CHAPTER 1
“Odessa!”
Luca yelled as he ran after her in his polished school uniform. He looked so dashing in them. His white never had a stain whether in the cool of the day or the roughest afternoon after football.
“What?”
Odessa asked, feigning some sense of ignorance. She always had a soft spot for him and their childhood friendship had blossomed into a secret affection that they both nursed.
“Why are you storming out of the class angrily?”
He asked throwing his hands in the air. He had taken the instinct thanks to Zoe’s silly advice to mark Vynessa as his mate seeing that they have been betrothed for a while. She was the school’s hottest werewolf and his rage was spurned when Ken pecked her to say “good morning”. He fell for the bait that she set.
“Because I can’t understand what you just did! You said you were not ready to commit until after 6 months when we would be done with our final exams and now I come into the class and seeing you marking Vynessa?”
Odessa asked with her blue eyes filled with tears threatening to fall. She pinched her skirt to stop her from crying. It would mean more than that.
“It’s not what you think, Odessa. I had to, unlike you humans who have a strong level of freewill, for us we have to do what is right early or live with the consequences. Moreover, she is my mate.”
Luca affirmed as if trying to convince himself. As her eyes searched for answers, he was feeling that strange pull again towards her; his heart was burning with passion for her and his senses were raging mad. He couldn’t explain it to anyone that his wolf nature was always ignited whenever he was this close to this human because they would find it silly and conclude that he was just in love. Yes, he was in love with her, but his tongue has been locked in for years.
“Mate? Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
Odessa scoffed as she pushed her head back to drive back her tears. He was spurning all sort of passion inside of her and insides were on passion fire both out of anger and lust.
“I don’t know but I thought you would be here to support me as my friend!”
Luca thumped still trying to lay hold of his feral instincts. He never wanted to use them on her. Moreover, he never had to because it was always a natural strong pull between them.
“Friend? Nice, I’m happy for you my friend.”
Odessa scoffed as she walked briskly out on him. His legs made to run after her when he heard Vynessa’s voice. She had been watching.
“Luca!”
Her voice held him back even as he watched a piece of him disappear into the school hall way.
***
Odessa held on to the bathroom sink as her body attempted to control her pain. It was a strange feeling for her to fathom. Her head was spiraling with questions like; why am I so angry? Who does he think he is? Am I the fool now? But we kissed I thought it meant something? She couldn’t step out of the toilet even if she attempted to, she would be making a mess of herself because of how terrible her tears have made her face appear.
“Hello, Whitney. Please can you come meet me in the rest room?”
She requested as she dropped her cell phone.
“Hey, what happened?”
Whitney asked like a concerned guardian. She looked like an angel even as she came to Odessa’s aid. Her curly blonde hair fell over her pale shoulders. Her pale skin had grown with Whitney over the years and despite the taunts of everyone that she looked like a dead fellow, she never lost her shine. Odessa had helped her severally with the stupid ideas to tan her skin but like butter under heat, it always fell apart.
“Luca marked Vynessa!”
She found herself yelling repeatedly as she hit the ceramic washing basin. It was suffocating her to think about it again. Whitney’s face fell in sad wits although she heard the news already from her class; she thought probably Odessa would handle it better. She longed to see her best friend after hearing the news but the burdens of the lecturer in class made it difficult for her to leave. With Odessa’s call that was her cue that it was disaster o’clock. She wrapped her hands around Odessa’s fidgeting body.
“I’m sorry baby. He doesn’t deserve you!”
Whitney continued reiterating as she patted Odessa’s sobbing shoulders. She was too fragile for how hard the system was going to break her and a big name like Luca Tharros was definitely going to push her under the water for long.
“We kissed last summer and I thought it meant something to him but I guess not.”
Odessa expressed between sobs attempting to gain composure.
“Men are useless, I tell you that all the time. Ladies deserve better those species.”
Whitney said in her familiar sarcastic tone which sparked a bit of smile in Odessa’s countenance.
“I guess you are right.” Odessa scoffed raising herself from the toilet seat with Whitney’s hands arranging her scattered hair.
“You look terrible, I’m grateful I came with my make up bag.”
Whitney’s hand continued to fix Odessa’s hair into a perfect ponytail with her usual fringes. She had one of the most amazing body and face not only because of how she looked but also the way in which she carried herself all over Moonstone academy. The only friends she had was Whitney and Luca, mainly because she was reserved and careful with her feelings.
“Thank you, Whitney.”
“It’s alright, we could skip school today. Ursaria’s favorite artiste is visiting Moonstone!”
She squeaked.
“I wish I can. I’m not in the mood, Whitney.”
“Come on, don’t let a silly alpha heir change your mood like this.”
Whitney complained.
“One that I’m in love with!”
Odessa expressed even as her heart throbbed as if to say you are right!
“Let me guess, you are in love with my brother?”
A strange wispy voice spanned from the other toilet as she revealed herself. It was Zoe. She had the same powerful aura and scent of her brother. Her arrogance was topnotch and just like Vynessa, Zoe was a mini devil.
“That’s not your business, Zoe. She wasn’t speaking to you.”
Whitney’s shaky defense was employed instinctively, she knew the implication of not countering Zoe, and she possessed the power to ruin Odessa’s feelings and reputation in school.
“I wasn’t talking to you, cadaver! This is a conversation among the living.”
Zoe shunned Whitney almost immediately, shifting her gaze back to Odessa.
“Zoe please, don’t do anything stupid.”
Odessa begged with pleading eyes. She could literally feel the burning excitement in Zoe to taunt her with it and destroy her with her pain staking words. It meant nothing to her, for all it was worth; she hated Odessa since preschool ever since she won the ideal girl award, which made Odessa the most sought after girl in the whole academy. The rage grew even as they advanced in age, when she would top her class continually making herself a model for young Zoe, then Luca’s keenness to Odessa and his constant appraisal of her was killing her daily. She would have given anything to watch Odessa burn in hell and for the first time spotting a weak spot appeared to be something she was willing to take advantage of and drag her in the mud. It would mean the world to her.
“Stupid? I’m not the one who is crying like a lost puppy because my ‘friend’ found his mate.”
“Watch it, Zoe!”
Whitney hushed her. She was losing her cool and all she wanted was to pin the little brat on the concrete wall and dismantle her face for some seconds before letting her go.
“Again, I’m not talking to you cadaver!”
She yelled with a strange arrogance causing Whitney to bolt in her direction with all shades of fury. She wanted to tear her apart but Odessa stood in the middle as a body shield.
“Leave her alone let her come. I’ve developed my senses and my claws would love to dig into your face. I don’t even know what is wrong with all of you silly humans, just because Moonstone academy chose to merge us together, you seem to have forgotten your place as preys to the mighty.”
She scorned as she examined her claws as they slowly tore out from her fingers. It was her own means of showing the girls that she wasn’t bluffing.
“What do you want Zoe?”
Odessa asked in retreat. Her eyes were filled with tears again but this time they were washing down her flushed face.
“Nothing, puppy. I have you on record along with your embarrassing sobbing voice, everyone is just going to know that the almighty Odessa Atlas is so hell bent on snatching another lady’s mate and she is so shame less about it!”
Zoe flaunted with an evil smirk. Her stomach was back flipping out of excitement, she would crush Odessa. It gave her joy.
“You would do no such thing Zoe!”
The husky and drowning voice of Luca echoed in the bathroom. What was he doing there? How did he even get in?
“Give me the phone now!”
Luca ordered.