Chapter 8 Jane's Pov
1535 Words
Walking into the cafeteria the next morning was a mistake.
A big one.
The second my shoes hit the tile, the entire room buzzed like someone flipped a switch. Heads turned. Whispers shot through tables. Someone actually dropped their spoon.
Great.
Absolutely wonderful.
This was exactly what I wanted: public humiliation before breakfast.
One would think that they would have calmed down after I said “No, we're not together" so many times yesterday, but no, they have the fake relationship ingrained in their heads.
Geneva, of course, loved every second. She clutched my arm like she was escorting royalty, “Smile. Or at least pretend you aren't plotting murder.”
“I am plotting murder,” I muttered.
“Plot it prettier,” she whispered.
I shot her a look. She pretended not to see it.
We walked toward our usual table, and I had to ignore the dozen eyes tracking my every move. Someone whispered “Damian Ross’s mate,” way too loudly. Another girl gasped like she’d seen a celebrity.
I wanted to disappear. Or at least throw something heavy across the room.
Geneva plopped into her seat. “Well,” she said with a grin, “your life’s officially a TV show.”
“Cancel it,” I said.
“Nope. Too entertaining.”
I sat down and pulled out my phone just so I’d have something to look at that wasn’t a pair of eyes staring into my soul.
I kept scrolling. She kept smiling like this was Christmas.
People kept staring.
My wolf shifted, restless, ears up, waiting. She definitely liked the attention more than I did, which was ridiculous. Wolves were supposed to be stealthy, not fans of campus gossip.
I stabbed a fork into my food just as Geneva said, “Oh, here we go.”
“What?” I asked.
She lifted her eyebrows toward the entrance.
I didn’t have to look to know.
Damian.
The air shifted before I saw him. I felt it, the same way you feel a cold breeze before you see the storm behind it.
My wolf perked up so fast it annoyed me.
Damian walked like the hallway was a runway and he was getting paid for it. Hoodie half-zipped, hair slightly messy, expression neutral but smug on the edges.
He saw me. His lips twitched.
No.
No, no, no.
“Don’t come here,” I murmured to myself.
Geneva snorted, “He’s definitely coming here.”
He was.
Of course he was.
Damian approached our table, ignoring the whispers and the gawking like he’d been born for it. He reached us and casually slid into the empty seat beside me.
I moved away immediately, “No.”
“Yes,” he said.
“I didn’t invite you.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I don’t want you here.”
“That also doesn’t matter.”
I turned to Geneva for help. She held up her hands, “He’s your problem now. I’m just a spectator.”
Damian leaned back, relaxed like he had every right to intrude on my morning, “People are watching.”
“So what?” I snapped.
He jerked his head subtly toward the room. Half the cafeteria was straight-up staring. Someone even held up their phone. Great.
“Optics,” he said simply.
I groaned, “I hate you.”
He nodded, “Understandable.”
My wolf nudged me, curious and irritated at the same time. She didn't know what to do with him. Honestly, neither did I.
“You can’t just sit here,” I said.
“I’m already sitting.”
“Move.”
“No.”
Geneva giggled like she’d just won something, “You two are so cute.”
I gave her the deadliest stare I could manage, “Do not encourage him.”
Damian smirked, “Encourage me.”
“No,” I said, elbowing him.
He didn’t move an inch. Instead, he leaned slightly closer. “Relax. It’s just breakfast.”
“It’s harassment.”
He laughed under his breath, “You say the nicest things.”
If I had a second fork, I’d stab him with it.
But everyone kept watching, and unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. Walking away or making a scene would only make things worse.
So I sat there.
Angry.
Annoyed.
Trapped.
He seemed comfortable with that.
***
By the time lunchtime rolled around, I’d convinced myself that the day couldn’t get any worse.
So of course it did.
The cheer coach had called for a meeting. I walked into her office with Geneva trailing behind me, expecting something about routines or scheduling.
Instead, the first thing I saw was Damian.
Sitting across from Coach Leah.
Like he belonged there.
I stopped dead, “What is he doing here?”
Damian didn’t look up from the paper he was pretending to read, “Nice to see you too.”
Coach Leah gestured toward the chair beside him, “Take a seat, Jane.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Sit.”
I sat. Only because she was the one person on this campus scarier than me when she wanted to be.
I turned to Damian, “Explain.”
He shrugged, “Ask her.”
Coach Leah exhaled like she’d already dealt with three disasters this morning, “Since you two have… become involved—”
“We’re not involved,” I said instantly.
“Fake or not,” she continued, “the campus thinks you are. And with the inter-pack event coming up, this school wants to take advantage of your… partnership.”
I blinked, “What does that mean?”
“It means,” she said, “you and Damian are the new ambassadors for Cornell at the event.”
“No,” I said.
“Absolutely not,” Damian said at the same time.
We both turned to glare at each other like children caught refusing vegetables.
Coach Leah rubbed her temples, “Too late. The announcement’s already been drafted. The administration thinks it’ll boost turnout and calm pack tensions. Two strong faces, one united front.”
I stared at her, “This is ridiculous.”
“Agreed,” Damian said.
“Then tell them no,” I snapped at him.
He smirked, “Why me?”
“Because this was your fault!”
Coach Leah clapped her hands once, “Both of you, stop. You’re doing this whether you like it or not.”
I almost choked, “B-But why?”
“Because the school said so.”
I glared at Damian, “This is your fault.”
He lifted his eyebrows, “How? You agreed to the plan.”
“I agreed to playing along for a few weeks. Not this.”
Coach Leah stood, “You’re dismissed. Both of you. And if either of you cause drama at the event, I will personally bench your squad and your hockey team.”
That shut us up.
We left her office in tense silence.
The second the door closed behind us, I spun on him, “Stay out of my life.”
He sighed, “I literally just got dragged into a meeting I didn’t want.”
“You didn’t look upset.”
“That’s just my face.”
“Change it.”
“I can’t.”
Geneva quietly stepped aside, pretending she wasn’t enjoying this way too much.
I pushed past him, done with this mess, but Damian followed.
“Jane,” he called.
“No.”
“Stop walking.”
“No.”
He grabbed my elbow. Not hard. Just enough to make me stop. “Hey.”
I turned, ready to snap at him, but his expression wasn’t mocking this time. Or smug. Or annoyingly proud.
It was serious.
And that threw me off more than anything.
“We need to coordinate,” he said. “That’s all. The school’s forcing this. We can either look stupid or look prepared.”
“I hate this.”
He nodded, “I know.”
“I hate you, too.”
“That one’s mutual,” he said.
It almost made me snort.
Almost.
He continued, “I’m not trying to control anything. I’m not trying to make decisions for you. I’m just trying to keep things consistent. Come on, we’ve been over this already.”
I exhaled, annoyed but… fine, “Just don’t ambush me like that again.”
He nodded, “Fine.”
“And don’t show up to my meetings without warning.”
“Fair.”
“And don’t sit with me in the cafeteria unless absolutely necessary.”
“No promises.”
“Damian.”
He smiled faintly, “Okay. Fine.”
There was a beat of silence. His gaze held mine, steady and unreadable.
For once, no teasing.
No curveball.
Just… something else. Something quieter. Something that felt like he was actually paying attention.
My wolf reacted instantly.
She leaned forward before I could stop her.
I stepped back fast, “We’re done here.”
“Sure,” he said.
I turned to walk away.
I didn’t look back.
But I felt his eyes on me the entire time. It lingered so much I felt my skin crawl.
- Writer
