√SEVENTEEN.

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.**

Even before the break of dawn, I returned back to my hostel using an Uber. Draken had watched me leave without a word, which I found odd. By the time I got to my hostel, Karina was just coming out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, Eline," she greeted, smiling widely at me as she used her towel to dry her hair. "Hope you enjoyed spending time with your family?"

I gave her a quick nod as I tossed my bag onto my study desk. "It was great," I lied. The warmth of the lie made my stomach churn, but I had my reasons. "Are you getting ready for class?"

"Yes. You should also," she said. "We have class together this morning."

I went into the bathroom and took my bath. When I came out back, Karina was already dressed in a simple light pink gown that did well to accentuate her slim figure. I normally didn't wear a gown, especially short ones because of how hairy my legs could be on a normal day. However, on that day, because I had shaved while in the bathroom I decided to wear a short white gown. Karina even seemed impressed with my choice of dressing as she passed me a compliment.

We walked to school together, Karina chattering about the upcoming hockey game while I let her words drift over me. My thoughts were still tangled in the kiss I'd shared with Draken the night before. It felt surreal, almost dreamlike, like something that happened in someone else's life.

The lecture hall was buzzing with students by the time we arrived, but the lecturer hadn't yet shown up. We found seats at the back, and Karina struck up a conversation with a course mate of hers who also happened to be taking the same course.

I noticed the stares I got had reduced significantly; however, some people still looked at me weirdly and called me *'Snorter.'* I tried not to pay too much attention to it, and Karina's presence helped me a lot.

"Did you hear?" Karina asked once her course mate left.

"Hear what?"

"Apparently Draken has a twin," she said, her tone filled with doubt. "Judy — my course mate who just left, was just telling me about it. News channels have been talking nonstop about it since morning. Damn, who would have thought? I bet his twin is as hot as he is anyways."

I didn't know if I should act surprised by the news or not, but I decided to go for the former. "A twin?" I echoed, feigning ignorance. "How did that come out?"

Karina explained that a British royal family registrar had confirmed it. "Apparently, Draken's twin was kept out of the public eye. People are going nuts about it," she said with a grin. "My friend Judy says she's now got a 0.02% chance of marrying into the royal family."

The lecturer entered just as soon as Karina finished rambling. The class fell quiet and Karina and I placed our attention on the lecturer. However, even as the lecture began and I tried to focus on the subject my mind kept drifting back to Draken and the way his lips had felt against mine, and how everything felt so right between us. I also couldn't stop thinking about our conversation.

By the time the lecture was finished, Karina and I were famished. We didn't like the cafeteria food or any other food sold within the campus, so we decided to go to a cafe outside the school. The cafe we went to was our regular, called *Honey works cafe.*

We ordered our usual and settled into a corner table. Karina was now deep into theories about Draken's twin.

"I just know he'd be as hot as Draken," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Sure, maybe even hotter," I replied, trying to keep up the pretense. What she didn't know was that Draken's twin, Drake, was more withdrawn, kept to himself, and used a wheelchair despite being able to walk. It wasn't something I'd discuss with anyone, especially Karina.

"Do you think that now that his identity has been revealed we'd get to see his face? Do you think he looks just like Draken?"

"Since they're twins, I think they'd look alike," I said, knowing full well that they did. Drake was an exact copy of Draken, although Draken was more built and taller than Drake. I had gauged Drake's height when I saw him stand, and he seemed to be barely 6 feet tall. Also, their eye color was different; Drake's eyes were more like the duchess's.

Karina blushed. "What if I just happen to be his type? Do you think he'd be nicer than Draken is?"

Eh, no! However, I didn't tell her that. I didn't know how to even break it to her that anyone who knew Drake already knew the devil. "I think he'd be nice," I lied through my teeths. "But-"

"Eline," a voice yelled my name.

I looked back and saw an unfamiliar face. It was a guy—tall, with broad shoulders and shoulder-length brunette hair. He was wearing a Cortland varsity jacket, and he wasn’t alone; he was with three other guys, each of whom wore the same jacket. From the jacket, I could deduce that they were students of Cortland University, and I didn’t know anyone from there.

"You're Draken's hoe, right?" the brunette asked as he approached our table. I supposed he was the leader. He had a cocky smile that made my skin crawl.

"Who are you?" Karina asked, looking just as confused as I was.

The guy gave Karina a quick glance before ignoring her. He brought his gaze back to me as he sat at the table, while the other guys—whom I presumed were his lackeys—took seats around the table next to ours. "You're Draken's hoe, right? Tell me, how much did he pay you for a night?"

I blinked once, then twice, feeling disrespected by an absolute stranger. I felt my blood boil. "I think you have the wrong person," I said, my voice cold.

He just laughed. "Nope, you're Eline Kadesh from NYU. AKA Miss *Snorter.* Not much to look at, are you?"

"You can't talk to my friend like that," Karina snapped, her anger rising. "Who do you think you are?"

Raphael ignored her, turning to his friends. "Look at this, boys. She thinks we're nobodies."

His friends laughed, their voices grating against my ears. The café was buzzing with whispers, everyone watching the drama unfold.

"I'm Raphael Huffman from Cortland university. Captain of the varsity hockey team," He said and his name clicked.

I had heard about him. Raphael…he was the same guy Hannah and Betty had spoken about. He was Betty's ex, the one she spoke ill of and called a douchebag. Moreover, he was also a shifter—a werewolf. What business did he have with me?

Karina also seemed to know him as his face clicked in recognition. "You're the violent player who was subbed off last year's Hockey game against NYU."

"Oh, you remember me? Impressive," he said. "The On-ice officials couldn't overlook a simple foul play. This weekend, things will be different. We hope the match turns out to be a bloodbath. Just the thought of bashing my hockey stick through Draken's head is enough to make me live another day."

"What do you want?" I questioned, frustrated by his words. I was on the edge.

"Did talking about your *prince charming* get you all riled up?" He teased, laughing with his team. "Hm, what do I want though? First let me tell you something about me, I always get what I want no matter how dirty my hands have to get. Now, back to the question, what exactly do I want from Eline Kadesh? It's simple. I want to sleep with you, Eline."

I clenched my fists, trying to keep calm. "You do know this could be considered sexual assault, right?" I said, my voice steady. "That could land you in serious trouble."

Raphael stood up, so did his lackeys. He towered over us. He laughed, his eyes gleaming with arrogance. "I'm the law, Eline. I can bend it however I want. Prep yourself, I'll be back for you." He left with his friends, their laughter echoing through the café.

Karina and I watched them leave and I was fuming as I remained seated. I couldn't stop wondering why Raphael suddenly had his eyes on me, even worse, he wanted to get into my panties.

"You sure you didn't know him before?" Karina asked once they were nowhere to be seen.

I shook my head, taking my gaze back to her. "Like hell I'd know someone like that."

"But what do we do? He seemed pretty serious with his threat. I don't think he was bluffing when he said he wanted to get into your *panties*," She said

From what I had heard about Raphael, I knew well enough that he wasn't bluffing. I made up my mind to tell the group about it whenever we met again.

The waiter brought our order not quite long and they apologized for the delay. I knew our order had been ready since, but since Raphael and his guys were at our table, they didn't bring it over because they didn't want to get involved.

As I ate, I couldn't stop thinking about Raphael's threat. I knew he wasn't bluffing, and that was what scared me. After all, when push came to shove, I knew Raphael could overpower me, and the worst could happen. The thought alone was enough to make me send a message to Topper.