Page 69 of Plug and Claim

“I’m good.”

“That’s good,” Mark said, glancing around before taking her by the shoulder and steering her into an empty classroom. “How are things with the vampire?”

“Not great,” she said. “I need your help—can you talk to him?”

“Talk to him?” Mark repeated, rubbing his neck and looking uncomfortable. “What for?”

Is he really playing dumb?

She forced her polite smile to stay in place. “To convince him to relinquish his stupid claim over me.”

“Ah, Kira…I’m afraid that’s not how these things work.”

“But it could be,” Kira insisted. “If you challenged him—”

“Challenge? Kira, I’m sorry, but that’s out of the question. I can’t simply challenge him out of nowhere, not without a good reason.”

“Aren’t I a good enough reason?”

Mark grimaced. “Yes, of course you are. But…as an alpha, I can’t be selfish. I’m responsible for the entire pack, and I need to think of what’s good for everyone, rather than just the individual.”

His words hung in the air, and the person she’d imagined him to be began to fade.

“Right,” she muttered.

“I am sorry. I hope you understand.”

“I do.”

I understand all too well now.

Mark backed away—his friends had long scattered. “I’m afraid I’ve got to run. Look after yourself, won’t you?”

He hurried around the corner and out of sight.

Kira watched him go, feeling angry and crestfallen at the same time.

To her surprise, Chelsea had lingered.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, fine.” Kira plucked at the top edge of her red socks in frustration. “Never better.”

Chelsea frowned. “Has Nathaniel hurt you?”

She laughed bitterly. Had Nathaniel hurt her? His interference with her initiation had made her life at the academy miserable, and her heart ached from the way everyone was ignoring her. But otherwise… She shrugged. “Not really. No.”

Chelsea nodded, and they stared at each other for a few moments longer, but there was nothing else to say.

“If there’s anything I can do…” Chelsea began.

“Sure.”

Chelsea gave her a small wave and left, leaving Kira feeling more alone than ever.

In contrast to the wolves, the vampires hardly paid her any attention at all, and Kira wasn’t sure what was worse—the way the wolves went out of their way to avoid her, or the way the vampires drifted past indifferently, paying her so little attention she may as well have been invisible.

She’d hit rock bottom.