Chapter 39

“I don’t know, Bell. I’ve got to admit, I was starting to root for Creed. I liked the guy, but maybe he tricked us all.” Ezra said as he looked around at all of us.

“I can’t believe this. I fell for it. I fell for him.” I stood up and started pacing.

“Slow down. We don’t know anything for sure yet.” Ryker put his hand on my back to try to calm me down.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m still pissed either way. If he received my magic, he could be planning to use it against us. If he told the truth in his note, well then, he still left without telling me goodbye. Either way, I hate him right now, and I need to go for a run.”

“I think that’s a great idea. I’ll come with you,” Ryker said as he looked at Ezra and Drake.

“Us to,” Drake smacked Ezra on the back.

“See, that is why love is a bad idea. There are too many problems. I think you should just stay away from all your mates.” Ryker smirked as we walked out the door.

Ezra laughed and nodded his agreement.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing. From what I hear, the only time you are away from Jacie is when one of you is in class. Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” I gave Ezra a curious look.

“Is Jacie you’re mate?”

He turned his head and looked down for a minute as we continued walking.

“Come on, we don’t keep secrets from each other.”

Ezra chuckled and shook his head, “no she’s not my fated mate, but I do really like her, and I’m thinking about taking her as my chosen mate.”

“What? Ezra your young. If you do that, what are you going to do when you meet your fated mate?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “rejected her, I guess. At least I won’t need to go through the rejection three times.” He smirked, and I slapped his arm.

“Why do I feel like that’s not what you want? Is Jacie pushing you to mark her?”

“No, I only want Jacie,” he said sternly.

That’s weird. I looked at Ryker and Drake. Ezra might like playing the field now, but we all know he has always wanted to find his true mate, just like the rest of us.

I decided not to push him too much. He sounded like he was getting irritated, so I dropped it. We were close to the pond anyway.

The four of us separated and went behind trees to strip and shift. Things become clearer to me when I’m in wolf form. As my body changed, I tried to relax my mind and give my wolf full control.

She took off through the forest and started zipping around trees and jumped over a couple of fallen logs. While she ran, I felt safe to get lost in my own head. I just need a minute to process everything.

Every part of me wants to believe Creed. More than anything, I want to believe that he is just trying to protect me, but I need to look at every possibility. I can’t be wrong about this. My magic is powerful. If it gets in the wrong hands, we’re all in trouble.

I do feel a little different this morning, but I have so many emotions running through me, it’s hard to tell what feels different.

My wolf laid down next to the pond, and I stared at her reflection. She’s beautiful and unique in her own way. All wolves with magic look identical. We’re light gray, and we have a tiny white patch that looks like a small lightning bolt on our forehead. When we shift as a pack, it’s hard to tell us apart.

Drake, Josiah and I have played tricks on a lot of people, by pretending to be each other. I smiled at the memory. I miss my family.

Now that my wolf is calm, I decided to shift back and release some of my magic before I go to clean up for class. I’m not in the mood to even go today, but I need to get through this week and finals before we can go home.

After I got dressed, I released some of my magic into the pond, hoping that it would relieve some of my tension.

It didn’t take the boys long to finish their run. I saw them coming out of the woods just as I was finishing releasing some wind. I loved making small tornadoes dance around the ground.

“Are you ready to head back? We have class in an hour,” Ryker asked.

“Yah I’m good. I need to get around for class to.” I pouted.

“Are you sure you’re going to be OK?”

“Yes Ryker. I’m heartbroken, and a little confused. I want to go home, but this won’t break me. I won’t let it. I’ll figure everything out one way or another.”

He gave me a quick hug before we started walking back to our dorms.

“Link me if you need anything. If he starts any trouble, we’ll handle it. Dragon or not, we won’t let him get away with hurting you.”

I smirked, “thank you Ryker. If I haven’t told you yet, I’m really glad you guys followed me to college. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

As I got my shower and got around for class, I kept wondering if I should tell Dawson that I had bonded with Creed. As weird as our situation is, I feel like I can tell Dawson anything, and he would understand. He also pays attention to everything. I really need his insight and opinion on everything.

Rowan, on the other hand, I’m willing to leave in the dark until I figure out what is going on with him.

I picked my phone up and sent Dawson a text. “Hey, if your free this afternoon, I would love to see you.”

I smiled as his response came within seconds. “Hey sunshine, I'd loved to see you to. I’m free after 4."

“OK, meet me at my room when you’re free. I’m headed to class now.”

“See you soon.”

I smirked at his smiley face emoji, before putting my phone away and heading out the door.

When I got to my classroom, I took my usual seat next to Reese. We’re both normal early, and we usually chat before class. I just don’t have anything left in me today. I’m not in the mood for anything.

I took my laptop out and got everything set up, but I didn’t say anything.

Reese took a sip of his coffee and stared at me for a minute.

“He did it, didn’t he?”

I looked at him confused, “who did what?”

“I told you he was a player. You girls never listen.” Reese shook his head.

“You should have ditched him and gave me a chance right from the start.”

“I can’t do this right now. How did you know something was wrong?”

“You have heartbreak written all over your face.”

“I do not.” I shook my head.

“And you’re not denying it. Come on tell me what happened.”

I gave in and just told Reese about Creed leaving while I was still asleep.

He just nodded but didn’t really say anything for a minute. He looked like he was considering if he should ask me more or drop it.

“Bella, I have one more question for you. What exactly are you? I’m not trying to pry, but I saw you and Jacie surrounded by a bunch of guys. I wanted to make sure you girls were OK, so I watched you. I’ve always thought you were a wolf, but you had fire coming out of your hands.”

I stared at him for a minute before I just closed my eyes and shook my head. My day just keeps getting better. I wonder how many other people saw me.