Chapter 68

KATHERINE.

“Girl, are you sure you don’t want to switch schools with me? Irving’s pretty cool,” Helena stated, waggling her eyebrows, and I snorted before pushing her face away from mine. “Oh, come on. This place is ‘insane’ and there are hot dudes everywhere.” As she said the last part, Zac and some of his friends walked by and he winked at her while she stared at him.

“Fuck off, dude,” I said and he shot me a look before rolling his eyes.

“You know him?” Helena asked.

“Yeah.”

“Does he have a mate?”

The day I met him at Renfield, Josie had mentioned an Annabel, so, “Yeah.”

“He’s hot.”

I shook my head sideways at her while the corner of my mouth turned up. “Yeah,” I replied and she heaved a sigh before glancing around wistfully while I wrapped my arms around her. I also wished she and Helena could attend Blackwood.

“You know you can transfer here if you do really well in your first year in Irving,” Tiffany said. “And you won’t have to pay tuition, but you’d be part of the aided learning programme.”

Helena perked up while I raised my brows at Helena. “Really?” we asked in unison and she nodded before Helena hmmed, tilting her head to the side.

“They only pick like fifty people though,” Tiffany added and Helena’s shoulders slumped once more, making a surprised, but amused, noise escape me.

“Don’t you believe in yourself?” I asked and she shrugged in response.

Today was the second day of the anniversary so the school fair was taking place while I was giving Helena and Tiffany, who arrived an hour ago, a tour of Blackwood, but since Kit had already seen everywhere, he was growing impatient because he wanted to go to the soccer field. Aunt Vivian was still in the place the school had provided for guests and Uncle Lander wasn’t here either – he’d only come here to check on me and so we could talk about alliances and how my mate search was going, and since we already did those yesterday, he wouldn’t be coming back to Blackwood for a while.

Also, there was thankfully still no email from the school regarding yesterday's incident and when Poppy and I ran into each other in our faculty today, she didn't attack me like I expected her to. She just scowled and called me a bitch before shouldering past me.

“Is that the recreation center?” Helena asked, pointing at the building that had more floor-to-ceiling windows than walls and I nodded before her eyes lit up. “Ooh, let’s go to the pool.”

“No!” Kit yelled. “Soccer first!”

“Sheesh,” Helena muttered while Tiffany and I let out a laugh. “Okay. Soccer field first.”

Then without waiting for us to say anything else, he began to quickly head in the direction of the field and we followed him, getting to our destination about a minute later. The soccer field was a sea of green, stretching out before us and it was surrounded by a stand with rows of benches where some students and guests were sitting while kids kicked a ball around the field.

“I’m gonna go play! Bye!” He didn’t wait for a response before taking off towards the kids that were playing.

“I’d put red bull out of business if I could bottle his energy,” Tiffany muttered while I called out, “Be careful!”

“So what were you saying about your roommate?” Helena asked when I faced them and I heaved a sigh as last night came to mind again. I didn’t speak to Lenore after I stepped back out of my dressing room and I hadn’t spoken to her this morning when she walked into our room just as my friends, Kit and I were leaving it. She wasn’t speaking to me either so that was that I guess.

I was aware that if I carried on like this, I would ‘never’ be able to do what my uncle wanted me to – talk to her about an alliance between our packs – but I was still so pissed at her. Yes, I also knew it was stupid of me to be pissed at her when in her own perspective, she had done nothing wrong.

“...She’s getting married to Theo.” They already knew that because I’d told them the day I found out. What they wanted to know was why I’d been so irritated when they asked about her and why I’d given her the cold shoulder when she showed up, but I didn’t want to tell.

“But you said he’s not your mate.” Helena drew her brows together and I set my mouth in a hard line.

“But what if he is?” I’d also told them that he’d definitely reject me if he ended up being my mate.

“You said you guys have nothing in common.”

“Still. Elias and Tiffany have nothing in common and they’re mates,” I replied, gesturing at Tiffany who raised her hands up when Helena glanced at her.

“I don’t know what to say here,” Tiffany said.

“So you’re not going to talk to her anymore?” Helena asked and I pressed my lips together. “You know that’s rather childish, right?” I still didn’t say anything. “So bye-bye alliance?”

‘Fuck.’

A hand tapped my leg, making me look down, and I frowned when I saw Kit staring at me with a sad expression on his face.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked and he pointed at the kids kicking a ball around.

“They won’t let me play with them.”

I drew my brows together. “Why?”

“They asked which pack I was from and when I told them, they told me no.”

That drew a scowl from me and I glanced back at the kids while Tiffany said, “Fuckass kids.”

“Language. We have impressionable kids here,” a familiar voice said in an amused tone and I looked up to see Blake walking towards us while one, or both, of my friends gasped behind me.

“Blake.”

“Hey, Katya.” He flashed me a smile that elicited my own before focusing his attention on Kit who was now smiling at him too. “Hey, Chris. Ready to play?”

Kit’s smile slipped a bit at that and I let out a harsh breath before saying, “They won’t let him play.”

Blake lifted his gaze to mine and I gestured at the kids playing before he frowned and returned his gaze to Kit. “Won’t you rather play with me instead?”

“Really?!”

Blake gestured for him to follow him and Kit yelled “Bye!” before running after him and watching them warmed my heart. Then one of my friends grabbed my hand, making me turn to see the surprised expression on their face.

“That’s Blake?!” they whisper-yelled and I couldn’t help but laugh before nodding and they stared in the direction he and Kit went in for a couple of seconds with their lips slightly parted.

“Wow…” Helena faced me again and began to bat her lashes as she said, “You know they say sharing is caring?”

I raised a brow. “You want me to share him with you if he’s my mate?”

“Oh my, you’re offering?” she asked, mock surprise written all over her face, and I tsked, flicking her forehead before heading over to the stand. “Is that a yes or no?!"