Indianna gasped and pulled away, looking up at Greyson with wide eyes.
"The whole school is watching, aren't they?" she groaned.
Greyson chuckled. "Yep."
"Fuck," she cursed, burying her face in his chest. "Stop them from staring, please."
"What makes you think I can do that?"
"You know you bloody well can. Everyone is freaking scared of you!"
"What about you?" he mumbled, resting his chin on Indianna's head.
"I can't be," she whispered. "Ever since you marked me, it took the fear away."
Greyson looked down at Indianna and smirked. "Good."
"They're still staring."
"I am aware," he shrugged, his eyes flickering around the room. "Take a fucking picture, it'll last longer!"
He yelled suddenly, surprising everyone in the room.
"If I see anyone staring at us, I will personally rip your eyes from their sockets and shove them down your throats!"
Everyone immediately looked away, and Greyson chuckled when he saw Indianna's slightly surprised expression.
"What?"
"You're not a very nice person, are you?" she said.
Greyson shrugged.
"Nope."
He started pulling Indianna toward the table where he had been sitting.
"Greyson, I've seen you. I'm going to go now," she protested.
Before she could turn around, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and trapped her against his chest.
"The longer you stay away from me, the worse you get, and the longer it takes for you to get better," he said. "You still feel like shit, sugar, so you're staying right by my side."
"Greyson—"
"Don't even try to argue," he said sternly.
They reached the table, and Indianna spotted Ace, Kal, Harry, and Brooke, along with people she didn't know. She immediately tensed.
"Shy again, are you?" Greyson chuckled and sat down next to Ace, pulling Indianna down beside him.
*I hate you,* she thought.
Greyson smirked at her.
"We haven't seen you in a few days, Indianna," Ace said. "How are you feeling?"
Indianna knew what he meant.
How did she feel after avoiding Greyson for three days?
You could take one look at her and guess the answer.
Shit.
She felt like complete shit.
At first, it wasn't too bad.
She woke up in her house after Greyson marked her. Apparently, she was still in the first stage of the process, but because she was mates with an Alpha, the process took much longer. Greyson had made it clear that if she tried to leave town, it would fail.
Her house backed onto the woods, so there was always someone watching her, making sure she didn't do anything stupid.
Her mark hurt at first, but the pain faded after a few hours.
For the first day, she was fine.
During school, she avoided Greyson like the plague. Only Brooke managed to catch Indianna on the way to the library, but the conversation only lasted a few minutes. Indianna wasn't up for talking.
On the second day, Indianna knew the mark was starting to affect her mind.
Greyson kept slipping into her thoughts.
She wanted to be near him.
On the third day, she started to feel ill.
Her whole body ached, and her head hurt constantly. The mark on her collarbone burned like hell, and all she wanted to do was go to Greyson.
She knew only he could help her.
She knew that by staying away from him, she would feel worse.
She still avoided him.
And today, thanks to Kirstie, she was sitting next to Greyson, and the sparks running through her body made her want more.
Greyson was like a drug.
He was addictive.
The way he made Indianna feel was unreal. Just being in his presence made her feel better.
So she turned to Ace and shrugged.
"Fine," she said simply.
Greyson smiled smugly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Indianna," Brooke said softly, "have you read the book I gave you?"
"Sort of," Indianna shrugged. "Thanks for lending it to me."
"Anytime, sweetie," Brooke smiled.
A group of girls made their way over to the table.
Indianna tensed as she took them in.
Cheerleader uniforms.
Full faces of makeup.
Peroxide-blonde hair.
Indianna wasn't the type to judge a book by its cover, but at that moment, she found it extremely difficult not to.
"Greyson," the only girl with brown hair said. "Who's your friend?"
"Stacy," Greyson said, "this is Indianna."
"Indianna," Stacy repeated, looking her up and down, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Piss off, Stacy," Kal called, smirking. "You'll never get a chance with Greyson."
"Shut up, Kal," Stacy snapped. "She's not your usual type, Greyson."
Greyson sensed Indianna's unease and linked his fingers with hers, knowing the sparks would relax her.
"That doesn't matter, Stacy," he shrugged. "Did you bring your slut squad over here for a reason or not?"
Indianna gasped and looked up at Greyson.
*Don't be so rude!*
Greyson ignored her and looked at Stacy, who was glaring at him.
"So?"
"I actually wanted to talk to Indianna," Stacy said, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder.
"Me?" Indianna asked quietly. "Why?"
"Stacy, babe, if you're just going to tell her to stay away from Greyson, then leave," Brooke said with a fake smile.
"Indianna?" Stacy said impatiently, looking at Brooke in disgust. "Can I talk to you?"
"I... um..." Indianna trailed off and looked at Greyson.
He shrugged.
"She's a complete bitch, but go if you want."
Indianna nodded and stood up, following Stacy and her friends out of the canteen.
Stacy stopped and turned toward her.
"You are definitely not Greyson's usual type," Stacy commented.
Indianna braced herself for the wave of death threats she expected to receive.
"I just wanted to warn you about Greyson."
Indianna frowned.
"Huh?"
"He's an asshole. He's dangerous and rebellious. I've seen you around school, and you seem nice and normal. You deserve much better than someone who's going to get you into a load of shit. Just be careful, okay?"
"I don't want to sound rude, but I thought Greyson said you were a bitch," Indianna said sheepishly.
Stacy smirked.
"Oh, honey, I am," she scoffed.
She walked closer and frowned at Indianna.
"But there's something about you. You're cute and you seem nice. I'm not a bitch to everyone—just most people. For some reason, you're going to be an exception."
"Oh... um, thanks?"
"No problem, babe," Stacy smiled. "I don't know what it is about you. Maybe it's the shyness, but I feel like I need to protect you."
Stacy shrugged and placed a perfectly manicured hand on Indianna's arm.
"Just be careful with Greyson, okay?"
"Okay," Indianna nodded.
Stacy walked away with her posse following behind her.
Indianna shrugged and looked toward the canteen doors.
Deep down, she wanted to go back to Greyson.
But she was stubborn and didn't want to give in so easily, even if it made her ill.
"Indie!"
Greyson pushed the doors open and arched an eyebrow at her.
"I'm in your head," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Come on."
Indianna sighed and slowly made her way over to him, liking the way sparks flooded her body when he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"What did the bitch want?"
"She warned me," Indianna said, "about you. She said you were dangerous and that I should be careful."
"Seriously?" Greyson said. "Fucking hell, that's different. She's a complete bitch. She's never nice to anyone apart from the annoying little shits she calls her friends."
"She seemed fine with me," Indianna shrugged as they walked back into the canteen. "She seemed nice."
"That's fucked up," he muttered.
They sat back down.
"Did she go ape shit at you because you're with Greyson?" Brooke asked, rolling her eyes.
Indianna shook her head.
Brooke raised her eyebrows.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Indianna said. "She was nice."
*