Page 28 of Wolf Mate

Unfortunately, I knew exactly who’d made that noise, and worse, I liked that it had happened when Slade leaned toward me.

What was wrong with me?

Slade tapped a finger to his mouth. “Maybe I can help you get things under control.”

Hope surged in my chest, and there was no squelching it. Someone with answers was willing to help me get whateverthiswas under control. “Really? Y—”

“Absolutely not,” Raffe said loudly from behind me. He got up and stomped toward us.

The room went silent as Slade turned to Raffe. “I wasn’t asking you,Wright.”

The tension was palpable, and when I looked at Raffe, his eyes were glowing even with humans all around.

This couldn’t be good.

CHAPTER NINE

Ididn’t know what had angered Raffe, but we were in a risky situation. Alarm rang through me. “He was talking to me, and it’s my choice. There’s no reason to get upset.” I stood and placed a hand on Raffe’s forearm to get him to glare at me and not Slade.

My hand buzzed where it touched his skin, and I jerked back. Raffe and I gasped.

For a moment, time went still.

I turned my hand over to find my skin unmarred. So strange. I glanced at his forearm, which looked smooth as well. No injuries to explain what happened.

Dammit.

With the cold weather, static electricity made the most sense, but I wasn’t stupid.

That had beenwaymore intense.

Raffe and I stared at each other, and thetugI felt toward him became ayank. I had to dig my feet into the tile floor to keep myself in place.

The sensation was as strong as the need to breathe and somehow scarier. This sort of attraction—orwhateverthis was—could only lead to bad decisions and heartache. With his broodynature andI don’t give a shitvibe, Raffe screamed “Closed-off player.”

“Are you okay?” Slade asked worriedly.

I tried to turn my head to answer him but couldn’t.

I was at Raffe’s mercy.

What in the hell was going on? Was I losing my damn mind? I had to be.

“I’m …” I didn’t know what to say.Finewasn’t right. I was most definitely not that, but I didn’t want to give Raffe the satisfaction of knowing how much he affected me. He had a big enough ego as it was. “Tired.” That worked. I was more than tired. I was fucking exhausted, and I hadn’t been here for two full days. I dreaded how I’d feel by the end of the semester.

“Man!” Adam called from the back. “Class is going to start any second. You should sit down. You know Professor Haynes doesn’t tolerate disrespect.”

I was glad he was getting involved. Since he was part of Raffe’s pack, maybe he could calm him down.

Raffe gritted his teeth and swallowed. “Getting help from him isn’t smart.”

His dislike regarding Slade helping me had weird flutters shooting through my stomach. I winced. “That’syouropinion—andmychoice to make.” I wouldn’t let someone bully me out of having my potential first real friend. A friend who’d already given me answers about my heritage and weird blood. “I’ll take your concern under advisement.” Not that it would change my mind, but at least I’d acknowledged that I’d heard him. I had to do something to ease his bruised male ego.

“Wait. Did you and Josie break up?” a girl sitting two seats back from me and in front of Raffe asked. From the corner of my eye, I could see her russet-brown eyes widen and a grin spread across her face. “Because, you know, I’m single.” She twirled astrand of chestnut-brown hair around her finger and leaned over the desk to get his attention.

Agony sliced through me, and my knees weakened as my blood fizzed.

He had a girlfriend.

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