I look up into Kenneth's red-rimmed eyes and do my best to hide my wince. He looks grief-stricken and desperate.
"They still don't have news?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "Nothing. He just disappeared."
I have silently thanked the goddess repeatedly for the simple fact that Dylan didn't tell anyone where he was going that night. At least, Kenneth doesn't know.
I look over campus. The Alpha-Ups and their sister sorority, the Deltas, have held minor events all week to bring attention to the missing wolf.
"Did you two fight or something?" Kenneth asks me suddenly. "Maybe he's just gone to let off some steam?"
Dylan was supposed to attend a party at his frat house the night after... after. That's how they knew to call the police.
I swallow my own tears. "I broke up with him," I say hoarsely. I give Kenneth the same story that Rique and Miranda gently coaxed me into learning. "A week ago. He didn't seem too upset, though," I say softly.
"He didn't tell me you broke up." If anything, Kenneth looks even more upset. I can't hide my wince. Of course, Kenneth is wondering why Dylan didn't go back to him if we weren't dating anymore.
"You sell that story to the cops?" Another voice, hard and mean, interrupts us.
I turn, and my stomach flips. Mason. I meet his eyes and dread pools in my gut. My heart starts to race. Mason is glaring, and I can't help but think... he knows.
"It's true," I protest quietly. Sort of. Of course, I didn't tell the investigators that Dylan was just my harasser, my stalker, and not my boyfriend. I think Mason knows that, too.
Mason snorts derisively, but the sound of a motorcycle drowns out his next words.
I swallow and turn away from the two males, praying that it's Rique or... or my mate. My mate hasn't been to see me since he walked out of my apartment a week ago.
Of course, it's just someone passing through. Not someone to rescue me.
"Did you even love him, Matthew?" Kenneth says softly.
"No," I respond abruptly.
"Did you and your slut sister kill him?" Mason's oily voice interjects.
Horrified, I spin around to stare at Mason. "What? Cassie would never-"
"She's a slut," he says flatly. "Do you know how many brothers she's spread her legs for?"
I feel myself heat up, my wolf baring his canines at Mason. "That's not true," I snarl.
Mason's hard eyes fall away from mine. He's human, and even though we appear equally matched physically, we're not. I know if I hit him, I'll feel guilty later. But that's later.
"Why would you think Matthew's sister has anything to do with this?" Kenneth brings my attention back to him.
"Because," Mason smirks, "I saw her there at your apartment. On Thursday. The last day anyone saw Dylan,alive."
"Cassie couldn't hurt a fly," I tell him, still hot with anger. A harsh buzzing in my ears drowns out everything but my wolf's growls for a minute.
Mason takes a step towards me before his face drains of all color, leaving him pale and shaking.
"Nene." A hand rests on my shoulder, holding my weak knees up.
I’m hearing things. Do dreams feel so solid? I wish they did. I'd sleep all the time, like Rip Van Wolf-inkle.
"Carmichael?" Mason says my mate's name in disbelief.
I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating. I tell my wolf, but he's on his feet, his high-pitched barks of excitement drowning out my much more reasonable thoughts.