive.The only other person who had done that was Thorn.
My chest squeezed as I came to a small creek bed with a large mossy rock sticking out as the water rushed past it. Stepping back, I gave myself a head start and leapt over, slipping slightly on the rock but managing not to tumble into the water.
I sat down on the rock and water soaked the bottom of my cotton pajama shorts, chilling the skin underneath. I hadn’t bothered to change since my body temperature kept climbing, and anything else I had was too hot.
Letting out a calm sigh, I closed my eyes and leaned back on my hands, feeling the softness of the wet moss.
I’d been rejected by a man hand-picked by the Fates and banished from the village I’d grown up in—being marked gave me a way out, a way to Fate Hollow, and I’d met some wonderful friends.
The things Grayson had said weren’t surprising, but with the bond still aching between us, it hurt worse than it should’ve.
Humans were worth being afraid of. They took my parents from me. I was only a child, and they were so cruel. I’d wondered what life would have been like with my parents alive, but wondering wouldn’t bring them back.
Tears leaked down my cheeks, and I squeezed my eyes tighter. Sniffling, a sob broke through, and my shoulders shook. I brought my hands around my knees and pulled them to my chest.
If only I had one more day with them.
Snap.
My head jerked up, and I met a chocolate brown gaze full of worry.
