Tess
Lucas bellows, “What do you mean you’re moving out?!” He is not trying to be intimidating, but at 6’4 feet tall, it just has that natural effect on me.
I stand there, trembling in my shoes, as he towers over me. Luckily, Claudia steps between us with her eyes glaring daggers at Lucas.
“Tess is moving out because you’re an idiotic wolf who doesn’t know how lucky he is to have her as his mate! Do you even realize how stupid you are?!” She prods a finger into his chest, making him repeatedly blink when she keeps it between his two pectoral muscles.
“Don’t touch me...” Lucas hisses, but Claudia doesn’t look one bit afraid of the larger werewolf.
“No, because if I move, you’re just going to try and talk Tess out of leaving. And guess what? I won’t let you. She is making the right decision to leave your mansion since you clearly need to figure your shit out, like the fact you’re being stupid.”
Lucas growls. “It’s not safe for her to leave! Tess is a human now, and Wesley is too busy watching over Lily to pay attention to intruders!”
Freddy snorts inside my head. ‘Please, I could get past any guard with my abilities.’
I choose not to comment on his words, but I do have a feeling Freddy is right. He just randomly popped out on my balcony, which makes me wonder if he has some sort of teleport ability.
‘I can step out from the shadows. It’s a thing only pureblooded vampires can do, but apparently, being a hybrid counts as being a pureblood since I used the blood of a pureblood to create the hybrid serum.’
I shudder. ‘Great, so you have an army of insanely powerful hybrids, huh?’
‘No, they all died in the hybrid war. I’m the only one left, and I don’t think I can create more of that serum. It took me more than a year to put it together, and I think it was sheer luck it worked so well.’
‘Worked so well?’ I question. Freddy frightens me in real life, but inside my head, I don’t have to look at him, which makes me brave enough to have an attitude. ‘It made every person you used it on batshit crazy!’
I expect Freddy to hiss at me and leave me alone. But to my surprise, the hybrid chuckles in amusement. ‘You’re right. It clearly didn’t work the way I intended...’
I’m actually shocked at his reaction. ‘You’re admitting that?’
‘Yes?’
‘Wow...’
‘Why do you sound so shocked?’
‘I didn’t think villains ever admitted their faults.’
‘Well, in my eyes, I’m not the villain. I’m merely trying to bring my family back to life.’
‘By not caring about the lives of anyone else.’
Freddy goes entirely silent for so long that I don’t expect him to answer me, but he eventually does in a low, hesitant tone. ‘I care about you.’
My heart races against my will, and a flutter starts in my chest. It’s a feeling I’ve only ever had around Lucas, but now Freddy can elicit the same reaction. What? Why? It’s completely unexpected but also thrilling and confusing all at once. How can two men have the same effect on me? One which isn’t even my mate?
“What are you blushing at?” Claudia suddenly asks, and I’m immediately brought back to reality. Lucas is standing with his arms crossed, staring out into the street while a limousine is slowly rolling closer.
“N-nothing,” I say and fake a smile. “I’m just happy that the weather is so beautiful.”
“That’s making your skin red?” Claudia steps closer and places a hand on my face. “Is it a sunburn?”
I brush Claudia’s hand away with a laugh. “I-It’s nothing, Claudia. I’m fine.”
Lucas turns around and narrows his eyes at me. “What’s going on, Tess?”
“N-nothing,” I say, faking a smile. “I just got a little too close to the balcony’s edge this morning, and the sun got to me.” I’m lying. Freddy is the reason I’m blushing, but I can’t exactly say that out loud.
Lucas studies me for a beat longer before the limousine pulls up on the curb. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asks in a low tone.
Before I can answer, Claudia grabs my bag. “No, we will be fine on our own.”
Lucas ignores her, turning his head in my direction. “Hey, Tess. I have a question.”
I look up at the giant. “What?”
“Are we cool?” the question slips out of his mouth so casually that I wonder if he even really cares.
My chest constricts. “W-what do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, Tess,” he mutters. “Are we cool or not?”
I study his beautiful face and realize this might be my only opportunity to tell him how I feel. I should say it out loud, “You hurt me when you indirectly said I wasn’t good enough for you because I’m a human,” —that’s what I should tell him. But... I’m not brave enough.
“What do you think?” I ask quietly, hating myself for being a coward. I can’t even meet his eyes.
“I don’t know.” He sounds cautious, not angry, but completely on his guard.
I swallow thickly, which does nothing to remove the lump from my throat. “A friend wouldn’t string me along. If you don’t want me, you should just reject me.”
There. I said it, and now everything hurts. My heart is pounding way too fast, my hands feel more and more restless by the second, and it’s all because Lucas isn’t speaking. He is just standing there, the muscle in his jaw ticking when I lift my chin to face him.
He looks so scary but also beautiful. I keep my eyes on him, and his nostrils flare in agitation. “You think I’m stringing you along?” I can hear the anger in his voice.
“I...” I don’t know what to say. The look on his face is scaring me, and I don’t like how close he is standing. I feel like a caged animal.
“Of course, you’re stringing her along!” Claudia interrupts and saved the day by opening the car door. She nods at me to get in and keeps her attention on Lucas. “You said you needed time to think, but in reality, you’re just gathering the courage to reject her, aren’t you?”
Lucas doesn’t respond. He keeps those ice-cold eyes on me, and I slip into the car to avoid them, relieved to escape the tension. Claudia quickly follows, slamming the door shut. I don’t want to look back at Lucas, the image of his angry face still fresh in my mind.
As the car drives away, Claudia glances over at me. “Are you okay, Tess?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, feeling tears prickle behind my eyelids. “I thought Lucas liked me, but now I’m unsure.”
“He’s an idiot if he doesn’t,” Claudia mutters, casting a pointed glare toward the rearview mirror. “But don’t worry about it. You’re better off without him.”
I nod, but the ache in my chest remains. I thought Lucas was different, special. But now I realize he is just like every other werewolf—afraid to take a chance on someone who is a human. It’s very common.
“Hey,” Claudia interrupts my thoughts by handing me a bottle of expensive wine she must have pulled out from some secret cabinet inside the limousine. “I have an idea. Let’s forget about Lucas and have some fun tonight. In fact, we should start now.”
I can’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. Claudia always knows how to cheer me up. “What did you have in mind?”
“How about we head out to the club and dance all night? I could paint your nails before we go and borrow you some clothes?” Claudia suggests, already rummaging through her nail polish collection inside her large handbag.
I laugh, feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders. Maybe things won’t work out with Lucas, but with an amazing friend like Claudia, who needs a man? I’m better off on my own.