“No judgement or anything but aren’t you kind of—”
“Young,” she finishes for me. “Yeah. We are. But when you know, you know. And both wolf and woman know he’s it for us.”
I smile at that. It must be nice, having that soul-deep knowledge that you’ve found your person. That they’re it for you, no questions asked.
“Okay. So the shifters run the town and the wolves rule the school?”
She nods. “Pretty much. No one really wants to piss off Rafe or the other wolves for fear the Pack will pull out of this little social experiment. For it to work, they need all the heavy hitters, which would be the Vampires, the Shifters, and the Witches, but especially the Shifters.”
I nod my head. “Okay. That makes sense. So what was Meiying so worried about when you guys were talking earlier? She’s a shifter too, right? Is there bad blood between the tigers and the wolves or something?”
She purses her lips together. “Zheng, her older brother, and the wolves had a falling out a while back. But it’s getting better. And Meiying, well, I love that girl, but she’s a bit of an instigator, and some of the guys give as good as they get. But they’re not all bad. Rafael, Desmond, and Jordy are great guys. They just take some getting used to. They’re not really trusting, which can make them come off as standoffish. But once you get to know them, they’re the sweetest guys. Zheng, too. And his outer shell, thankfully, isn’t as hard to crack. You’ll like him.”
I raise a single brow and she laughs. “I’m not trying to play matchmaker or anything. Promise.”
That’s a relief. “So, if they’re standoffish and you’re a new girl too, how did you wind up in their good graces, especially being that you’re not a member of the Pack?”
Her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. “I don’t know. Rafe and I…it was just meant to be.”
“And he’s not the one screwing the piranha, right? That’s what you called her?”
Isa laughs, a deep chuckle that has the librarian shushing us from across the room. We both hunch down lower in our seats, effectively chastised. Isa’s next words come out softer. “No. Not that one. I’m mated to Rafael Castillo. The one Meiying was talking about is Jordy Salgaldo and the piranha is Georgia Draven. She’s a junior and a complete witch with a capital B. New girl to new girl, I would avoid her.”
“Noted. Thanks for the heads up.”
She nods.
“Do you speak Portuguese?”
Brows furrowed, she shakes her head. “No, I’m Mexican, so Spanish.”
I frown. “So, why call her a piranha, then?”
She shrugs. “She’s like the fish. She hunts down men, has a pack of vicious girls with her at all times, and her mouth cuts like a blade when she opens it.”
Ah. That does make sense. “Good description.”
“Does it mean something else in Portuguese?” she asks, and I nod.
“Yeah. Slut.”
Her lips smash together, and I can tell she’s fighting to remain quiet as her shoulders shake with silent laughter. “I think I like your version better,” she whisper-shouts when she finally gets control of herself.
Me too, I think to myself, though out loud I ask, “Anyone else I should steer clear of?”
Her features tighten and she nods. “Yeah. Sabrina Hampton. She’s a senior like us so you might have classes with her. She and some friends jumped me in the bathroom earlier this year. I wouldn’t mess with her. I think the guys have effectively put her in the doghouse, but still…I’d be careful.”
“Oh, my god. You were jumped?”
“Shhhh… not so loud.”
I cringe. “Sorry. But seriously? Why were you jumped?” That sort of thing would never fly at my old school. There are rules and consequences. No one there can afford to be suspended, let alone expelled, which is what would happen if you got into a physical altercation with another student.
She huffs out a breath. “It’s another long story. But the Cliff Notes version is that she wanted my Rafe and I was a lone wolf which made me free game. I’m under the Pack’s protection now, but that wasn't always the case. It’s not really worth going into, but seriously, steer clear. You can’t trust her.”
I swallow hard. What sort of school did I walk into this morning? Brawls in bathrooms is not something I signed up for.
“Don’t worry, though. She won’t try anything with you. At least I don’t think she will. She hates me because I have the guy she wants, but unless you start dating a wolf, I think you’re in the clear.”
