Page 120 of The Hunger
“I am. They’re happier than they’ve been in a long time. But they’re still the same. Watch.”
“Hey, River. Is the Oracle still giving you trouble?”
All the humor left the pool area, and every water-dwelling creature looked at Fenris like he was personally responsible for the Oracle.
“Tread carefully, Fenris,” River warned. “She eats our family, young and old, and has for centuries, thanks to the Council’s complacency. I hope that changes when you’re Alpha and have the Council’s ear.”
“With Megan pushing the Council to make the change, too, I think it will.”
For a moment, all the anger melted away from River’s tense expression, and I thought I saw a tear before she nodded and dove under.
“See?” he said softly. “She’s still the same person. Only now the anger and blame are directed where they’re due.”
“I’d feel better if I could undo it.”
“But would they?”
I considered the question as we walked to the first-session’s classroom. Lucas looked up from his papers.
“Adira thanks you for the dinner invitation but says it’s unnecessary. She knows you’re fine with small group feedings. However, she would like to see you practice on a larger scale.”
“What does that translate to for today’s seating assignment?” I asked bluntly.
His lips twitched. “Sit wherever you’d like, Eliana.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Aubrey was a female dog all day. She growled at me when she walked into the first session room and saw me sitting beside Fenris. Then she demanded to know why he smelled like the pool and had the nerve to inhale in my direction.
She left early from Lucas’s class and took the seat I usually used for the second session. I could almost hear her teeth gnashing together when Fenris steered us toward two open seats elsewhere. Her anger climbed as Eugene explained algebra to Yanet while Fenris and I quietly talked about my favorite cake flavors. The topic provoked my hunger, and I accidentally fed on Fenris. Just a little. However, Aubrey noticed. With a rage-filled cry, she flipped a desk across the room before storming out.
“Real stable, that one,” Yanet mumbled.
“I’m just glad it wasn’t me she flipped,” Eugene said, going to pick up the pieces of the desk.
“Report the incident to Adira,” I told him. “It’s not safe for Aubrey to be in here with you.”
Fenris’s phone started to ring a moment later. He sighed and answered it. Even though he didn’t put the call on speaker, his dad was loud enough to hear.
“I thought I told you to stay away from Eliana.”
“So now you don’t want me to chase down my mate?”
“She’s not your mate, Fenris. She’s a succubus messing with your head. I let you attend school so you can socialize. If you can’t do that, get your tail home now.”
“I am socializing. Or did Aubrey conveniently forget to mention the other students in the room she almost injured when she threw her desk?”
Raiden swore softly.
“Yeah, she’ll be a real trophy wife for some unfortunate soul.”
“You agreed to toe the line, Fenris.”
Fenris cocked his head, and I could feel the absolute anger rolling off of him.
“I have been toeing the line. And, if you want me to get up and walk out of Girderon’s doors now, I will. But complete separation from Eliana isn’t going to change anything other than the relationship I have with my father.”
Raiden’s agitated sigh echoed through the phone.
