Page 55 of Wolf Mate

“Lucy.” A booming, commanding voice sounded from behind us.

Lucy’s eyes widened, and she mouthed,Oh shit.

Now, my blood damn near hummed.

She plastered on a smile and turned around, her voice sickly sweet. “Hey, Uncle Jovian. Are you here to see Raffe play?”

Oh no. This was Raffe’s father, the man who didn’t want me here and who had a lot of say over the supernatural world. I needed to get away before he realized who I was.

As I started to step away, he said, “And who is your friend? I don’t think I’ve met her.”

There was no escape.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Ididn’t know what to do. My blood was close to humming, but running would make things far worse. The king didn’t want me around humans, and this was the worst possible place for him to meet me, but I shouldn’t run off and act guilty, especially since I’d be leaving Lucy to handle the mess alone. But I shouldn’t meet him either.

“Oh, this is someone new to the school,” Lucy said flippantly.

I turned and got ready to scurry away, but someone knocked into me, keeping me trapped.

The king cleared his throat. “More reason for me to meet her since she’s spending time with my niece.”

He wouldn’t let it go, and the longer we put off the introduction, the stranger it would seem. Worse, my blood could cause chaos if I didn’t get through this, get away, and calm down. Between the king and all these people milling around me, I felt close to exploding.

Gritting my teeth, I turned back around. I wasn’t prepared for his commanding presence and the power he radiated, similar to Raffe’s but more refined.

I couldn’t swallow as more people brushed past me.

His lips pressed together, emphasizing his trimmed brown beard. His brows furrowed as his steel-blue eyes scanned me. “I’m Jovian Wright. And you are?”

With my blood nearing catastrophic levels, I read suspicion rolling off him in waves.

I wanted to lie, to say another name, but he’d be able to smell it. Instead, I straightened my shoulders to give the illusion of confidence. “Skylar Greene.” I held out my hand, hating how it shook, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t hear my heart pounding. Could he?

He ran a hand through his longish salt-and-pepper hair, and his gaze hardened. Slowly, he gave my hand one shake and dropped it.

Anger and frustration funneled off him and slammed into me, confirming he’d put who I was together.

“I understood from Raffe that you were staying in for the evening.” He stuck out his chest, causing the school emblem on the jersey I assumed had Raffe’s number on the back to stretch tight.

I heard a feminine laugh, and over the king’s shoulder, I noticed a middle-aged woman with dirty-blonde hair wearing the same jersey. She came up beside him and looped her arm through his then laid her head on his shoulder. She radiated happiness.

My mouth went dry. That was Raffe’s mom. The queen.

She assessed me. “I’m sure there’s an explanation. Our son has been busy with football, helping to handle affairs for you on campus, keeping up with his political science degree, and spending time with Josie and his friends. Besides, why wouldn’t a student be here supporting the football team? It’s homecoming!” Her gray eyes twinkled with kindness. Then she sniffed, and her head tilted. Her smile faltered, and confusion mixed with intrigue barreled into me.

She must have figured out who I was, or maybe what I was and was not.

As Raffe’s parents stared at me uneasily, their emotions mixed together and blanketed me. My chest clenched, and my blood began to hum.

The fluorescent lights above our heads flickered, and the queen glanced up, eyes widening.

The king scowled, and a group of girls near me shrieked.

I had to get away. Past a concession stand was a women’s bathroom. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to run to the restroom.”

I spun on my heel and darted away, my emotions peaking.

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