Page 34 of Wolf Mate

After a few minutes, my blood went back to normal.

When I opened my eyes, Slade was beaming at me. “You did it, didn’t you?”

I nodded. I’d never been able to control it like that without it happening on its own.

“Good.” He winked. “Let’s go eat. That’s enough for one day until I can learn more about your magic.”

My stomach gurgled. “You know what? That sounds great.”

We picked up our backpacks and headed across campus to the student center. And, for once, I felt like a regular college student hanging out with a friend.

Slade gota salad with nuts and fruits—apparently, coven members shied away from meat—while I grabbed a club sandwich.

We sat in the student center in the open dining area, a space with at least one hundred tables. I’d picked the back corner, wanting to fade into the background.

When we were done eating, we stayed and did our homework and compared notes for the three classes we had together. With both of us being science majors and juniors in college, we’d have most of our classes together until we graduated.

That thought comforted me. It was nice to have a friend.

People began glancing up from their phones and looking at us. At first, I thought I was being paranoid until someone pointed at me and laughed.

Unease filtered through me, jolting my blood. “Why do people keep looking at us?”

Slade glanced up from his microbiology book and put down his highlighter. “Who? I haven’t noticed anybody.”

I leaned across the gold-colored table. “Uh … almost everyone near us.”

“They are?” He scanned the room.

The pale bookstore clerk strolled up to the table. He arched a brow and shook his head. “I warned you.”

“What are you talking about, Dave?” Slade asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Raffe and his minions.” Dave slid into the seat next to me, forcing me to scoot over. “A few people have been posting on social media about a girl Raffe said was bad news. How he’s never burned someone so publicly. The latest post included a picture, so everyone knows who she is.” He turned his phone around so I could see the image. It was of Slade and me sitting here.

The news had spread faster than I’d expected. I’d honestly thought Raffe was overconfident about his campuswide reach, but I’d been wrong.

My face burned, and my blood fizzed to damn near hum level. This was superbad. I had to get out of here if I wanted any chance at calming myself down. No happy thoughts Peter Pan style would help when I felt on display for everyone’s dissection. “Let me out.”

“What?” Dave pouted, and he leaned way too close to me, sniffing. “I just got here.”

Slade knew what was going on. “Trust her, man, or there will be more negative stuff that could get out forus.”

The way he saidusmeant supernaturals. Of course, Dave was one as well. It seemed like most of the people I’d met here weren’t human.

Dave’s face twisted in agony, and he groaned. “Yeah, okay. She needs to get away from me.” Dave stood quickly, and I hurried out, grabbing all my books and stuffing them into my backpack.

Dave clutched his head, and Slade said, “Go. I’ll meet you outside.”

An eerie sensation rolled down my spine, so I didn’t argue. I took my tray and headed to the door.

Giggles and snickers followed my path as everyone watched me leave in a hurry, making my blood spike.

I pictured the deer’s eyes in my mind and the way the wolf I’d helped back home had trusted me when I’d released it from the hunter’s trap. Those were the three most recent encounters that I hung on to, and my blood dipped back to a regular fizz as I dumped my trash beside the glass doors that led down the hall.

Adjusting my backpack straps, I turned left toward the bookstore to head out the back way. Outside, I took a left and crossed the road to the parking lot, not wanting to walk through the greenway.

“Skylar, wait up!” Slade called out.

---