Page 50 of Wolf Mate

“You sure?” Lucy tilted her head and wrung her hands, unsure if she should stay or not.

“Promise.” I nodded. “By the time I take some headache medicine, I’ll be golden.”

The tingle at the back of my neck increased to a tickle-like warning.

“Oh.” Lucy pulled a packet of Advil out of her pocket and put it on the table. “There.”

“You are my hero.” I lifted my latte and took a huge sip. “Followed by Slade with the latte.”

He waved a hand and bowed, making me laugh.

“Don’t worry.” Slade kicked me gently under the table and said, “We have both classes together today, so I’ll take care of her.”

“Uh …” Lucy bit her lip.

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “I’ll text you if I need anything.” Her concern made me realize that we were closer friends than I’d been aware of, and despite her cousin, she was a really good person.

“Fuck this,” Raffe spat and banged his fist on the table. The entire room went quiet.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

My heart jumped, and my blood jolted back to life. It would’ve been fizzing if I hadn’t been weak.

Unfazed by the attention, Raffe stood, his olive skin turning a faint shade of pink. Nostrils flared, he looked every inch the broody man he portrayed to the world, except for last night when he’d let his guard down with me.

Ugh. I had to stop remembering that.

“You truly want to surround yourself with as much trouble as possible.” He grimaced and shook his head. “When you get hurt, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He spun on his heel and strode toward the exit.

Chest tightening, I tried to remain indifferent. I didn’t want him to know how much his anger and words hurt. Hell, I purposely didn’t analyze the impact he had on me because I had no doubt if I dug deep, the answer would petrify me.

The handful of people sitting near us had watched the entire debacle with wide eyes. Their attention locked on Raffe as he stalked out of the center. Even when angry, he moved gracefully and with confidence.

But the truth hit me hard.

He’d made more of a spectacle here than he had in the classroom, leaving me in his wake as if I were nothing.

I had to force my hands to stay flat on the table so I didn’t clutch my heart, which hurt as if it had been broken into two. How I felt about him had to stay secret. I didn’t want Slade or Lucy to know. I suspected that would cause more problems.

Staring after her cousin and frowning, Lucy shook her head.

“Uh, what’s his problem?” Slade leaned back in his seat. “No one forced him to come here.”

“No clue.” Lucy laughed humorlessly. “That was weird, even for him.” She paused and turned to us. “I should go, but seriously, text me if you need anything. I don’t care if Slade is with you—if you need something or want my help, message me. Got it?” Her attention flicked between Slade and me.

Interesting. She wasn’t a fan of Slade either. She just wasn’t obnoxious about it, unlike Raffe and Keith. And those two were supposed to be the future leaders?

“Understood.” I laid a hand over my heart and smiled. The pain had eased from knowing that not only did Slade have my back, but Lucy did too. I’d hoped to find a friend here, and somehow, I’d made two. Take that, Lizzy from kindergarten.

“Good.” Lucy nodded and pointed at Slade. “And do you?”

He lifted both hands in front of him. “You didn’t have a problem gettinghere, did you?” He tapped the table, making his insinuation clear. “That should tell you more than enough unless you start to act more like your cousin.”

A knot formed in my stomach, and the food I’d eaten sat uncomfortably. That was a veiled threat. “Slade,” I chastised, wanting my two friends to tolerate one another.

Lucy scoffed and looked at me. When she bit her lip, I knew she was having second thoughts about leaving.

“It’ll befine.” I karate-chopped the air, not wanting her to feel obligated to stay. She’d woken up early to help me, and Ididn’t want her to miss out on the nap she wanted. “If I need to text you about how Slade gulps his latte and it’s getting on my last nerve, I’ll do that,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

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