SERAPHINA'S POV
I don't know how long I stand there staring at his features, but its long enough for his smile to slowly turn nervous.
"Yeah... Hi." He finally responds.
I shake myself out of the daze, reminding myself that he is still is a wolf like everyone else in this school, no matter how gorgeous or attractive he is.
Their appearance could only be to lure in more prey, a prime example of that is the devil himself, Artemis.
"Yeah, uhm... you gave me this handkerchief?" I pull out the piece of material with the initials, raising it up to his face.
He nods, not needing to identify it for himself to be sure.
"Yeah. I was surprised to see someone crying underneath the staircase so early in the day. I guess I was worried." His silver eyes flicker under the light with those words that sound too genuine.
"Thank you."
"There's no need." His smile reaches his eyes, followed by a gentle chuckle. "See you later, human." He says, walking right pass me, leaving a trace of his fresh scent that feels like a gush of fresh air to my face.
I sigh with satisfaction, watching his retreating back; the way his longer hair bounces with every step he makes.
Gosh, I want to run my fingers through that head full of hair.
"Hey!"
I'm startled by the sudden voice behind me, coming from none other than Artemis, reeled from my day dreaming.
"I thought you already left." He says, already walking up to me.
The feeling of dread crawls up my spine instantly and all the butterflies in my guts turn into spiders. I groan internally, preparing myself to face him before he stops just behind, waiting for a response.
"I was just about to leave." I say dryly, resuming in my steps again.
He reaches out and grabs onto my wrist without warning, pulling me backward.
"Wait." He says a one-word command that ticks me off.
"What the hell?"
"What did you talk about with the supervisor?" He finally asks.
Ha, so that is what this is about.
I pry my hand away from his, glaring daggers his way before speaking.
"None of it is any of your business. My discussion with Mr. Jermaine is strictly confidential." I point out plainly.
I don't wait for him to stop me before I begin to move away from him, desperate to put more distance between us before he freaks out as usual, but I'm too late.
This time, he grabs my wrist more firmly, pinning me against the nearest wall. I gasp from the suddenness of it, coupled with the pressure of holding my wrist above my head.
"I'm not in the mood for any of this right now." He growls lowly, dangerously.
Fear seeps into me instantly, and I shut up fast.
"Right now, my patience is thinner than you realize, and trust me, darling, you wouldn't like the consequence of pushing it too far. What did you talk about?"
"I just told him that I hate it here." I spit out.
Those words linger in the air, his hard eyes still fixed severely on me, then he asks, "And?"
What else does he need to know? If I mentioned his name or the nonstop bullying? I'm not stupid enough to blatantly call out Artemis when I know that the system would still work in his favor and he'd still come out unscathed while I suffer a worse fate.
"And nothing, Artemis. He left after that, and asked me to give you assholes hell."
Artemis doesn't seem to be buying it, eyes boring right into mine, a glint of that familiar gold inching into them - but the more that fire plays in his eyes, the more his grip tightens.
He seems to be absent, almost like he doesn't even realize the pressure he's exerting at that moment.
"Artemis..."
But his eyes are gold now, hot breath teasing over my face, and a certain sensation lingering in the air. My breath hitches and my heart races. It's electrifying, almost tempting enough to make me lean closer to him. Close enough to breathe in his scent.
But no.
"Artemis!"
My words get through to him, and he snaps out of whatever the hell that was. In a flash, he realizes what he's doing, letting go of me so fast, as if I've burnt his skin with mine and taking deeper and slower breaths.
I can finally breathe, clutching onto my wrist. It's not broken, thankfully.
I look up to meet those eyes of his that simply watch me without offering an apology or comfort, just silence.
What was I expecting? This is Artemis for god's sake; he doesn't care.
I scoff at him the moment I have my shit together and walk right past him before he can act out or grab me for the third time. I practically run down the hallway and out of school, all up until I reach the wide doors of the female dorm and right into it.
I get all the way up to my room, walking in and dropping right onto my bed, breathing hard and heavy.
Again, what the hell was that?
Olivia turns to me from her desk, leaving whatever project she's typing at on the screen to look at me. I feel her staring for more than a few minutes before she finally asks.
"What's with you?"
"Oh... nothing besides the usual." I answer.
Technically, it's a lie. Nothing from my day was ordinary.
"How did the stuff with the supervisor go? Heard Artemis got the whole school acting nice to you. How did it feel being treated like a person for a day?"
"Like shit. I could smell their fake-ass from a mile away." I answer plainly.
Olivia chuckles from her seat, rolling up her chair closer to my bed and showing more interest.
"Really, was it that bad?"
"Trust me. Imagine bullies that threw putrid water in your face offering you an apple suddenly. Trust me, you're not going to feel like eating it."
"I can imagine." We both laugh together for a while, laughter that resets my mood and leaves me in a good place once more.
A small stretch of silence falls between the both of us for a second. Peaceful silence while the joke lingers in the air.
"You know, this place was pretty dull before you came in. It feels nice."
"You're lucky my human-ass walked in here and caused a discord then."
She chuckles at my words again, shoving my shoulder.
"That's not what I meant, dummy."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
I imagine not having someone to talk to after a stressful day of school as well; no one to rant to or talk shit with when the sun is out and all those bullies are far away, handling their own lives.
I would have lost my shit as well, or dived into my books to numb the depression. I guess luckily enough, I found her... The only wolf that isn't threatened by my presence.
Well, she's technically not the only one.
"Uhm. Does Artemis have a Beta?"
"Yeah, every Alpha has a Beta of course." She states it like I'd be dumb not to know, forgetting that I am in fact a human, not used to wolf norms.
"How come I've never heard of him?" I ask now, trying to mask my own overwhelming curiosity to know who the blond-hair pretty boy is.
If at all he existed or I had just imagined the whole encounter.
"Well, you don't hear much about him because the werewolf world essentially runs on a hierarchy system with the Alpha being at the top. Artemis and his Beta have beef, so associating with him means choosing a side."
"And choosing a side means being enemies with Artemis."
"Exactly."
Artemis, that arrogant bastard.
"He's not entirely unknown though. Despite their bad relationship, he still has more than a handful of girls pining after him."
"What's the bad blood though? Did they have a fight or something?"
"No one knows actually. They've just always been at each other's neck, but I heard a rumor once. The Alpha King favors him more than his own son - some might even say that he hates Artemis."
Oh.
Well...I mean, it's Artemis; he's very hate-able. But by his father...?
"I heard, however, that unlike Artemis, Lucian is a lone wolf, basically the king of chill. I imagine him sipping a calming cup of coffee even if this school is set on fire." Olivia laughs. "I like him. Raven Wood stays in one piece as long as these two don't cross paths in a day."
Lucian...
Even his name spells out magic, and my heart skips a beat again, pounding louder in my chest.
"And do you think that, maybe, Lucian might be bothered by a human being here, like genuinely bothered?"
Olivia ponders on it for a second, going through every bit of knowledge she has on him.
"I'm not too sure. I don't think he'd bothered or based on petty stuff like that. He seems like a genuine saint."
Genuine saint? I don't believe in any of it, but still, I feel myself getting hopeful for nothing again.
I smile unconsciously, pushing the giggle that almost comes out from my lips before I can embarrass myself further.
It's like every single body reaction I had when we met earlier comes rushing into me, and my palms turn sweaty just at the thought of it and my entire body beams with curiosity.
Whatever he is, truly is, I guess I'll have to find out for myself.