Page 1 of Mine to Claim

Chapter 1

Lila

My best friend yanked out her Louis Vuitton suitcase—worth more than my life—slamming it down with a bang that made the walls tremble. With her petite build, you never would have guessed she not only played volleyball, but dominated it. She could jump higher than a kangaroo and was known as the spike queen. One hit from her and she’d score. Not only was she the prettiest woman on campus with her short brown pixie cut and bubbly personality, but she was good enough to go pro. Not that she’d ever pursue it. Whenever I brought it up, she shrugged it off and claimed her life was “written in the stars”.

Whatever that meant.

“I have a date with Elijah tonight, Lila! I’ll pack now and I’ll be good to leave right after,” she half-said, half-murmured to herself. Elijah was her latest conquest. He was nothing more than a side piece, and from what I last recalled, supposed to be old news. Sleeping around was never something I could do. I’d been with my boyfriend for a year and still hadn’t slept with him. Sometimes I wish I was more like Dani in that regard. While she had plans of fitting dick and packing in one day, all I really cared about was figuring out how morally grey the main character was inWeeping for the Wendigo: A Dark Monster Romancebefore my date with Parker.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that no one can beat common sense into you, but you. So I’m not even going to bother. I don’t know why you’re going to see him. Didn’t you already drop him?” I asked, placing my bookmark gently between the pages to save my spot. She gasped, dropping the pile of clothes she’d gathered, and spun around to face me. She was already pretending to clutch her pearls.

“Hey, I’m here for a good time, not a long one.” She grinned. I threw my hands up in submission. “Besides… Elijah’s great. The sex is good too, but he’s missing a kn—something I desperately need. And who am I to deny him one last ride?” She shrugged as she sifted through the tower of clothes on her bed.

She’d been my assigned roommate freshman year. Not only is she the sweetest person I know, but she’s got a feisty temper to match. Piss her off and you’ll see a side of her many didn’t get to. It would give anyone nightmares. What further cemented our friendship was the day we had to rush out for practice. If not for my full-ride scholarship to play volleyball, I never could have afforded to attend UW. Three years later, we were practically attached at the hip. She liked to call it fate, while I called it luck.

She flitted back and forth from her closet to her bed, throwing articles of clothing into her suitcase and some onto the never-ending pile. Even though she comes from money, she’s never made me feel like anything less because of what I lacked. Money, a family, literally everything I could possibly need. I could spend the rest of my life working without a single break, and I’d never be able to make the value of her wardrobe alone. It’s hard to find someone who can accept you for who you are and not base your value off what you can or can’t bring to the table. And Dani? She couldn’t give two shits that I only had a few bucks to my name. She’s my soulmate. In a platonic, best friend way. That or I’m just used to really shitty people.

“I really wish I could take you home with me,” she huffed as she shoved socks and intimates in wherever they fit.

We were done with classes and now had two weeks off for spring break. Most students left campus to go home, Dani included. I liked to stay because my scholarship covered my dorm and meals. It was hard passing up free food. On top of that, I didn’t have anywhere to go. No family that claimed me and no home to call my own. Okay, that was a lie. I still had my aunt, but I’d rather die than visit her and whoever was slumming it at her place. I’d like to avoid whatever new creepy “uncle” she’d introduce me to.

The last time I talked about going with Dani to finally meet her family, my boyfriend, Parker, got really upset. He told me I couldn’t go. I wanted to avoid a fight, so I gave in. He lived nearby and wanted me close. And it was no secret that Dani and Parker didn’t get along. Thankfully, they only ran into each other when he came by. He’d been distant recently, and I’d decided to give him my full focus for the break. I was hoping a little bit of alone time would give us time to patch things up. I’d also been thinking I might be ready to have sex with him. I hadn’t talked to Dani about this because she hates him. I was hoping we could work through our problems and grow closer before Dani came back.It’s almost like a sixth sense, the way she’s able to tell when something’s wrong with me.

“I know, but I’m sure you already have plans when you get back. You won’t even miss me,” I teased in a way to comfort her. She sighed and gave me the “I know what you’re up to look.”

“Why yes, I do. There’s someone I’m supposed to meet up with. We linked up over Christmas break after I swiped right on Myth— I mean Tinder. Nothing’s happened between us. I try to avoid seeing anyone seriously back home, but he messaged me last night, and I’m going to explore that. He’s giving big dick energy, if you know what I mean?”

“That’s… wow. How about we be serious for a second? Is he hubby material?” If Dani was thinking of seeing someone, this was a big deal.

“I wouldn’t say that, but he’s someone I’d like to get to know.”

“More stars talk?” I teased.

“Mm… yeah. That. I mean, can you blame him?” She waved at her body, and although she came off as cocky, I knew better. It was just one of many attempts to avoid talking about her family’s weird belief system. But I wouldn’t press.I’m not that friend.If she wanted to talk about it, she’d come to me.

“I seriously cannot with you,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s good to be confident. And you? Everyone knows you’re hot.” Sighing, I slumped back against the chaise she had in front of our shared window.

“Look. All I’m saying is if he has what I’m looking for, I’ll give him a chance. Maybe I’ll have a spring break fling and fall madly in love. You never know. He could be my soul mate for two weeks and I’ll come back refreshed and ready to take on my last semester.” She lifted a strapless black dress that had chunks of material missing and held it against her body.

“That looks like a piece of floss, but I’m not going to let that distract me. What have I told you? There’s no such thing as soul mates. You find someone and you choose to make it work. This thing called fate is nothing more than a myth. There is no man out there that will love you no matter what. You need to be realistic and find someone who is willing to put in the work for you. And you have to be committed to doing the same.” It was one of the few topics we disagreed on and the words lodged in my chest like splinters. I didn’t know if it was due to a sense of protectiveness I felt for her or something deeper. It could be one of my many flaws.

“Let’s not get into that. Would you help me figure out what to wear?” she whined as she threw the floss aside. Hopping off the chaise, I walked to the massive wardrobe every student got for their clothes.

“Wait. Aren’t you seeing what’s-his-face today?” she threw over her shoulder as she dug so deep into her clothes, the only visible part of her was waist down. I cackled as I attempted to clear some off of her.

“You know his name, and yes, I am, but don’t worry.” I already knew where she was going with this.

“You don’t even need to ask. I got your back, babe. Try this one,” she offered a dress after yanking herself from the void of no return. I didn’t miss the part where she completely ignored the bit about Parker.

“Mm-hmm. Not to be ungrateful, but uh, that looks like a wolf went through it and tore it up with their teeth. Where’s the rest of it? Where would I even wear this?” She flicked her hair and threw it on top of the rest.

“You’re right. That sounds ungrateful.” Just when I thought she’d agree with me. I should have known better.

“I love you, but I need my body to be covered.”

“And I’ve told you multiple times. What’s mine is yours. And the wolf shredded clothing? This is Moonlight. She’s famous back home. It’ll cling to your body and your drool-worthy curves like a hug. See if there’s anything that catches your eye.”

Ugh. Why is being a woman so hard?

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