Page 36 of Hexmate

With a thankful grunt, I grabbed the bag in my mouth and lolloped back into the trees. I shifted back into my human form, grateful for Silver’s forward thinking. As I pulled on pants and a shirt, I kept my eyes on Caden, watching for any signs of discomfort or regret. But he just gave me a small, secret smile as Wild fussed over him.

“We need to get you to the infirmary,” Wild was saying, wrapping his own cloak around Caden’s shoulders. “You must be half-frozen.”

“I’m fine, really,” Caden protested, but his teeth were chattering.

I stepped forward, unable to stop myself from placing a hand on the small of Caden’s back. “He’s right. We should get you checked out, just in case.”

Caden leaned into my touch ever so slightly, and I felt a surge of possessiveness. Mine, every instinct in me growled. My mate.

As we made our way back to the academy, Silver fell into step beside me. “So,” he said in a low voice. “Anything interesting happen out there in the blizzard?”

I shot him a warning look but couldn’t quite keep the smile from spreading over my lips. Silver gave me a knowing glance, but didn’t say anything.

“I know at least one interesting thing happened,” Wild said, throwing a dirty look at me. “Rowan came back here last night with his goons. His face looked like ground beef.” He turned back, pointing a finger in my face. “You shouldn’t have donethat. The little dickhead deserved it, but I doubt his family is going to let something like that slide.”

My bravado quickly faded. Reality was sinking in fast. “Are they waiting to expel me?”

“No,” Wild replied, looking just as confused as I was. Surely disfiguring another student was cause enough for expulsion. “For some reason, he’s telling people he was attacked by a mountain lion. And all his friends are backing him up.”

I exchanged a quick glance with Caden, who looked just as bewildered as I felt. Why would Rowan lie about what happened? It didn’t make sense.

“That’s... strange,” I said carefully, trying to keep my voice neutral. “But I guess we should be grateful he’s not pressing charges.”

Wild nodded, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Yeah, well, don’t think this means you’re off the hook. Rowan’s family has a lot of influence. They’ll find a way to make you pay, even if it’s not through official channels. Witches of that caliber don’t care about getting their hands dirty.”

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety forming in my stomach. He was right, of course. The Hargrove’s weren’t known for their forgiveness. But I couldn’t bring myself to regret what I’d done. Not when I looked at Caden, saw the bruises still fading on his pale skin.

As we approached the infirmary, Caden stumbled slightly. Without thinking, I reached out to steady him, my hand lingering on his arm longer than strictly necessary. Wild’s eyes darted between us, his brow furrowing.

“Atlas, I think you should wait outside,” Wild said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Caden needs to be checked over, and I’m sure the staff will have questions about what happened. And they don’t need you glaring them down while they work.”

I bristled at being dismissed, but Caden gave me a small nod. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’ll be fine.”

Reluctantly, I let go of his arm. “I’ll be right here if you need me,” I promised.

As Wild led Caden into the infirmary, Silver hung back with me. We watched the doors swing shut before he spoke.

“So, you and Caden, huh?” he said, a knowing smirk on his face.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Is it that obvious?”

Silver chuckled. “Only to someone who knows what to look for. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” His expression grew serious. “But Atlas, you need to be careful. If Rowan finds out...”

“He already knows,” I cut him off. “That’s why I attacked him.”

Silver furrowed his brow. “What really happened out there?”

Anger flared in my chest as I recalled the previous night’s events. “Rowan’s been picking on Caden for years. Yesterday he slipped a fake note into his book, tricking him out onto the mountain in the middle of the night. He cast a glamor on himself to look like me to draw Caden in.” I looked up at Silver, a low growl echoing through my chest. “They were going to… they tried to…”

Realization flashed over his face. “Oh my god… they didn’t, did they?”

“No,” I said, forcing myself to blow out a long shaky breath. “They beat him up and tore his clothes, but I got there before they did any real damage.”

“Holy fuck… that’s… I don’t even know what to call it.”

“Revolting,” I said for him. “Disgusting. Diabolical. Take your pick.” I shook my head, leaning back against the wall. “That’s why I attacked him. I knew exactly what I was doingwhen I shifted into my Alpha form and slashed him. I wanted him to bleed, to live with pain after what he tried to do to my mate.”

“Mate?!” Silver gasped, his white hair flying as he whipped his head around. “Are you sure?”

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