Page 25 of Renegade

“What girlfriend? I have no girlfriend.”

Hishmmmade my wolf snarl. There was nothing about this person my wolf liked. “Are you sure? You’ve got the whole school thinking that you’ve found your mate. You wouldn’t want her getting hurt, would you?”

How dare this motherfucker talk about Karelis. Damn it. I hated these people.

“So you’re a student here. Maybe we’ve met.”

He laughed again. If this asshole was in front of me, I wouldn’t hesitate to clock him in the jaw just for his laugh alone. “Perhaps. Look, why don’t you think it over. Remember that I will pay well. You can take that little mate of yours out—buy her something special. Let’s not get too hasty here. But remember, ifyou decide not to help me, there will be a price to pay.”

He hung up and when he did, I slammed the phone on the desk and growled loud and hard. Didn’t care how late it was.

That fucker had just threatened my mate.

Yeah. I knew she was my mate, but I wasn’t going to walk up and say it. Not yet, at least.

“What is it?” Blaze said, coming in, his eyes golden—his wolf was close.

“The past won’t die,” I said and threw my head back. Fuck, what was I going to do?

“It never dies, man. Especially ours. You good?” Blaze was a good friend.

“Yeah. I’m good. Back to work.”

I was anything but good. By my account, I was in some deep shit.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Karelis

Another good test score gave me access to study hall during the day instead of going to my last period class.

But while I made my way to the designated classroom listed on the pass, a group of girls passed me, and the one closest pushed my shoulder with hers. Hard. It was no accident.

“What the hell?” I might have to hide my true self here, but there was no way I was going to put up with bullshit.

“Stay out of our way,” the female in the middle said. Her uniform was rumpled, and she had no backpack and not a single book or notebook in her hands. Her short brown hair hadn’t seen a brush in a while. I wondered why she didn’t take care of herself. Maybe mess was her preferred image. Didn’t matter. No one had the right to treat me like that. I’d been stomped on enough in my life.

“You fucking bumped into me.” It was enough that 90 percent of the population of this school was now pissed off at me over a peppermint coffee, but shoving me was a whole other animal. And they didn’t want to mess with the animal inside me. Night would rip them to shreds and watch as the crows came to feed on them.

The one who shoved my shoulder got in my face. Gods, this was a college for people who were out of high school. Perhaps this group of ladies didn’t get the memo. “What are you gonna do? Murder us like you did the person in the quad?”

“What?” I asked. Damn, I’d heard some whisperings but I chalked it all up to the coffee incident. Honestly, I thought the whole thing would die down.

“Everyone knows it was someone new who did it, and you’re the student no one knows about. We don’t know where you camefrom. We don’t know what pack. Nothing. For all we know, you could be a rabid rogue come in to slaughter us all.”

Okay, now she was just reaching.

“Yeah. You’re right. I came here to kill everyone, and I’m biding my time, stalking you all. IF that was true, why bump into me and fuel my rage? You could be next, for all you know. In fact, I think you just managed to make your way to the top. I would sleep with my eyes open if I were you.”

While she showed her teeth and fisted her hands at her sides, the smell of fear dripped from her being, tangy and salty. Night salivated, knowing she was scared. My darker wolf was a weirdo but fierce as fuck when I needed her.

“Whatever,” she said and turned to her friends. “Let’s go.”

I stood my ground; an inch of giving would let them win. Shifters had power standoffs. It was archaic and sometimes barbaric, but I’d accepted who I was a long time ago. No way in hell they would see me sweat or even blink.

Once they had exited the hallway, I let out a breath while the edges of my vision darkened. Night was ready to emerge while Sol was growling. Either would protect me if I needed them to, but Sol would do so in a more…in a gentler way. My vision blurred as I looked down at the pass, and I knew there wouldn’t be any study hall today. I had to move before my emotions got the better of me.

Shit. I came here to hide and to study—make something of myself autonomous from the Light Kingdom, and now I was the target of accusations. There was something about me that screamed bad seed to everyone.

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