SOMEONE KNOWS

Ginger:

Doom is an understatement of the condition I am in at the moment. Seeing Hu watching from his window makes it worse. It’s like he feeds off my misfortune and enjoys it.

“I have to make this right,” I mutter, slumping onto the bed and pulling out my phone.

I type the words, “How to fall utterly in love with my boyfriend,” into the search bar. For minutes, I scroll endlessly, looking for the perfect solution to forget Hu and focus on Caspian, but I find nothing. With a frustrated groan, I toss my phone aside, throwing my head back onto the bed with my eyes shut.

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. A part of me thinks it’s crazy and dirty, but nothing beats sex with a guy who doesn’t care about you. I take a deep breath, sliding my hand down into my panties.

I feel my throbbing clit beneath my hand, then I pull my hand out, reaching for the sheets to cover my body. I slide my fingers in again, and this time I do not stop. With my eyes shut, I bite my lips as I massage my needy clit, sliding my fingers down my folds while I try to think of Caspian. His face forms in my mind, and I imagine drowning in his kiss. Everything goes well until I almost hit my climax, and suddenly Caspian’s face is replaced with Hu’s.

I want to stop, but my body cannot. The mere thought of Hu’s lips on my skin drives me to the edge, and in no time, my body jerks as I am bound in the most ecstatic pleasure.

“Hu.” his name leaves my lips in a breathy moan.

“Yeah,” his voice cuts through the silence, making my blood run cold. My eyes snap open, and I see him standing inches away from me.

“Argh…” I barely finish my sentence when Hu places his hand over my lips, closing the space between us.

My heart races as I stare at him. He takes a deep breath, then speaks in a low tone.

“Do not scream, please.”

I nod, and he slowly takes his hand away from my lips, his eyes still locked on mine. His hands press down on each side of the bed, trapping my body in between.

“How did you get in here?” I ask in a trembling voice.

He cocks his head toward the window.

“And how long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see you finish,” he says, and his words make my face heat up as embarrassment washes over me.

“I liked the way you said my name,” he adds, inching closer. My heart pounds as I glare into his eyes, getting lost in them for a moment. His lips brush against mine, but something snaps in me at once, and I press my palm to his face, pushing it away.

“You are fucking sick!” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. The warmth and love I feel for him instantly turns to disgust. My wolf growls angrily.

He backs away, holding up his arms in mock surrender.

“Okay, okay, let’s take this slowly.”

I open the cover on my body as he says this, then swing my legs off the bed.

“Why the hell are you here?” I demand, my brows furrowed.

“To apologize,” he answers immediately, his voice softer now. He runs a hand through his wavy black hair. “Last night, I was tipsy, and I had no clue it was your first. I knew we should’ve stopped, but it felt so right, and I didn’t want to stop.”

His words make my stomach churn.

“Were you tipsy this morning when Ruby bullied me and made the entire school laugh? And what did you do? Kiss her.” I scoff, and he sighs.

“I’m sorry about that too, and I knew I should’ve—”

“But you didn’t.”

“Ginger, I don’t want to argue. I’m here because Hana wouldn’t stop talking about you and Caspian. Then she mentioned he would be your first, and I felt terrible knowing it was me.”

“Is that really it?” I ask, and his brows furrow into a frown.

“Or do you just not want me to be with Caspian?” He falls silent.

“Tell me, Hu!” My voice rises.

“I want you,” he whispers, and I shake my head, getting to my feet.

“You want me, but you can never date me because you don’t do girlfriends. But the Moon Goddess forbid Caspian should have me because you feel something between us, and you want to hold on to that while we keep fucking.” I scoff, looking into his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

“You don’t want me, Hu. You don’t even know what the fuck you want. Or do you think I don’t know you’re an eclipse baby?”

“Well, Caspian isn’t any different!” he shoots back.

“He loves, and he is loyal. That is different, Hu. Caspian wouldn’t have walked away from me after having sex with me, but you did.”

“…And I said I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

“Yeah, just like you said it was a mistake.” I remind him, then try to turn away, but he catches my wrist, pulling me to his chest. I meet his gaze, and as I look into his beautiful eyes, I wonder how someone can be this beautiful with a dark heart.

“We both know someone will get hurt in this relationship, and that person is Caspian. I walked in on you, touching yourself to the thoughts of me. I have no clue what this is, but I know you feel it too, Ginger,” he whispers into my ear, his lips brushing against it slightly.

I swallow hard, debating whether to tell him about the mate bond, but I don’t want to get hurt further. Caspian is my mate too, and I would be a damned fool to choose someone who would hurt me.

“I’m not going to let you just fuck around with me, Hu. I did whatever I could to get the thoughts of you out of my system. It is called first-time sex for a reason, and once I get with Caspian, you’ll be history. So don’t feel too good about yourself.”

I try to sound confident, and the way his eyes narrow shows his ego is faltering.

“Get out!” I grit my teeth, and his lips curl into a cocky smirk as he tries to regain his composure.

Before he can respond, my mother’s voice shoots through the corridor.

“Ginger!”

Panic surges through me, and I feel my soul leave for a moment. I grab Hu’s hand, shoving him toward the closet.

“Quick, hide,” I say in a low tone, and he frowns, but gets in just in time as my mom opens the door.

I walk toward her.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, and I nod, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as I try to maintain a smile.

“It sounded like you were having an argument, but I didn’t see anyone walk through the door, and—”

“I was rehearsing,” I say, and she raises a brow. “I signed up for this drama club Hana introduced me to.”

The lie comes out naturally, and I feel relief as she nods.

“Glad you are fitting in. Well, dinner is ready,” she says, and I nod as she turns to leave.

“Can I go to Hana’s after dinner? We have to go across town to her friend’s place, Wendy.”

She is about to speak, but I beat her to it. “I won’t stay out late, and I am fitting in perfectly.”

“Sure. As long as Hana is there,” she says, then she leaves.

I shut the door, leaning against it as I inhale deeply.

At that moment, Hu opens the closet.

“Lying to your mother to see a guy?”

“Does the Luna know her son climbs through girls’ windows?” He stays silent, and I walk to the window, opening it. “So, stay out of my business and get out!”

He leaves at once, and I throw myself onto the bed, rubbing my temples.

I didn’t know what I wanted before, but now I do. Hu is too much of an asshole, so I will just choose Caspian, and no one will know of that night with Hu. I take out my phone to text Caspian.

“I’ll see you in thirty minutes. I love you.”

I sigh, tossing my phone away, waiting for his message.

In less than a second, it beeps with a notification. I reach for it, hoping to see a reply from Caspian, but it is an unknown number texting me.

“I know what you did last night with Hu. See you at Caspian’s, and I hope he is eager to know, too.”

My blood runs cold as I read the message. Someone knows our secret, but who could it be?