“Dito,”
the brown wolf exclaimed, snarling as she glared at her opponent.
“You both should be ashamed of yourselves. Fighting on school grounds over a guy who doesn’t respect either of you. You are supposed to be friends. How dare you allow someone to come between you. You could both be expelled and for what?”
“It’s not like you’d understand Miss Goody,”
the black one hissed, her eyes forming small slits as she now glared at me.
“You have no idea what it’s like to be in love,”
the other one agreed in a low growl.
“I know that love doesn’t make two friends fight like this. I know it’s not supposed to hurt you on purpose. If he truly loved either of you, he wouldn’t put you through this.”
“Get out of my way, Lila,”
the brown one growled. “I’m not afraid to fight her.”
I growled loudly, echoing through the school grounds, and shaking the ground more fiercely than they had previously.
“Then you’ll need to fight me first,”
I said firmly, glaring at her. I caught her eyes and held them. “If you dare.”
She fell silent as she stared at me.
I felt Val’s powers surfacing just as my emotions began to rise and I took a deep breath to steady them. The brown wolf kept her eyes on mine, and they were wide and alert. I knew my eyes were probably glowing as I looked at her.
“Calm yourself down,”
I ordered. “Go for a walk.”
Her eyes softened and she took a step back. She bowed her head and turned away; to everyone’s amazement, she did just as I asked.
I turned back to the black one.
“If he truly loved you, he wouldn’t have hurt you like this. He will hurt her, just as he did to you,”
I told her, voice lowering and my eyes locking onto hers.
I saw the pain in her gaze.
“I turn 18 soon…”
she whispered. “I thought he could be my mate.”
“A friendship is more important than a man. Don’t lose a friend over this,”
I told her gently. “Take a walk and calm yourself down.”
She bowed her head to me and turned away; I watched as she disappeared through the silent and shocked crowd.
I turned back to my friends who were staring at me with wide eyes; as was everybody else.
“Holy shit…”
I heard someone breathe. “She just got in the middle of a wolf fight.”
“Lila is truly a badass.”
Lila’s POV
“You should have seen her, Brody! It was incredible!!”
Rachel cooed as we sat in the dining hall.
Brody listened to Rachel talk about how I stopped a fight between the two she-wolves. I kept getting the sense that everybody was staring at me the entire time we were eating though and it made me uncomfortable.
Today’s meal was spaghetti and meatballs, but I wasn’t super hungry anymore. I stared down at my untouched plate.
“I don’t doubt it,”
Brody said to Rachel as he glanced in my direction. “Lila has always been badass.”
I smiled at him, appreciating the compliment.
“I just can’t believe they backed down so easily,”
Becca chimed in through her mouthful of food.
I didn’t say it out loud, but I knew the reason why they backed down so easily. It had nothing to do with my words and everything to do with my Volana abilities. I hadn’t meant to use it on them, but when my emotions are high, I can’t always control my abilities.
I knew they were in my trance from the looks on their faces when they looked into my eyes. I was suddenly feeling incredibly tired and I had trouble focusing on the rest of their conversation.
“I’m going back to the room,”
I announced.
“You hardly ate,”
Brody said, furrowing his brows together. “You should finish your food first.”
“I’ll take it to go,”
I said, giving him a kind smile.
“At least let me walk you back to your dorm,”
he said. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk privately since you returned from vacation. I missed you.”
His boyish and lopsided grin made it hard for me to resist him. I nodded in return.
“Sure,”
I responded.
We waved goodbye and went on our way.
I noticed it during my welcome home party, but Brody appeared to be so much different. He had more muscles and maybe even taller. He allowed his facial hair to grow, but he kept it neatly trimmed and manageable. His dark hair was also growing much longer than it was last year.
He also had a different energy. He always appeared to be strong-minded and intelligent, but it was even more so now.
I knew his 18(th) birthday was over the summer and that he had gotten his wolf. So, that probably had something to do with it. It was strange to think that Brody didn’t have a wolf last year, but he still seemed so brave and sure of himself. I wouldn’t have known he didn’t have a wolf unless he told me.
“So, your trip was good?”
He asked once we were away from everyone else.
“It was,”
I said, peering up at him. “How was your summer? I’m sorry I missed your birthday. But we should go for a run sometime.”
“It was good; had a kickass party,”
Brody said, running his fingers through his hair. “Don’t be sorry though. I get that you had a job to do.”
“I’m sorry, “ I said, frowning. “I was just so busy, I barely had time for myself.”
“Thank you for understanding,”
I said kindly, giving him my best smile.
“Actually…I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something…”
My heart nearly stopped beating when I looked up at his very serious expression.
“What is it?”
I asked.
Brody slowed down his steps and I could see the mixture of emotions on his face. I could see he was confused and hurt, maybe even a little mad. I wasn’t sure where this flow of emotions came from, but it left me feeling unsettled.
He opened his mouth to speak, but we were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Lila, may we have a word?”
Professor Xander asked, blocking the path with his large body.