Aria
I trail behind Lucas, trying to figure out what’s going on. My bruises aren’t even that bad, but here we are, standing in front of the medical center like I just lost a leg in battle. He doesn’t explain, just opens the door and strides in.
The middle-aged woman at the desk spots us and immediately lights up. “Alpha Lucas! What brings you here?” her eyes darted to me like she’s trying to spot the emergency.
“Everything’s fine,” Lucas says briskly. “Just get me a first aid box.”
She scurries off to do his bidding like he’s the freaking wolf king. Meanwhile, I’m just standing there thinking, Really? A whole first aid box for one tiny bruise?
“She’s the ship doctor,” Lucas explains as he pulls out a chair for me. “And part of my pack.”
Great. Fantastic. But why am I here?
The doc comes back with the box, ready to do her thing, but Lucas snatches it from her like he’s auditioning for Grey’s Anatomy- Werewolf Edition.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it,” he nods, waving her off. She looks a little confused but leaves, and now it’s just the two of us.
Lucas sits next to me, opening the box with this intense, focused look, and I’m immediately on edge. Like, I can feel my palms starting to sweat. He’s way too close, and he smells like cedar and musk and a little bit of danger.
“It’s not that serious. I’ll heal,” I mumble, trying to sound casual.
“Your healing’s too slow for my liking,” his voice is low and ridiculously sexy as he grabs my hand.
And then, he starts rubbing ointment on my skin. Gently. Like I’m some kind of fragile pup.
I’m officially losing my shit.
“Eat more nutritious meals,” he suddenly says, totally ignoring the fact that I’m trying not to spontaneously combust.
I look away, trying to play it cool, but my mind’s already in chaos. Do I tell him the truth? That I barely scrape by? The only reason I’m at Crescent Wolves Academy is because of a scholarship.
“Just tell your mom to-” he starts, but I cut him off.
“I don’t have a mom.”
His hand stills. He looks at me, surprised. “Oh… Your dad then?”
“I don’t have a dad either. I’m an orphan.”
And there it is-the sad puppy dog eyes. He looks at me like I just told him Bambi’s mom got shot all over again. “I’m sorry, Aria.”
“It’s fine,” I dismiss it quickly, hating how awkward this is getting.
He doesn’t reply, just keeps tending to my hands like he’s trying to fix more than the bruises. When he’s done, I hold them up. “See? All better.”
He smiles-a real one this time, and it’s so rare and so stupidly perfect that my heart skips a beat. “Good.”
“Thanks, Alpha Lucas,” I whisper, and he just smiles this slow, devastating smile that makes me forget how to breathe. Then he looks at me with those piercing gray eyes, and holy shit. The butterflies in my stomach go feral.
We’re so close I can feel the heat coming off his body. His face is inches away, and for one insane second, I think he’s about to kiss me. My wolf screams, Do it! Kiss the guy!
But no. He stands up, peeling off his maroon jacket like he’s in some slow-motion rom-com, and drapes it over my shoulders.
Fuck!
His scent? It’s pure sin as always. Like, if he bottled it, he could sell it as Eau de Panty-Dropper. Whew!
But why is he being so nice to me? Is this still part of some act?
“Come on,” he says in a commanding tone, pulling me to my feet. “Let’s go.”
I follow, half-dazed, wondering what the hell just happened…and why I kinda want it to happen again.
When Lucas and I get back to the tea party, Mia and Lily rush over like I’ve been lost at sea.
“Are you feeling better now?” Mia asks, eyes full of concern.
I nod quickly. “All better.” Then I turn to Lucas, narrowing my eyes. “How did you even know Ethan was with me?”
“Your friends told me,” Lucas replies, shooting a quick glance at Mia and Lily. “Next time, use the mind link if that bastard bothers you again.”
“Got it.” I try to sound nonchalant, but his firm tone makes my stomach twist.
Before I can say more, two guys walk up to us. They’re grinning so hard.
“Man, where have you been?” one of them asks Lucas.
Looking at them now, I realize they’re familiar. I’ve seen them at hockey games-they’re always with Lucas, and they’re on the team too.
“Just handling some stuff.” Lucas gestures to me. “Aria, these are my best friends, Damon and Theo.”
“Nice to meet you,” I give a polite nod, flashing them a small smile.
They look at me expectantly, and I suddenly realize I’m supposed to introduce Mia and Lily. “Oh, uh, this is Mia and Lily. They’re my best friends.” my eyes shift to Lucas. “I haven’t really introduced them to you yet.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Lucas says. Mia and Lily, of course, are smiling so sheepishly you’d think he just proposed to them.
“Woah… I didn’t know you had such a hot friend, Aria,” Damon smirks, grinning at Mia.
Mia glares daggers at him, and Theo bursts out laughing. Lucas just shakes his head.
“Alright, we’ve gotta go. Come on.” Lucas motions for his friends to follow, already walking away.
“Are you coming to our hockey training tomorrow?” Damon calls after Mia, clearly trying to flirt.
Mia just rolls her eyes. Poor Damon. He has no idea who he’s dealing with.
Lucas is halfway across the hall when I rush to catch up. “Wait!” I grab his arm and pull him aside. “Where are you going?”
He leans down, his voice low and teasing. “The bar area. I need to find a girl. I’m so fucking horny.”
My brain freezes. “What?”
“Relax,” he winks like this is no big deal. “I’ll be careful. No one will see me.”
And then he’s gone, leaving me frozen in place.
Mia and Lily catch up with me. “Aria, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a fucking ghost,” Lily says, peering at me.
But I can’t focus. My chest tightens, and my pulse races. Did he mean it? Is he really about to go fuck some girl?
“I’m fine,” I force a laugh, trying to convince myself more than them.
Just how? A few moments ago, I thought we had a moment, and now this.