Page 29 of Missing

"Morning, boys," Jessica purred as she sauntered over to our table like a fucking snake. Yasmin and Olivia followed close behind her, all three of them sliding into the seats next to Dante, Griffin, and me. Their eyes gleamed with mischief, and I could practically feel the malice radiating from their shitty grins.

Fuck off, I fumed internally, keeping my expression neutral – barely. I sneaked another glance at Harper, wondering if she was also feeling this overwhelming urge to shove them out of the room. Her eyes met mine for a moment, and I saw disgust in them before she quickly looked away.

"Orlando," Yasmin cooed, settling herself right next to me. "I had so much fun the other night." Her hand brushed against my arm, sending a shiver of revulsion through me. I clenched my jaw, trying not to let her see how much she was getting under my skin. "Let's do it again tonight."

Are you fucking kidding me? My thoughts screamed. I wanted nothing more than to crush her pathetic attempt at seduction and make her regret ever laying a finger on me. But instead, I managed to force a tight-lipped smile and said, "Maybe some other time." It took everything in me not to tell her to go fuck herself.

"Fine," Yasmin huffed, finally removing her vile touch from my arm. I resisted the urge to wipe away the lingering sensation of her fingers on my skin. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I desperately wished for them to just leave us the hell alone.

Just as I began to think that things couldn't get any worse, Jessica leaned in close to Dante, her perfume suffocating and her voice dripping with honeyed poison. "Hey, Dante," she purred, her eyes flicking over to my direction for a split second before focusing back on him. "You have such a big... talent for keeping me entertained. I'd love another go sometime." Her insinuation was crystal clear, and I could feel the anger boiling beneath my skin.

Dante shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding eye contact with the she-devil herself.

"Son of a bitch," I heard Harper mutter under her breath, and I quickly glanced over to see what had caught her attention. Olivia was leaning in to whisper something in Griffin's ear, her lips brushing against his skin like a snake slithering through the grass. He nodded solemnly, his expression unreadable, but I could tell that whatever she had said wasn't sitting well with him.

I clenched my fists under the table as I watched Harper's eyes brim with tears. She stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Fuck this," she spat, before running out of the dining hall.

Dante whined beside me, the sound eerily similar to that of a wounded dog. It was clear he felt just as helpless as I did in this situation. As if on cue, Griffin turned his icy glare onto Jessica.

"I told you yesterday to never talk to me again, and now I'm gonna say it again: stay the fuck away from me and the others. You're a low-level power, and not worth our time."

Tears streamed down Jessica's face as she stared at us, her lower lip trembling. She looked pathetic, but I couldn't feel anything but disgust for her. Yasmin reached out to grab my arm, desperation in her eyes, but I jerked away, my voice cold and hard.

"You heard Griffin. We're done. We won't be calling you or using you again because that's what we did, used you, and you asked for it."

Jessica's sobs grew louder, more heart-wrenching. But she didn't back down. "I don't care," she choked out, her voice hoarse. "I want you guys. All of you."

"Fuck off!" Dante snapped, his anger bubbling over. He stood up from the table, his eyes blazing with rage. "Never touch us again!"

The tension in the air thickened, like a suffocating fog, as Dante's body began to tremble violently. With each passing second, his control slipped further away, until he could no longer contain the beast within him. His clothes ripped apart at the seams, his body morphing into a snarling, growling wolf right there in the dining hall.

"Shit," escaped my lips as I watched in horror as Dante's eyes turned from their usual warm amber to a fiery red. Fear gripped me as people around us gasped and backed away, the atmosphere thick with tension and panic. Griffin, ever the level-headed one, tried to soothe our friend with calming words, but it was no use. The wolf within Dante had taken over completely, his gaze locked on Jessica with an intense hunger.

"Easy, Dante," I pleaded, trying desperately to reach him with my voice and touch. But he paid no attention to us, his instincts driving him towards his prey.

With a burst of strength, Dante broke free from Griffin's grasp and bolted out of the hall, causing chaos in his wake. Without hesitation, Griffin and I raced after him, knowing the danger he posed not only to others but to himself as well.

"Fuck," I cursed between gasps for air as we sprinted down the corridor, the sound of Dante's snarls growing louder with each passing second. "We have to catch him before it's too late."

Griffin nodded grimly beside me, his focus on reaching Dante's room before it was too late. We could only hope that we would be able to subdue our friend before any more harm could be done.

Chapter 26

Harper Hillstrom

Icouldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My heart raced as I bolted from the dining hall, my legs carrying me faster than I thought possible. The laughter and mocking voices of those three girls echoed in my ears, their words like poison seeping into my veins. They had claimed the boys – Griffin, Orlando, and Dante – with such casual cruelty, declaring that they had sex with them regularly right in front of me.

"Damn them," I muttered under my breath as I reached my room, slamming the door shut behind me. Leaning against it, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. Why did I even care? I'd barely known these boys for two days, and yet somehow, their intimate relations with those insufferable girls felt like a slap to my face.

Get a grip, Harper, You don't even know them, let alone love them. So why does this hurt so much?

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't jealousy – or at least, I didn't think it was. I knew next to nothing about Griffin, Orlando, and Dante, but for some reason, the thought of them being with those girls made my stomach churn. With a choked sob, I threw myself onto the bedroom floor and curled into a tight ball. My whole body shook as tears streamed down my cheeks, soaking the carpet beneath me. I felt like a pathetic mess, but the pain in my chest was so overwhelming that it didn't matter. I pressed my face against the floor, trying to ground myself, but it did little to keep the tears at bay.

"Harper?" A soft knock came from the door, followed by Melody's concerned voice. "Can I come in?"

I hesitated for a moment, pride warring with the need for comfort. But in the end, my heart won out. "Yeah," I croaked, crawling over to open the door before returning to my spot on the floor.

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