Riley
I'm not supposed to freeze as a werewolf, but something must be wrong with my DNA because I'm chattering my teeth.
"Need to find clothes..." I tell myself. "And fast..."
The werewolf packs usually leave sweatpants and various t-shirts in the woods. The clothes I find aren't my size, but I use the belt hidden underneath a tree to make them stay on my body.
Shoes are a bigger problem, and I grimace as the ones I pick seem like they belong on a clown.
"I guess this will do..." I mumble. Since I'm already bullied, my clothes will hardly matter.
The only thing I'm unhappy about is that my leather jacket was torn to shreds when I shape-shifted yesterday. Henrik tried to rape me as soon as I came home and entered my room.
I had only meant to grab spare clothes, my old tent, and then Henrik attacked me. Somehow, I fled from him, but not without breaking and destroying my arm. Luckily, it's as good as healed—being a werewolf has its perks.
I walk out of the forest, rolling my eyes, when I hear branches breaking behind me. "Go away, William."
The sounds stop, and I head out on the streets. It's still early, and I could go for a coffee, but I don't have any money. So I keep waltzing down the streets for what must be minutes, stopping in my tracks when a limousine stops by the curb.
A window opens, and there is laughter. "Nice clothes."
I smile at the sarcastic remark and turn around to face Isabella. She is sizing me up and down with amused eyes.
"They offered nothing else in the forest," I spin around, deciding to play oblivious. "Don't you like it? I think I look like fire."
Isabella is slurping on her milkshake and snorting at me in amusement. "No, you definitely need a change of clothes."
"Perhaps," I shrug. "So, what are you doing here?"
"I rarely wake up this early," Isabella yawns. "But my brother called me from a store and said you might wander the streets. He was worried about you."
I study the car. "Are you guys rich or something?"
"William is rich," Isabella corrects me, and a playful smile spreads over her glossy pink lips. "He is the alpha who inherited everything, but I said I needed this ride if I were to find you."
"Oh, I see..." Why is William working as a teacher then? For fun? Probably. He seems to burn for literature.
"So what do you say? Should we skip the first period and get ourselves a nice breakfast somewhere? You also need new clothes."
I blush at the idea of receiving gifts. "You can't buy me clothes..."
"Honey, I won't be buying you anything, girl. But my generous brother is feeling especially nice today," Isabella fans herself with a credit card, smirking at me. "He said it would be his treat. So what do you say?"
"Nah, I probably shouldn't—"
"We could eat breakfast at Waffle Palace and buy ourselves new clothes from Louis Vuitton. The personal shopper would be eager to serve us while we would lift our noses in the air and pretend we are richer than we actually are."
My lips twitch into a broad smile. "You're crazy."
Isabella winks at me. "But admit you want to do this. You're smiling now, Riley. Could it be you would love to live like the rich for one day? We could skip all of our classes and go to the next town where nobody knows us."
I snort a laugh and shake my head. "You know what? Let's do that—I've always wanted to visit another big city."
Isabella beams and pushes open the door. "Get in bitch!"
My happiness surges, and I get into the car. As I close the door behind me, I notice the driver is smiling at me. He is an elderly man with blonde hair and looks friendly.
"This would be Bentley. He is my family's butler and will assist and protect us today," Isabella explains in a calm voice as if having a butler is normal. "My father has wanted to get me a bodyguard for ages, but I've refused. Therefore, he has given Bentley the job of bodyguard for the time being."
"Good morning, Bentley," I say.
"Nice to meet you, lady Riley," Bentley says. "I will roll up the glass to give you two privacy, but I want to introduce myself."
The limousine is enormous, with fancy seats and a TV on low volume. I sit down after closing the door, and my jaw slacks to the floor when I see the minibar. I've never rolled in one of these before.
"The bodyguard who my father wants to hire is named Dane. He is my father's best friend, and while I haven't seen him in years, I wouldn't be able to focus with him around."
I laugh at Isabella. "Why is that?"
She lifts a glass of sparkling water to her lips. "Dane has a reputation for being sex-on-a-stick. He was already hot when I was a teenager. I obviously didn't make a move back then, but today? Please. I wouldn't trust myself to keep my hands off his body."
I snort and accept the glass of sparkling water she hands me. "If Dane is that hot... Then you should let him become your bodyguard? Eye candy isn't forbidden to have."
Isabella sighs. "I know, but I assume it's easier finding my mate without Dane breathing down my back."
"Ah," I give her a sympathetic smile. "Is Dane the overprotective kind?"
"Yes," Isabella admits. "Kind of like my brother with you. My phone hasn't stopped vibrating; William must have sent a thousand questions about your well-being to my phone."
A flutter is brought to life, and it plays on the hamstrings around my heart. I'm falling for William, but I know better than to expect a relationship would work between us. Even if we are mates, I don't believe in everlasting love—that's why there are mates who reject each other.
"I don't believe in love," I say without lifting my eyes from the floor. "Everyone I've ever put my trust in has broken my heart, and I can't do that again. Let myself be vulnerable."
"Oh, I understand," Isabella says. "Honestly, I'm the same way. I want to meet my mate, but I don't think anyone could love me without conditions. I'm a weirdo, you know?"
"You're not a weirdo," I glare at her, angry that she is selling herself short when Isabella is the best friend I've had. "You're loyal, and you stood up for me despite not knowing me that well—you have a big heart."
Isabella smiles softly at me. "Thank you, but helping you was pretty selfish of me. I don't have friends either, so seeing another outsider made me think: maybe I don't have to be alone anymore?"
I meet her eyes, smiling back at her. "No matter your reason, I'm glad that you're in my life."