Indianna walked into class after lunch and sat right at the back. She rested her chin on her hand and waited for the teacher to turn up, which was a rare sight at this school.
"Hi, Indianna," Brandon said as he took the seat next to her. "How are you?"
"Fine," she shrugged. "You?"
"Good," he smiled, his eyes flickering around the classroom. "Isn't Brooke supposed to be here?"
"She and Harry are fighting," Indianna said quietly, and Brandon frowned.
"Oh," he muttered. "She needs to break up with that asshole."
"She loves him," Indianna replied.
"He's a twat," Brandon snapped. "The whole lot of them are, especially Greyson."
Indianna arched an eyebrow at Brandon, who simply shrugged.
"I know you two have a... thing, but he's a dick."
"He is rather irritating," Indianna admitted.
Excuse me?
Shut up.
"Then why are you with him?" Brandon asked.
Choose your answer carefully, sugar, Greyson said with a quiet chuckle.
"Because..." Indianna hesitated. "I like him."
It took a lot to force the words out.
It probably sounded like she was making excuses—trying to justify why she was with Greyson—but she wasn't.
She was telling the truth.
She liked him.
"Why?" Brandon frowned. "Why do you like him?"
I think the little cunt needs a punch, Greyson said coldly.
Indianna ignored him.
"To be honest..." she admitted, "I have no clue."
"He's an asshole."
"You don't know him."
"I've known him a lot longer than you have, Indianna."
"That doesn't mean you know him," she countered. "Time doesn't mean anything. You don't know everything about him."
"And you do?" Brandon challenged. "You know all of his secrets?"
"Sometimes I wish I didn't," she muttered with a sigh.
"Do you honestly have feelings for him?"
"Why do you care?" Indianna asked, not meaning to sound as harsh as she did.
"You seem like a nice person, Indianna. I don't want Greyson using you like he's used other girls before. He's bad news."
"He may be bad news," Indianna admitted, "but he isn't using me. He really isn't."
"I don't trust him. I don't trust Harry either, but I can't do anything about those two. Brooke won't listen to me."
"And you think I will?"
"You're smart, Indianna. Don't be blind when it comes to Greyson. See him for what he really is."
I'm seriously going to kill this bastard, Greyson growled. Who the fuck does he think he is?
"Brandon, drop the subject," Indianna muttered.
What classroom are you in, sugar?
I'm having a lovely time, Greyson, and I do not wish to be interrupted by you punching Brandon, Indianna replied sarcastically.
He's a little bitch.
Calm down.
Let me kill the cunt and I will.
Goodbye, Greyson.
"He's lucky he's not in this class," Greyson muttered as he sat beside Indianna and Kal during their next lesson.
"Who?" Ace asked, taking the seat in front of them.
"Fucking Brandon."
"What's that bitch done this time?" Kal asked.
"He was talking a load of shit to Indie about me," Greyson scoffed. "As if he thought he could persuade her to hate me."
"Greyson," Indianna said.
Forget about it.
"Forget?" Greyson repeated, shaking his head. "The bastard already hates us, and now he's trying to turn my mate against me. I don't think so."
Indianna groaned and ran her fingers through her dark hair.
"Please?"
"You're gonna have to do a lot more than say 'please,' sugar, if you want me to forget about it," Greyson chuckled.
Indianna sighed and glanced toward the classroom door as Brooke and Harry walked in.
Harry still looked furious.
Brooke looked equally annoyed.
"They don't look happy," Indianna murmured as they took seats on the opposite side of the room.
Greyson pursed his lips, watching them carefully. He could already tell one of them was on the verge of snapping. Even from across the classroom, their hushed, sharp voices carried through the room.
Suddenly, Brooke gasped.
Crack!
The sharp sound silenced the entire classroom.
Every head turned toward Brooke.
She was standing now, glaring at Harry while his head remained turned to one side from the force of the slap.
"Fuck, man," Kal gasped. "She slapped him."
"You bastard!" Brooke growled, grabbing her bag from the floor as she stormed past Harry.
"Don't fucking touch me!" she snapped when Harry reached for her arm.
"Brooklyn, don't walk away from me," Harry said in a frighteningly calm voice.
"Go fuck yourself," she hissed.
Her eyes met Indianna's.
They were pleading.
Without thinking, Indianna stood.
"Whoa," Greyson said, catching her wrist. "You're not going with her."
"Yes, I am," Indianna replied firmly.
"You can't fight me, sugar. I'm a lot stronger than you."
"Indie?" Brooke whispered desperately, tears filling her eyes.
"Greyson!" Indianna gasped. "Please!"
"Harry and Brooke need to sort this out," Greyson said. "Don't interfere."
"She just slapped him. They're not sorting anything out anytime soon. Please let me talk to her. Greyson?"
Greyson sighed before finally releasing her wrist.
She hurried past him before he could change his mind and followed Brooke out of the classroom.
The two girls walked in silence before finally sitting down in a deserted hallway.
"What happened?" Indianna asked quietly, leaning back against the lockers.
Brooke stared at the floor.
"He was out of order," she whispered. "He said something to me... something horrible."
A tear rolled slowly down her cheek.
"He had no right to bring it up."
"What—"
"I have a bad past," she sniffled. "Something happened to me when I was younger. It was bad, Indie. Harry found out about it last year, but I don't like talking about it, so he doesn't pester me with questions. He brought it up in the most horrible way just now, just because he knew it would shut me up."
"What happened?" Indianna asked cautiously.
"I was in an incident when I was sixteen," Brooke said quietly. "I stumbled across a man while I was walking home from school one day. He..." Brooke gulped. "He was a horrible man."
"Oh God," Indianna gasped. "He rap—"
"I don't like saying that word," Brooke said sadly. "I was terrified of men touching me for ages, but I finally got over it, thanks to Harry. He helped me through it, but to throw it back in my face and say what he said about what happened..." She shook her head. "He's a bastard."
"I'm so sorry," Indianna said softly.
"I don't think about it very often. I've blocked most of it out. I only remember a few days."
"Days?"
Brooke shifted uncomfortably and nodded.
"The man kidnapped me, but luckily he was stupid and the police tracked him down. They found me a week later."
"Oh God, Brooke..."
"I'm fine. I'm not upset about what happened." Brooke wiped at her eyes. "I'm upset about what Harry said."
"What did he say?"
Brooke squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
"I don't want to think about it. I just need to stay away from Harry."
"You can talk about it if you want," Indianna offered gently. "I'm a good listener."
Brooke took a deep breath.
"I can't. He was completely out of order. I can't repeat it."
"That's okay," Indianna said.
Footsteps echoed down the empty corridor.
Brooke jumped when she spotted Harry and Greyson approaching.
"Stay away from me!" she snapped.
She turned to leave, but Harry was suddenly standing right in front of her.
Indianna's eyes widened at the speed.
Greyson slowly walked over to her.
"Werewolf speed," he murmured into her ear. "What did you two talk about?"
"She told me what happened to her."
"There are some sick bastards in this world," Greyson muttered, glancing at Brooke and Harry as they argued in hushed voices.
"It sounds awful," Indianna whispered. "She said Harry brought it up and what he said wasn't nice."
"He told me," Greyson said, pursing his lips. "He's a fucking ass for saying it, but he was angry. He loses control when he's angry. Brooklyn knows what he's like. She'll forgive him soon."
"What did he say?" Indianna asked, looking up at him.
"That's not my place to say," Greyson shrugged, taking her hand. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Indianna asked as they walked past their classroom.
"I've had enough of school for today. We're going back to mine."
"Greyson!" Indianna gasped. "We can't bunk lessons!"
"Why not?"
"Because we're not allowed."
"Shut up, sugar," he chuckled. "The teachers barely turn up, so why should we?"
Greyson tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her down the hallway and out of the school.
"Greyson!" Indianna complained, digging her heels into the ground. "I'm not bunking!"
"Yes, you are," he smirked, stopping beside his car. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "Come on... live a little."
Before Indianna could protest, Greyson opened the passenger door and gently pushed her inside.
She squeaked in surprise.
Greyson laughed as he closed the door, walked around the car, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. He turned to her with a smug grin.
"I dislike you," Indianna muttered, crossing her arms as she stared out the window.
Greyson chuckled and reached across the center console, resting his hand on her thigh.
"You couldn't, even if you wanted to," he teased, rubbing slow circles with his thumb.
Sparks shot through her leg.
"Shut up," Indianna muttered.
Then her eyes widened.
"Oh crap! I left my bag... and my phone."
"Ace is bringing them to the house after school."
"Oh... okay."
"No thank you?"
"You're not Ace," Indianna shrugged.
She looked down and realized she'd unconsciously laced her fingers with Greyson's.
Frowning, she tried to pull away.
Greyson held on.
"You always have cold hands," he commented.
"Am I supposed to thank you for pointing that out?"
"It was just an observation," Greyson chuckled.
"You're always hot."
"Thanks," he smirked.
Indianna rolled her eyes.
"Not what I meant."
"I know." He laughed. "I'm a werewolf. My core body temperature is considerably higher than a human's. I don't get cold easily."
"I get cold ridiculously easily," Indianna frowned.
"You're not a werewolf yet," Greyson shrugged.
"Thank God."
"It's not a bad thing, sugar. Being a shifter is a good thing."
"For you," Indianna muttered. "I just want to be normal."
"We are normal, Indie. Werewolves existed before humans did. Somewhere along the line, some humans didn't inherit the werewolf gene, and humans evolved."
"I just don't want to become one of you."
"You're one of us whether you like it or not," Greyson shrugged. "You can't change it."
"I don't have to like it."
Greyson pulled up outside the house.
They both climbed out of the car.
As they walked through the front door, Indianna grabbed Greyson's arm.
"What?" he asked.
"If anything happens that I'm not comfortable with, I'm leaving."
"Okay."
"Promise me you'll let me."
Greyson rolled his eyes but nodded.
"Promise."
"Indianna," Doc greeted as they walked into the infirmary. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay," Indianna shrugged.
"Take a seat."
Indianna sat on one of the examination beds while Doc walked over.
"Have you been having any pains at all?"
"Some," she admitted. "They aren't that bad."
"Hmm. The calm before the storm," Doc murmured. "How about fits? Have you had one in the past few days?"
"No."
"That's good... for now."
"For now?"
"I'm afraid it's going to get worse again," Doc frowned. "You'll most likely have more fits, and the pain will become extreme."
Indianna visibly paled.
Greyson took her hand.
"You'll be okay."
"I hope so," she muttered.
"I'm just going to run some routine tests," Doc said. "I'll take your blood pressure first."
Indianna sat quietly while Doc carried out the examination. Greyson watched his every move carefully. He didn't want anything harming his mate.
"It's slightly high," Doc said after a moment, "but that's common during this stage. Your stress levels are high and your hormones are all over the place. It's perfectly normal."
Doc carried out a few more tests, and Indianna gradually relaxed in the familiar medical environment.
Until Doc picked up a syringe.
"No!" Indianna said firmly. "No!"
"A blood sample could make it easier for me to work out when you're going to move on to the next stage—"
"No," Indianna repeated, shaking her head frantically.
You promised, Greyson.
"Doc," Greyson said firmly, "no needles."
Doc nodded and immediately put the syringe away.
Indianna let out a shaky breath.
Greyson looked at Doc.
"You done?"
"Yes. I'll let you know if I figure out anything about Indianna's process."
Greyson nodded.
"Good. Let's go, sugar."
He held out his hand.
Indianna took it, sliding off the bed before following him out of the infirmary.
Greyson led her upstairs to his room and gently backed her against the closed door.
"Your heart," he murmured. "I can hear it beating."
He cupped her cheek and frowned.
"It's racing. You really don't like doctors, do you, sugar?"
Indianna shook her head.
Greyson stepped back, giving her some space.
"I still can't believe you're making me bunk school."
"You're skipping one lesson," Greyson scoffed.
Indianna wandered over to his bed and sat down on the soft mattress.
"Big deal."
"It's against the rules," she frowned.
"Rules?" Greyson laughed. "Indie, you're such a goody-two-shoes."
"I am not!"
Greyson raised an eyebrow.
"You are."
He walked over until he was standing in front of her.
Standing between her legs, he smirked at her annoyed expression.
"I'm not."
"If you're so sure of yourself," Greyson murmured, leaning closer with that infuriating smirk still plastered across his face, "prove it, sugar."
Indianna narrowed her eyes.
"You might think I'm a goody-two-shoes, Greyson, but I'm not easy. Don't try to trick me into doing stuff with you just to prove a point."
Greyson chuckled before stealing a quick kiss.
"I would never do such a thing," he smirked, lying back on the bed.
"Let's do something, Indie. What do you want to do?"
Indianna shifted until she was lying beside him.
"Sleep. Your voice is boring me."
"Cheeky bitch," Greyson scoffed.
Indianna grinned.
"Put some TV on or something. I don't care."
Greyson decided on a horror film.
Much to his amusement...
Indianna absolutely hated it.
"I said TV," she groaned, covering her face with both hands, "not a horror film!"
Greyson chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.
She hated to admit it...
But he smelled amazing.
"Thanks," he whispered into her ear.
Indianna rolled her eyes.
A loud scream blasted from the television.
Indianna jumped and instinctively grabbed Greyson's hand.
"Please turn it off."
"I don't think so," he smirked.
Indianna groaned and tried climbing off the bed to switch the television off herself.
Before she could get very far, Greyson caught her around the waist and pulled her straight back into his arms.
"Greyson!"
"Yes?"
"Get off me!"
"Um... no."
He kissed her temple.
"I hate you."
"Of course you do, sugar."