Page 10 of The Howl
No. She likes her house the way it is.
Checking my mirror, I backed out of the garage while ignoring my once again black eyes. I didn’t make it far before I knew I had to pull over to remove my shoes. Wriggling my toes and using my blinker, I shook my head at what my mom’s reaction would be if she ever found out I couldn’t drive in heels. Hooker heels were a succubus’s standard accessory. They made a person’s backside look amazing. And, that was exactly why I avoided wearing them.
I pulled through the Girderon Academy gates ten minutes ahead of my usual time and found the parking lot still fairly empty. Relieved, I hurried to park then opened my door so I had more room to put my heels back on.
The glossy red toe stood out starkly against the snow. Adira was insane for making me go to school in these. My feet would freeze just getting into the building because no one had shoveled the parking lot yet.
“Those are new.”
The nearby, abrupt words made me jump.
“Sweet baby Jesus in a strawless manger, Fenris, you scared me,” I said, scowling up at him. “You need a bell.”
He wore his usual crooked smile that made all the girls go crazy. When he added a chuckle to it, my stomach dipped and heat flooded my middle. I knew he was in danger before my vision even sharpened.
I looked away quickly and shoved the strap of my heel through the clasp before standing.
“I better get inside.” I moved to step past him, but he shadowed me. Despite the heels, he was still a good four inches taller than me, bringing my nose to his throat.
Another car pulled into the parking lot, and Fenris’s name was called by three different she-wolves. Having grown up together in his pack, they knew him well and were always clinging to him, each hoping to be the one whose scent he caught when he succumbed to his mate run. Megan referred to them as his her-herd. I knew she thought their devotion to him was pathetic, but I pitied them. And him. They were all slaves to their instincts.
He waved at them but didn’t move away from me. Gaze locked on his shirt, I waited.
His scent, always so flooded with lust, changed subtly. He had to be getting close to his mate run. The way he smelled now was positively mouthwatering.
I started mouth breathing in an attempt to calm down, but I knew it was already too late for that.
“Seriously, Fenris, I need to go.”
“I know. You always seem to be rushing somewhere, which is why I came over here. I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night. I didn’t like smelling all that blood.”
I almost snorted. He made it sound like I’d been bleeding out.
“I had a few scratches. It probably smelled like more to you than it was. Sensitive nose and all. Can I go now?”
In the silence that followed, I was tempted to peek up at him to see why he wasn’t answering. But if I did that, he’d see my eyes and know what was happening to me. And I really didn’t want him to know. It would be beyond embarrassing for the most alpha wolf in this school to think I was hungry for him. Heck, it would be embarrassing for any of the students to think I was hungry for them.
“Fenris?” I asked, growing a little panicked and desperate.
I heard him breathe in deeply and wanted to cringe. Great, now he probably knew he was making me nervous, too. Stupid werewolf nose.
“I really wanted to talk to Lucas before class,” I added.
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll see you at lunch.”
He stepped aside, and I made a beeline for the door, not even slipping once. While I knew I had insane skills when it came to heels, I didn’t want other people to know. So, I slowed to a power walk once I was inside and headed to Human Studies.
Lucas Flavian, the teacher, looked up from his papers.
“Good morning, Eliana. You’re early today.”
“Yep.” I settled into my desk with a sigh.
“Anything wrong?”
“I’m just absorbing the peace until chaos descends,” I said.
He smiled and nodded.
