Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty One
Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty One
Andre's POV
Olenna’s eyes flutter, her hands tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck. For a moment, the threat to Henna fades from her expression, replaced by the familiar hunger she’s been nursing since last night.
"You mean... right now?" she breathes, her voice trembling.
"Right now," I say, my mind already calculating how long I have to keep her here, my wolf pacing restlessly in the back of my skull.
I lift Olenna, her legs wrapping around my waist, and carry her back toward the bed. Every instinct in me is screaming to be anywhere but here, but I force my hands to be steady as I lay her down. I lean in, trying to kiss her again, desperate to drown out the noise of my own guilt, but suddenly she stiffens.
She pushes me away with a sudden, violent strength. "All of a sudden you want to do it with me? Why?"
I freeze, my heart skipping a beat. I forced a look of hurt onto my face, trying to keep the mask from slipping. "I want to show you I really want you as much as you want me..." I say, leaning in again, my voice a low murmur.
But she pushes me off her with a sharp, ugly snort. She sits up, her eyes wide and wild with a realization that makes my blood run cold.
"So you really do care about that Henna," she says, her voice rising until it’s a jagged edge. "You didn't go to see your father last night. You went to HER!"
Her voice rings out, echoing against the walls of the suite. I feel my ground slipping, the lie crumbling under the weight of her jealousy. I need to regain my footing. I need to pivot, and fast.
"Do you want me to help you set up the ritual since you don't want me today anymore?" I ask, my voice dropping into a cold, transactional tone. I stand up, putting her off balance by withdrawing my touch entirely. "I can have the boys arrange for it. They’ve been restless; they’ll be glad for a ritual this year."
The change in her is instantaneous. The rage in her eyes flickers and dies, replaced by that same predatory gleam. She relaxes back against the pillows, a slow, dark smile spreading across her face.
"Of course, I would love that," she says, her voice purring now.
I stand up and begin to dress, my back to her so she can't see the tension in my jaw. My mind is racing. If I organize the ritual, I can control the parameters. I can choose the location, the "trials," and most importantly, the protectors. If I leave it to Olenna and her girls, Henna is a dead woman walking.
"I will send the boys," I say, pulling my shirt on and buttoning it with mechanical precision. "I think it will be better if we do this. Henna needs to learn how this school works so she can stop getting on everyone’s nerves. It’s for her own safety, really."
Olenna watches me, her smile widening. "You're right, Dre. A little tradition is exactly what she needs to find her place."
"I will call Bianca and the girls, they will really love this." She continues, "Please wait for me, let me wash up so we can get to school together."
"Alright, as you wish." I say and watches her go into the bathroom. I finish dressing up and then sit down on the bed to wait for her.
"I mean, tonight is going to be a blast," Olenna says, stepping out of the bathroom. She’s radiant, her face filled with smiles that don't reach the predatory hunger in her eyes. "We didn't have so much fun last time, but I think we’ll have as much as we want this year."
"Of course," I reply, my voice a smooth lie.
She begins to undress, dropping her robe right in front of me. It’s a blatant move...pleasure-baiting or a test to see if she still has her hooks in me. I don't give her the satisfaction of looking away or showing a hint of the revulsion clawing at my gut. I keep my eyes on her, a mask of appreciative calm, until she finishes dressing in her school uniform.
We walk out of the suite together. I lead the way to my bike, the engine roaring to life with a growl that matches my internal restlessness. She climbs on behind me, pulling her headgear on, and we blast away toward the main campus.
The parking lot is already buzzing when we skid to a halt. As soon as we dismount, Ric is there, leaning against the stone pillar in front of our classroom.
"You missed the drama, both of you!" he calls out, a crooked grin on his face.
I scoff, pulling my helmet off. "And you had to call me for that?"
"Yellow was going to kill her if I didn't intervene," he continues, his tone light but his eyes sharp. Olenna just smiles, leaning in to give me a lingering peck on the cheek before sashaying away toward her friends. She’s already in "ritual" mode.
Once she’s out of earshot, Ric leans into me, his expression shifting. "I'm sorry I didn't take your calls last night. There was this hybrid girl I was getting down with at the party... lost track of time."
I shove him back, hard. "Getting down with a hybrid when I clearly told you to keep an eye on her?"
"Come on, Dre, you don't expect me to be around Henna all the time," he says, smoothing out his jacket. Then he pauses, his voice dropping an octave. "But I swear to you... I had a faint feeling yesterday."
"A faint feeling?" I furrow my brows, stepping closer. My mind flashes to the pull I feel whenever I’m near her, the electric spark from that kiss that’s still burned into my memory. "What kind of feeling?"
"Like I want to eat her," Ric says, nodding slowly. He’s serious now, the playful glint gone from his eyes.
I freeze, my blood running cold. In Gray Ridge, "wanting to eat" someone isn't a metaphor for hunger or lust. It’s the predatory instinct of the wolf recognizing something it needs to consume or something that shouldn't exist. If
Ric is feeling it too, then Henna isn't just a "lowly human." She’s a target for every wolf in this school.
"Eat her?" I ask further while he nods.
"I swear, I nearly dug my hands into her stomach yesterday."