Love, After Dark

Chapter 38

BRICE

All morning, we’d been interrupted. Every. Single. Time. Every time I built up the nerve to do what I’d come there to do, someone would drift too close, Nala would hover, or Mrs. Parks would materialize out of thin air with another completely unnecessary task. Move this. Carry that. Hold this steady. At one point I was fairly certain she had me rearranging things that were already in the right place just to keep me busy.

I considered storming out. Just forgetting about it. Catching Siri another time. But Mrs. Parks was not a woman who forgave disrespect. Walking out of her class would not end well. Not for anyone. Neither she nor her son feared the rich or the powerful. And although, as future alpha, I could get myself out of trouble fairly easily… I didn’t like doing that. Wynter hated that about me. She always said people should bow at my feet. That I should remind them who I was. That power was meant to be used. But that’s not who I am. And it’s not the kind of leader I want to be.

By the time Mrs. Parks finished using me as her personal mover, my patience was hanging by a thread. Thankfully, lunch arrived. Since there was no cafeteria staff on weekends, it had been catered from the sandwich shop down the road. “Duffy’s?” Siri read off the wrapper, turning it over in her hands. “Yeah,” I said, walking back toward her. “You’ve never had it?” She shook her head. “We don’t have a Duffy’s where I’m from.” I blinked. “Oh my goddess, you’re going to love it.” She made a face at the mention of the moon goddess, but before she could question me, I grabbed a sub and handed it to her.

“Here. Try this one. You’re going to love it.” Then I grabbed one for myself, a salad, and two bottles of water. We found a small stretch of stage that wasn’t covered in paint, paper mâché, or chaos and sat down. Mrs. Parks had stepped out to take a call. Nala was nowhere in sight. Finally.

“So,” Siri said once we were settled, unwrapping her sandwich. “What did you want to talk to me about earlier?” Right. That. I’d almost forgotten why I’d come. “I— uh—” “Oh!” she exclaimed suddenly as she took a bite. “Oh, this is so good.” She practically moaned the words. My entire body reacted before my brain could catch up. I froze. Completely caught off guard. She had no idea what that sound did to me.

Her eyes went to my face. “Looks like you got a little paint there,” she giggled, pointing toward my cheek. My heart skipped at the sound. I swiped at my face and missed it. “Here, allow me,” she said. Before I could process what she was doing, she leaned closer. She licked her thumb. Then pressed it gently against my cheek. My skin ignited. It wasn’t just warmth. It was heat. Fire. A spark racing beneath my skin straight to my spine. My wolf surged forward instantly. Mine.

The word echoed violently inside my head. Claim her. Mark her. Make everyone know. I gripped my sandwich tighter, every muscle locking as I fought for control. For a second, I couldn’t breathe. The air felt thin. My chest tightened. My vision grew sharper. Too sharp. I could hear her heartbeat. Fast. Close. “Are you okay?” Siri asked, concern flooding her voice. She reached toward me again. Without thinking, I caught her wrist midair. Her eyes widened. Fear flashed there for a split second. And she pulled her hand back quickly. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

Guilt punched me straight in the gut. I wanted to tell her she hadn’t done anything wrong. That she didn’t need to apologize. That I wasn’t upset with her. But inside, I was losing. My wolf was pushing harder. My breathing turned ragged. If I stayed one more second-If I inhaled her scent one more time- I didn’t know what I’d do. And that terrified me. So I did the only thing I could. I stood abruptly.

Then I ran. Out of the auditorium. Down the hallway. Away from her. Away from the heat in my blood. Away from the urge clawing at my skin. I didn’t stop until I was outside, the cold air slamming into me like a wall. I braced my hands on my knees, dragging in lungful after lungful of air. My wolf snarled inside my head, furious. Control slowly returned. And with it… The realization that I had just left Siri sitting there confused. Scared. Alone. And I still hadn’t told her the one thing I’d come there to say.